So, what is an Eco-home?
An eco-home is a residence that has been designed and built to
be energy efficient and have a minimal impact on the environment. This can
include features such as higher levels of insulation, the use of renewable
energy sources for heating and power, and sustainable building materials.
Additionally, an eco-home may also include features such as rainwater
harvesting, greywater recycling, and green roofs or walls.
In the UK, there are
no pre-set conditions that determine whether a property can be classified as an
‘eco-home’. However, as a general rule of thumb, The New Homes Agent tends to
classify any property with an energy efficiency ‘A-Rating’ (A-Rated EPC) as an
eco-home.
What are the benefits of buying an eco-home?
One of the main
benefits of an eco-home is that they can significantly reduce energy
consumption and costs. With the construction of highly insulated walls, floors
and roofs, and the inclusion of premium double or triple-glazed windows, eco-homes
can keep heat inside during the winter and outside during the summer, which
reduces the need for heating and cooling systems. Additionally, by using
renewable energy sources such as solar panels or geothermal heat pumps (Air
Source or Ground Source), eco homes can reduce or even eliminate their reliance
on fossil fuels.
Another benefit of
some eco homes is that they can improve indoor air quality. By using materials
such as non-toxic paints and adhesives, and incorporating features such as
ventilation systems and green roofs, eco homes can help to improve the air
quality inside the home. MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery)
Systems, which use heat exchange cells to ventilate a home with minimal heat
loss, have grown in popularity over recent years. These systems can also filter
pollen from incoming air, which can be particularly beneficial for people with
allergies or asthma.
Eco-homes can also
be designed to blend in with their surroundings and to have a minimal impact on
the environment. For example, they can be built using locally sourced materials
and can incorporate features such as rainwater harvesting systems and greywater
recycling systems which can help to reduce the home’s overall water consumption
and can also help to reduce the strain on local water resources. Whilst these
systems are useful, it’s quite rare to find a developer that will install them
as standard due to costs vs. perceived benefits.
The true cost of an eco-home.
As a general rule,
eco homes are more expensive to build than traditional homes. There are two
main reasons for this. The first is that the required building materials come
at an increased cost. For example, increasing the amount of external insulation
by 50% costs considerably more than people might expect. The obvious reason for
the increase is that you will need to purchase 50% more insulation. However,
there is another factor to consider which is often overlooked – lost floor
space. We’ve created a hypothetical scenario to explain how this works:
A developer is building a single-storey home which measures 15
metres wide and 8 metres deep externally. When using the standard 100mm of
external wall insulation, the width of each external wall would be roughly
300mm (0.3 metres). An external wall is usually made up three parts – a 100mm
internal block wall, 100mm cavity insulation, and 100mm external brick wall.
There is an external wall at each end of the property, meaning the internal
measurement is actually 600mm (0.6 metres) shorter than the external
measurement. So, the inside of the property will measure 14.4 metres in width
and 7.4 metres in depth. As such, the total internal floor area would be
106.59m2 (square metres calculated as 14.4m x 7.4m). This equates to 1,147sqft
(square feet calculated as 106.59sqm x 10.764 which is the conversion rate for
m2 to ft2).
Now, let’s say the developer decides to prioritise energy
efficiency and increases the external insulation from 100mm to 150mm. Each
external wall now measures 350mm, and so the internal measurement will reduce
by 700mm rather than 600mm. The revised internal measurements will be 14.3m x
7.3m, which equates to 104.39 sqm (1,123.7 sqft). By increasing the insulation
by 50mm, we’ve decreased the total floor area by 2.2 sqm (23.7 sqft).
Now this doesn’t sound like much, but when you consider that the
average sale price for a new build bungalow in the Lincoln area can be anywhere
from £350/sqft upwards, this decrease in square footage equates to a minimum
loss of £7,700 worth of internal floor area. This doesn’t include the added
cost of having to purchase 50% more insulation to fill the 150mm cavity.
Costs can also climb
due to the use of other thermally efficient materials such as higher ‘U-value’
blocks & bricks, or triple-glazed windows and doors instead of
double-glazed units.
The second reason to
consider is the increased cost of technological installations such as MVHR
(Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery) Systems, Air or Ground Source Heat
Pumps, and Solar PV Panels. To give an example, the installation of an Air
Source Heat Pump can be upwards of 300% more expensive than a traditional mains
gas heating system.
Naturally, an
increase in construction costs results in an increase in the asking price. However,
there is no doubt that long-term savings on energy and water bills can make up
for this initial investment. We also believe that over the coming years, the
price gap between older and newer properties will increase as more buyers focus
their attention on sustainable living, moving away from inefficient homes. This
effect will be even more prevalent when buying a home with eco credentials.
It’s inevitable that sellers will be able to command a greater premium for
highly-efficient homes as the world adapts to the effects of climate change.
Summary
Overall, eco-homes
are a great solution for those who want to live in a sustainable way. With
their high energy efficiency ratings, improved indoor air quality, and minimal
impact on the environment, eco-home construction represents the future of the
UK housing market.
In conclusion, they
may be more expensive to build than traditional homes, but the long-term
savings on energy and water bills can make them a worthwhile investment. As
governments and citizens are becoming more and more aware of the importance of
sustainable living, eco-homes are becoming a more viable and attractive option
for many people.
Published by The New Homes Agent
23rd January 2023
https://www.thenewhomesagent.co.uk/eco-homes-the-future-of-sustainable-living/