What is a green home?
A green home is a building that has a positive impact on the environment. Green housing aims to preserve natural resources and improve quality of life.
Across the UK, green housing is becoming more common. When a green home is built, its impact on the environment is taken into account at every stage – from the materials that are used through to the energy that will be needed to heat it.
We’re likely to see a lot more green homes in the near future, too. The government’s Future Homes Standard, which is expected to be enforced from 2025, would see new homes needing to produce 75% less carbon than those built to current standards.
Source: Construction Management
But green homes don’t have to be brand new. Whatever its age, your house can become a greener home by taking some steps to lessen its impact on the environment. Even small changes, such as composting garden waste or switching to energy efficient LED lightbulbs, can make your home greener.
Energy Performance Certificates, or EPCs, will tell you how green your home is, and more importantly, how you can make it greener. They even give an idea of how much money you could save by making energy efficiency improvements. Take a look at our article How to get an EPC.
The government also introduced the Green Deal, which can help you make energy-saving improvements and find the best way to pay for them. The improvements depend on each home, but can cover:
- insulation
- heating
- double glazing.
Please note, the Green Deal is not available in Northern Ireland.
Homes are certainly getting greener. Government figures in 2021 showed that 85% of new homes in England and Wales scored the highest A and B energy efficiency ratings. But how can you make your existing home greener?
Source: Gov.uk
