When looking at a new home, environmental sustainability is an important factor for an increasing number of people.
Environmental Benefits of Purchasing a New Build There are many great benefits to buying a new build property, from being able to select your own interior to have limited or no maintenance costs for several years. Another factor that is becoming increasingly important for buyers is energy efficiency and overall environmental benefits. The majority of older homes are notoriously poor in regards to energy efficiency, as properties that were built 100 or even 40 years ago were not designed with this as a priority. In modern day living, energy efficiency and sustainability are both hugely significant in the construction of houses. New build homes are assessed for overall performance and are required to provide EPC (energy performance certificate) rating, making it easy for buyers to compare the energy efficiency of different houses. There are numerous elements that contribute towards the home’s overall energy performance including:
Appliances – The energy efficiency rating on appliances play a significant part in energy consumption. For example, selecting a washing machine with an A++ energy efficient rating will use less energy than one with a lower rating. The same applies to ovens and refrigerators etc. and when you purchase a new Anwyl home, all white goods supplied are energy saving appliances.
Water – Water bills can be really expensive, especially for larger families so water saving devices are very welcome solutions. New homes will be fitted with water efficient showers, toilets and taps to reduce the amount of water used. Also, a lot of water can be saved in the summer when people water their garden, by installing a rainwater harvesting system such as a simple water butt to collect rainfall.
Lighting – A solution as simple as using energy saving bulbs can significantly reduce electricity consumption, so a new build with all energy-saving bulbs will use on average 80% less electricity than homes with standard bulbs.
Heating – Older boilers generally perform much worse than the newer models, so a new build that comes with a high performing boiler will result in huge energy savings over a 5-year period. According to the Energy Saving Trust, heating accounts for 60% of energy bills and the difference between a boiler rating G and a new model, high performing boiler could save £320 per year. Moreover, heating consumption can be massively reduced by design features such as cavity walls with insulation, insulated roof space and doors and windows with tight seals. New builds will come with these environmental benefits high up on their design priorities.
Additional Technology – Smart meters are helping to raise the awareness of how much energy people are using on a daily basis, allowing better management of your different appliances and identifying unnecessarily high consumption. The government aims for all homes to be fitted with smart meters by 2020 and new builds will include them. Some new homes are also built with solar panels to generate energy and whilst historically the design of solar panels was not particularly attractive, that is changing with companies like Tesla now develop panels that look like roof tiles. When you are purchasing a new home, you should always ask for energy performance ratings and other environmental information. If you get to choose your appliances then choosing ones with the highest available efficiency ratings will be of long-term benefit both to you and the environment!
