We’re all becoming more and more aware of saving energy in the home and in our work place.
In fact, being eco-aware is a recognised lifestyle trend.
Innovation surrounding green property design and technology means it’s no longer good enough to congratulate yourself on using energy efficient lightbulbs.
Reduce Energy Waste in the home
Whatever kind of property you live in there are solutions to help you reduce energy waste.
Spending a fortune on something that looks impressive but isn’t suitable for your home could prove as wasteful as leaving the heating on with the doors open. Just bolting something to your roof isn’t enough, there’s a compatibility issue and it needs to be managed properly.
Our advice is that we all take a look at what we can do in our homes as opposed to looking at the government for overall change. It’s critical to look at lifestyle patterns and then manage the technology you put in your home.
Insulation Products and Cavity Walls
Once you’ve installed a feature – such as cavity wall installation, you will have higher levels of humidity and therefore you need to address the air quality in your house. Not something you’d automatically think about but, it could affect the health of your family.
In another example, many insulation products aren’t going to work for older houses built with lime, as it needs to continue to breathe. Installing these products could lead to long term fabric deterioration.
Information and knowledge are king. Make sure you know how these changes will affect your lifestyle.
What’s the reality of going green?
We’ve got too much ‘green-wash’ for the sake of a sale as opposed to what the reality is about what the technology can do.
Legislation is catching up slowly but you must check the credentials and experience of the specifier and installer.
We’re told solar heating can save so much in water costs but there are certain times when it won’t work. The more control you have in your environment the more efficient it can be.
Take Your Time to get the Eco Facts
Work with a company that can take you through the different design aspects and processes of your project that need to be considered to ensure that you end up with a home that works for you.
Get an independent summary of all the various build options that are on the market at the moment, along with the various implications and merits of each system and ask the company who provides it to touch upon lead times and project management connotations and any changes in legislation that are affecting planning permission and building control.
