Can a sustainable house be affordable?
With climate change being at the focal point of the news recently, there has been sufficient awareness created in the discussion of sustainable ways of living. However, within the construction industry, most homeowners understand that while there are longer-term savings associated with a 'green' build, the costs are usually higher than a 'traditional' build and stick to the status quo.
These costs include the use of green products like solar panels and ground source heat pumps to reduce the energy consumption of a building and are a significant move towards a low-carbon future. However, when we look at the principles behind a sustainable build, we ensure that the build must create a positive social impact, have a non-detrimental effect on the environment and provide value.
At DASH, we believe that sustainable construction can be affordable, and not only bring long-term benefits to our clients but to streamline the construction process through efficient design. We ensure that the basis of our process increase building performance and reduce the waste produced during the build while remaining cost-effective.
Here are some of the ways we try to achieve that:
1. Using passive methods to reduce energy consumption
Carefully considering the orientation of your building and the layout of the openings help maximise the amount of natural sunlight and ventilation available to your build. Solar gain (radiation from the sun) reduces the artificial lighting requirements by drawing more of the natural light into darker areas of the property. It also reduces your heating requirements by maintaining a comfortable temperature though care must be taken not to design a space that overheats in the summer. Understanding how ventilation works around a building is also essential in balancing the effects of solar gain to ensure that you have the right temperature at all times.
2. Using accurate design to use less materials
Good design involves material selection that not only looks aesthetically pleasing but also functions well. More importantly, it informs accuracy in details for both the clients and their contractors to know quantities for material order. It highlights the specification of material required as well as their layouts and costs. Usually, when a contractor is unsure of numbers, they order conservatively with excess wastage. Having good accurate design helps reduce unnecessary components which leads to less construction waste generated.
3. Using modern methods to reduce construction waste
Pre-fabrication methods got a bad name at the end of the second world war with good reason. We needed houses desperately, had run low on resources and had to combine build efficiency with what remained in the bank. Sounds a little similar to the housing crisis we find ourselves in at the moment. The difference is that we have had over half a century to refine these methods, and we have come a long way. Timber-framed houses are robust and watertight, off-site construction built to the nearest millimetre and there are better materials available. A significant proportion of labour costs are saved using off-site, and pre-fabrication methods as they allow for much quicker installations.
4. Using a considerate contractor to reduce your carbon footprint
While having a conscientious client and designer make only half the team, having a considerate contractor does help to reduce the carbon footprint. Some organisations set standards to define how their members act, such as the considerate constructor scheme. While these schemes are still far from the requirements to build modern sustainable homes, they may be an excellent place to start with finding an accountable build team. They usually have a waste management plan, manage their logistics for just-in-time deliveries as well as try to recycle and reuse building materials. We always hold our contractors to these standards, as clients you should as well.
Hopefully, those points serve as a minimal standard to the requirements for your project. We always advise carrying out a costing exercise to justify the higher-build costs with the longer-term savings. This exercise usually is the only justification most of our clients need to proceed with a genuinely sustainable build.
Using well-insulated materials and environmentally-friendly products cost approximately 20% more than a traditional build but over 60-70% in operational and maintenance savings over the longer-term period. Just do the math!
At DASH, our project conversations always start with sustainability and responsible building. Your home must be energy-efficient and future-proofed to deal with the effects of climate change. If we don't start building the right way, when will we? Unfortunately, it is a DASH to save our way of life!