renovate sustainably - headwaters construction inc

renovate sustainably - headwaters construction inc7 Ways to Renovate Sustainably in Your Renovation

If you are planning to renovate your commercial property, consider renovating sustainably. The results will reduce the carbon footprint of the structure while endearing you to customers who are conscious about the environment. Here are some suggestions made by our experts at Headwaters Construction Inc. 

Use Eco-Friendly Paint When You Renovate

The options for people looking for eco-friendly paint are now so many that you may be spoiled for choice. As you draw up the specifications for your commercial renovation project, include zero or low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint to put the finishing touch to the renovation. Such paint will not give off toxic solvents as it dries, and the paint looks and performs like the conventional versions that are chockfull of harmful chemicals. If you find it challenging to sift through the marketing hype to get the true eco-friendly paint, talk to our team at Headwaters Construction Inc., and we will point you to the best options.

Natural Lighting

As the owner of a commercial property, you are well aware of how big a dent energy bills make to your potential profits. Your upcoming renovation project should provide you with an excellent opportunity to make changes that will bring more natural light into the building. For example, you can install skylights so that sunlight can stream into the building all day. Headwaters Construction Inc. can also help in positioning reflective surfaces at carefully selected locations so that natural light can bounce off of those surfaces and saturate as much of the building as possible. The energy savings that you register with these measures will quickly add up.

Switch to LED Lighting

As any commercial property owner will tell you, artificial light contributes a sizeable portion of the monthly energy bill. You can reduce this expenditure by installing LED lighting. LED lights use a tiny fraction of the energy needed by incandescent bulbs, and the LED bulbs can last for decades. This means that less waste will fill our landfills, and you will get to save the money that would have gone to periodic replacements for your current light bulbs, all while getting lower energy bills on a monthly basis.

Draft-Proof the Building

A lot of energy leaks out through gaps in doorframes and window frames. For a commercial building, the energy loss in this way can be quite significant. In the same way, small gaps in the exterior walls, such as the points where water pipes enter the building, can also cause energy losses. Fixing all these gaps or considering window replacement during a commercial renovation project undertaken by Headwaters Construction Inc. will go a long way towards making your commercial structure more eco-friendly.

Renewable Energy

If your budget can permit it, installing a renewable energy system, such as a solar system, can go a long way in making your commercial building more sustainable. The large surface area of the commercial building’s roof provides more than ample space to install an array of solar panels, which can provide most of the energy that you need for the building. On hot sunny days, you can even supply the excess solar energy generated to the utility grid so that the amount of money you spend on energy goes down through net-metering. The energy team at Headwaters Construction Inc. can take you through how such a solar system can pay for itself over time.

Low-Flow Bathroom Fixtures

Bathrooms are water guzzlers, and this takes on larger proportions for a commercial building, such as a shopping center. Use the renovation project as an opportunity to install water-conserving features in all bathrooms. These include dual-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads. You can also replace the old tank-style water heaters with on-demand (tankless) water heaters to reduce the energy requirement of availing hot water within your commercial building. Our experienced commercial retail renovation experts will work with your design team (if you have one) to identify the most cost-effective way to make all bathrooms more eco-friendly.

Surfaces from Recycled Materials

Another good way to enjoy cost-savings while making your renovation project more sustainable is by opting for surfaces that are made from recycled materials. These may range from floor tiles made from recycled auto glass to stylish work surfaces like backsplashes and countertops that are made from recycled materials.

As you can see, there is almost no end to the different ways in which you can renovate sustainably. At Headwaters Construction Inc., we have executed commercial renovation and restoration projects that placed a high premium on sustainability. We are therefore best placed to undertake your renovation project if you want to take sustainability a notch higher, so talk to our team and learn how we can be of help in attaining your project objectives. For more information on our projects or services, contact us today.

 

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