How are home renovations keeping green in 2022?

With the UK’s built environment currently responsible for around 25% of all greenhouse emissions*, there’s a growing appetite for greener ways to renovate houses. Sustainable renovations come with many advantages – including lowering your long-term energy needs, which is good news for both your wallet and the environment. So how are self-builders keeping their renovation projects green this year? Let’s take a look.

Three means to be green

Green roofs

An attractive way to boost the sustainability of your project, a green roof is a layer of vegetation that sits on top of your normal waterproof roof – helping boost its overall lifespan while helping conserve energy.

In urban areas, green roofs offer benefits for drainage and air quality, as well as cutting noise pollution. Plus they encourage wildlife, which is crucial for boosting our biodiversity – all in all helping to make buildings more environmentally friendly. In fact, a report published by the RSPB and WWF cited green roofs as ‘vital’ in reducing floods, heating and cooling buildings, improving biodiversity and filtering air pollution.

Passive houses

A passive house is a popular construction concept that has been shown to help lower energy needs while keeping air quality fresh inside the home. They work by using renewable energy sources like solar panels, heat pumps or geothermal energy to heat a building while minimising any thermal loss through insulated and airtight building techniques. It can be so effective that a passive house needs 90% less energy than other buildings to heat and cool, with heat retained and reused to keep the building warm.

Sustainable materials

The materials you choose for your renovation project can also help you stay green. There’s a growing number of materials on the market that you may want to explore if you’re looking to carry out sustainable renovations, such as bamboo, sheep’s wool and natural stone.

Using reclaimed bricks and tiles is an excellent way to recycle existing materials, while engineered timber can also be highly eco-friendly choice. In fact, if all builders used wood instead of steel and concrete, it’s thought that global CO2 emissions could reduce by 31%**.

Five sustainable benefits

So what are the benefits of going greener with your renovations? Aside from the fact you’ll be lowering your carbon footprint, there are many advantages that you can enjoy, including:

Energy efficiency

Energy and water efficiency is a big benefit, especially as the cost of living and fuel prices push up bills for every UK household. While installing renewable energy sources might cost more upfront, this will soon be offset by the savings in your bills in the months and years that follow.

Easy maintenance

As a rule, sustainable building materials are designed to be just that – sustainable. They often last longer and need less maintenance simply because they are more durable. This not only keeps your home looking fresher for longer, but saves you money on repairs and keeps your environmental impact to a minimum.

Higher property value

Renovating your home sustainably can add more value. According to consultancy Patrick Parsons, the construction industry is seeing a rise in value of homes built sustainably – with 68% of construction firms surveyed expecting the value of developments with sustainable design to increase by between 10% and 20% over the next three years*** as homeowners look for future-proof homes that are cheaper to run.

Cleaner inside air

As sustainable building materials tend to be natural substances, they are free from any of the potentially damaging chemicals or pollutants that you tend to find in most standard quality building products. This automatically makes your home a healthier place to be. Add in fresh greenery like plants and you get double the benefit as houseplants help soak up pollutants.

If you’re lacking a garden or simply want to clean up the air in your home, invest in plants such as peace lilies, ferns, Devil’s ivy and spider plants to help add a touch of tranquillity to your home.

Cheaper insurance

As many companies look to encourage wider adoption of greener policies, some insurance providers are no different, with some purposefully not charging extra on home policies if solar panels and heat pumps are installed – offering further incentives for renovators looking to make their homes more eco-friendly. Just remember: you’ll need renovation insurance while you undertake the works.

Here at Renovation Plan, we can find you the cover you need to carry out your project safely and sustainably. Talk to our expert team today.

*According to the UK Green Building Council

**https://pefc.org/news/celebrating-construction-with-timber-enter-your-project-into-the-best-use-of-certified-timber-prize

***https://www.patrickparsons.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Sustainable-by-Design-Report-Web.pdf