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How Can New Builds Become Greener than Ever?

new builds become greener

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Over the last few decades, green homes have come a long way. Building an eco-friendly home is no longer something off-the-wall artists do on TV programmes like Grand Designs, it’s something everyday people are doing – and it’s going to grow even greener.

How Can New Builds Become Greener than Ever?A recent survey has revealed that green home building continues to increase in popularity, with a third of builders surveyed suggesting green building accounts for over 60 percent of their portfolio.

This is great news for builders who are looking to expand into this market, and for online estate agents who are constantly looking for distinguished, in-demand properties to sell.

But how can we continue to make our homes greener and minimise their impact on the environment?

Build Smaller

Regardless of how ‘green’ a large home is, it’s still going to have more of an environmental impact than a small eco-friendly, energy-efficient one. This doesn’t mean you need to build a humble abode instead of your dream property, but it should encourage you to think about how you’re using space.

Design a home that fits in with your lifestyle, keeping the space cost-effective and manageable.

Related Post: 5 Simple Ways You Can Be More Eco-Friendly Everyday 

Create a Cool Roof

Your home’s energy efficiency can be dramatically impacted by the material you use on your roof. Why not consider a material that reflects the energy of the sun away, retains less heat and cools quickly at night? This will help reduce your energy usage and costs related to heat.

Grass roof eco home

Some of the building materials with these benefits include metal roofing, white tiles, terracotta and slate. You can also get roof tiles made out of recycled car tyres. Even though these materials may come with a bigger outlay, you should recoup the costs in the energy you save and the longevity of the product.

Opt for Solar

Even though there’s a whole host of renewable energy sources available, solar remains one of the most popular and cost-effective available. With a number of tax breaks, grants and government schemes available, you can often save a lot of money on your initial investment. And, over time, you could even make money from the energy you generate through your solar panels – selling anything you don’t need back to the grid.

opt-for-solar

Track your Energy Consumption Using Smart Meters

This is something that you can do once your eco-home is built. There is a huge range of different smart meters these days that can track your energy usage in your home. By 2020 every home in Britain will be offered a smart meter by their energy supplier.

Related Post: Smart Thermostats – Energy Efficient Heating

Two of the main benefits of having a smart meter installed in your home is a better understanding of your energy usage and more accurate energy bills.

When we first had energy monitors installed in our home I was completely shocked at how much our electrical items were costing us. I discovered that as a household we were spending £88 per year on electricity just by having everything on standby!

Track your energy consumption with energy monitors

There are so many smart building options and green products available that won’t just decrease the impact your property has on the environment but will increase your home’s value, too. In fact, as the market continues to evolve you’ll find ‘green homes’ listed alongside ‘high-performance homes’ to demonstrate just how cost-effective and efficient these properties are.

Gina Caro

2 thoughts on “How Can New Builds Become Greener than Ever?”

  1. Great tips.
    Bring on the days where Tesla (or any for that matter) power walls are readily available and cheap and it becomes easier to get off the grid entirely. (Provided you get enough sun)!

    1. Hi James,
      I think that will come eventually. The price of solar has already come down (slowly).
      Changes like this always take time which can be very frustrating but hopefully we’ll get there soon!

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