So You Think Your Home Is Eco-friendly?
The Environment is at the forefront of most people’s minds at the moment and ways in which to reduce ones carbon footprint. Taking fewer flights and choosing to walk instead of using the car are popular ideas, but what about looking a little closer to home? How about starting at home?
In the UK, a method of assessment called Ecohomes is used to rate all new dwellings in England and all housing in Scotland, balancing environmental impact against the general day to day needs of the average person in order to have a good general standard of living.
A typical assessment will take into account many different factors. These concern both the actual building itself as well as the impact the building (home) has on the surrounding area. So, for example, your house may be energy efficient, but the overall impact won’t be too high if the nearest shop is a car journey away or building the house has resulted in lots of local wildlife being disrupted.
The Ecohomes assessment was introduced to put a standard rating to these factors and does highlight environmental factors that many people may have otherwise ignored or simply not been aware of. The important message is to take more than just the bricks and mortar into account if you are thinking about building a new property or refurbishing an old one.
It is also worth noting that the assessment doesn’t start when the house is finished or the build complete. The build stage is also put to the test, use of local contractors for example. The rating covers the whole building process and as a result a true reflection of the impact it has on the environment around it.
