Embracing Sustainable Living: New Homes Week and the Future of Eco-Friendly Living
February 26th to March 4th is known as New Homes Week. Find out more below!
Water Conservation
The idea of New Homes Week is to promote the benefits of new homes, including modern designs. We want to focus on how we can make new homes more sustainable - there are lots of ways we can create eco-homes so they’re more efficient, especially when it comes to water efficiency! Ensuring all new homes are equipped with water meters helps us understand how much water we are using. There are plenty of fittings and fixtures that can be used with various appliances to help reduce our water consumption too!
Indoors
Did you know, there are many ways water can be saved inside the home? Here are just a few!
- Water efficient shower heads can save over a third of water by restricting the flow without impacting the experience.
- Aerators can be installed in taps, this reduces the amount of water used whilst the flow feels the same. And it is cost effective!
- Dual flush toilets limit flushing capacity and therefore reduce water usage. When used correctly, these toilets only use 4 to 6 litres of water. This is around half of a traditional toilet. Toilets should also be checked for leaks, this is often overlooked and a common source of water wastage!
- Energy and water efficient appliances should be selected including dishwashers and washing machines to help keep water consumption to a minimum.
Outdoors
It’s not only the inside of a home we can think about when it comes to water sustainability. There are lots of ideas that can be implemented outside to reduce our consumption. Here are a few:
- Using drought resistant and tolerant plants in landscaping puts less pressure on water resource.
- Downpipes can be fitted with water butts and rainwater harvesting systems to capture rain directly from the roof. This prevents it rushing into drains and helps to reduce pressure on our draining systems.
- Grey water recycling from rainwater harvesting systems can be used to flush toilets, wash cars and maintain outdoor spaces! Although not suitable for consumption, there are plenty of uses for grey water than means we can reduce mains conumption.
Energy Efficiency
It's not just water sustainability that can be focused on in eco-homes. Energy efficiency is also key to a more sustainable future. This can be achieved through some of the following:
- Powering homes threw off the grid means is a great way to reduce pressure on our resources. This can take the form of renewable sources of energy like solar power or wind turbines. These methods help to reduce carbon footprint.
- Combined with energy efficient appliances and lighting such as LED or CFL bulbs, energy costs and expenditure can be reduced. Similarly, integrating smart technology into homes such as smart thermostats and monitoring devices can help reduce and optimise energy consumption.
- Incorporating passive solar design into new builds enables the power of the sun to be harness, meaning windows are positioning strategically. By maximising natural light, this reduces the need for artificial heating and cooling.
