Being eco-friendly used to be a buzz word amongst a minority of people who were very much focused on reducing their carbon footprint. Thankfully, we are now at a stage where our environmental habits and discussing how we can improve them has become much more mainstream; and is often a talking point at the first consultation with our clients. The want to lower their emissions, as well as save money on bills in the long term. This is certainly a win win situation. Despite the initial outlay, which has becoming much more affordable over the last 5 years, utilising available resources for your home really does pay off and, when spending significant amounts of either a new build property or large extension, we truly believe that these options should be fully explored when we look to move forward with your projects.
No longer in the territory of eco-warriors or forest dwellers, thankfully you can still maintain all your home comforts whilst lowering your carbon footprint and monthly expenses.
Below, we will talk about some prior projects where eco-factors have been at the forefront of the clients thoughts and how we have implemented them into their projects.
Heat Source Pump - Barn Renovation, Princes Risborough
We were pleased to undertake the complete renovation of a stunning barn conversion whereby the client was very keen to implement various technologies to lower their emissions. Upon consultations, one of the main ways of becoming significantly more energy efficient was the creation of a Heat Source Pump. This remarkable technology has a great array of benefits, and was the perfect solution to our clients requests. Essentially, the Heat Source Pump absorbs the heat from outside your home, and utilises this heat for various aspects of your daily lives, where gas and electric were previous used. Radiators, underfloor heating and hot water can all now be powered from the natural warm air outside of your home. The incredibly low environmental impact comes in the form of the electricity in which they need to run, but this is significantly less impactful then powering via gas. We can install these very easily for you and you will undoubtedly lower your carbon emissions, and save costs on your monthly bills.
Solar Panels - Multiple Projects
Perhaps the more well known form of energy saving products is the Solar Panels. These have developed significantly over the last few years, to the point where many new build homes opt to have the panels applied during the building process. The costs of installing Solar Panels has been helped by government initiatives, and it is certainly becoming more affordable, with the average cost being £5000 - £10,000. This may seem like a large cost, but these sunlight-converting machines not only save you considerable money over time, they can also generate you money. Many people are unaware of the benefits of this form of energy, whereby the Government pay you for generating energy, even if the energy is purely used by your household. Further to this, you can effectively sell energy back to the grid; which will be converted and others in your vicinity can use. This is of course all great, but it is important to remember the large impact on your carbon footprint; solar energy is of course ‘green’ renewable energy, and the solar panels do not release any harmful substances. Amazingly, you can save up to 1.7 tonnes of carbon per year.
Solar Water Heating - Various Projects
Another way of utilising the suns energy is solar water heating. This a fantastic and cost effective way of heating the water you use in your home. People worry about the fact that, here in the UK, unfortunately we aren’t blessed with too much sun. While large amounts of sunlight with of course be beneficial, you do not need drastic amounts for the technology to work. This differs from the Heat Source Pump earlier discussed, as the aim here is to purely heat the water. The water is stored in a cylinder ready for you to use. It works 24/7 so the idea is that you should always have a ready supply of water. For some, whilst the environmental aspect is wonderful, they worry if they haven’t enough water stored. No-body wants a cold shower, thats why many opt to have a boiler or immersion heater, which will sufficiently pump up the temperature.
Interiors - Sandleswood End, Beaconsfield (And many additional projects)
The environmental aspect doesn’t just stop with the obvious; some aspects are less visible but just as important, such as the interior work of the property. It is very important to us at One Construction to recognise our environmental responsibilities, this comes down to somewhat overlooked aspects such as the use of natural materials, such as Lime Mortar. This natural product is ideal for many properties in the area, partially those of character and older buildings. Further to this, we consider the environmental impact of items we use and love everyday. When installing a bespoke kitchen, we ensure the wood used is totally sustainable and recyclable. Further to this, materials will all be locally sourced thus supporting our local independents as well as lowers transportation emissions.
Here at One Construction, we are committed to helping the environment where we can, and work with our clients in a variety of ways in order to make their project as eco-friendly and cost-effective as possible.