There are several eco-friendly materials commonly used in construction that help make homes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. These include recycled steel, which can save up to 75% of the energy used to produce normal steel; wood-plastic composite lumber, which is more durable than treated wood; insulating concrete forms that can reduce energy consumption in buildings by 20%; and low-emissivity windows that help insulate homes and can lower heating and cooling costs by 20%. Using these materials can help homeowners save up to 45% on energy costs and be part of the green building trend.

1. Title: Top Eco-Friendly Construction Materials
Article Summary:
There are eco-friendly materials that are now used in construction for creating energy efficient building
and homes.
An Eco-friendly home consists of energy efficient a material that helps customers save up to 45% of their
energy cost.
Recycled Steel, Wood/Plastic Composite Lumber, Insulating Concrete Forms and Windows that have low
Emissivity ratio are materials commonly used in Construction.
Article Body:
There are materials that are now used in construction for create energy efficient buildings and homes.
These materials help not-only to provide more insulated and cheap alternatives to traditional
construction materials but also to serve as a contributor in providing low-impact damage to nature.
Creating an eco friendly house starts with using eco-friendly construction materials. In El Paso TX,
constructions practiced building eco-friendly homes not only because the of the local governments
policies about “green” trend, but also for the customers to be part of the “green trend”.
Eco-Friendly Home
Eco-friendly home consist of energy efficient and eco-friendly materials used in constructing the house.
This home is well insulated by alternative materials for it to become energy efficient. An eco friendly
house saves customers up to 45% of their energy cost. This is achieved through materials that help in
insulating and illuminating the house.
Most Used Energy-Efficient and Construction Materials
Recycled Steel
Having a wooden beam for your house requires large number of lumber that potentially harm the
nature. According to Steel Recycling Institute, alternative to wood beams are available for your house.
Typically, for a single home with 186-square-meter to be built, it takes approximately 40 to 50 trees to
finish it. A customized steel beam can be an alternative to wooden beam, allowing a house to have more
resistance to strong winds, earthquakes and storms.
65 tons of recycled metal are recycled from cars and other metals, and recycling scrap reduces the
energy produced in processing of the steel. It can save 75% energy in the energy production of steel
mills. This material is also cheaper than the normal steel bar.

2. Wood/Plastic Composite Lumber
Plastic bags and different plastic materials can be recycled and processed to be used for forming
recyclable chairs and tables, in this generation; it can be used in home construction for decks, or on local
playground in the community.
The 50% wood fibers plus 50% waste plastic is durable than traditional treated lumber. It adds more
durability than the ordinary wood plus it is has the rigidness of the plastic. Mixing it together would give
you a material that is durable, less toxic and more rigid that is also has strength. But the only problem
with this material is that it is more expensive than ordinary wood.
Insulating Concrete Forms
This is one of the oldest eco-friendly construction materials that are widely used in construction. It helps
in the insulation of the building or in a home and its energy-saving properties are enjoyed by all type of
people. One of the top makers of concrete forms is The Portland Cement Association defines Concrete
forms as a “cast-in-place concrete walls that are sandwiched between two layers of insulation material.”
This technology is used in building blocks and freestanding walls.
Buildings made from insulated forms saves as much as 20 percent over the energy consumed by wood-
frame buildings in the States. This is the best alternative to wood in terms of walling the house because
it has low-impact on nature.
Windows that are Low-E
Low-E means low emissivity This type of windows have low emissivity ratio and have a coating of
metallic oxide on these windows that keeps the heat inside the house in the winter, also keeping out the
heat during summer. This coating is used on most external storm windows in houses that don’t have
double-pane windows. This technology comes in hard coatings, also in soft coatings. Soft coatings go
between layers of the glass, while the hard coatings go outside.
This type of windows are more expensive than the ordinary clear glass storm windows, typically priced
between $55-110 each, that are more 15 percent more expensive. This windows main function is to
reduce heat flow through the glass and reduce heating cost by 20%.
There are many other eco-friendly materials that are used in the construction. These materials are made
available for all of us to practice healthy and eco-friendly living. These materials maybe expensive than
the ordinary construction materials, but what makes it essential is its benefit it can give for us. We can
save up to 30-50% of our energy consumption by just having these kinds of material also help in
preserving the nature.