Fabric First
The Fabric First approach to building and renovating looks at improving the fabric of the building before considering investment in renewables. By ensuring a property is well insulated and airtight, you will reduce the amount of energy required to heat or cool the home overall. These fabrics can be quite a complex area to unravel, to include sustainably sourced materials, materials with a low carbon footprint, as well as natural and recycled materials.

HEALTHY HOME IDEAL RELATES TO THE WELLBEING OF ITS RESIDENTS

Carbon Neutrality
A carbon neutral home focuses on offsetting any carbon produced in the process of building it, as well as the footprint of heating and powering the space. This means using materials with a low carbon footprint, as well as renewable systems that don’t rely on fossil fuels.

Cradle-to-cradle
This concept that looks at the lifecycle of materials, ensuring that not only are they sustainably produced, but can also be disposed of in a sustainable manner, whether that’s recycling, reusing or being made from biodegradable materials.

The Healthy Home Concept
The Healthy Home ideal relates to the wellbeing of those who reside there. This means catering for everything from indoor air quality, protecting sleep cycles and factors that impact mental health. This holistic approach looks at the effect a house has on the individual, as well as the wider community.

Biophilic Design
This element connects your home to nature, both around it and within it. It encompasses an outside/inside approach, where natural life and materials interweave together and in harmony.

Earthship Biotecture
This is a home made entirely out of natural and recycled materials.

ECO ADDITIONS to Your Property
If your remit is to make your existing property as eco-friendly as possible, try some of these ideas:

• Good insulation and airtight joints.
• Double or triple-glazed windows.
• Air conditioning and other features to manage overheating.
• Heating and/or hot water provision from a renewable source (such as solar panels, heat pump or biomass).
• Electricity from an approved ‘green’ supplier.
• Renewable energy systems, such as solar PV and solar thermal.
• Natural materials and an avoidance of plastics.
• Time spent living off-mains.
• Planted and green roofs, with the aim of providing insulation, as well as a bed for insects and other animal life.
• Use of LED light bulbs which have a hugely beneficial effect on electricity consumption.