Eco friendly and going green is all the rage these days, and for good reason. Consciously choosing eco friendly products and activities can impact your lifestyle and budget positively. Designing a new home gives you a chance to impact the environment on a much larger scale, while also improving your quality of life and lowering skyrocketing energy costs. So how green can you go?

Passive Energy Benefits Through Your Building Lot – Choosing a building lot is important for anyone that is planning on building a new home, but if you want to take advantage of the natural energy sources of the Earth you have an even more difficult decision. Solar power is well known, but the sun can heat your home in two other important ways as well. One is just by passively allowing heat in through your windows. Choosing a lot that has great southern exposure that isn’t blocked by other buildings and trees can help you take advantage of this passive heat. Your architect can design your home by placing windows and overhangs in the right positions to accept heat during the winter and block heat during the summer so your energy costs as are low as possible. A lot that is next to a pond or lake for geothermal heating can also help. » Read more: Eco Friendly, Green Home Design