Sustainable design home: expert tips from our Leeds architects
Sustainable home design is becoming more important to most families. But finding the best approach can be challenging.
Here, our architects reveal how to get started and take a holistic approach to sustainability for maximum impact.
Starting with local, quality materials
Making your home more sustainable doesn’t necessarily mean replacing everything or installing the latest technology. Good sustainable home design is about looking at the property as a whole. And finding practical ways to reduce energy use, improve comfort and make better use of resources.
One place to begin is with considering the materials you use. Importing new roof slates from overseas can undermine any sustainability ambitions from the outset. So buying locally or using reclaimed or recycled materials where practical is one way to make a difference. Checking for credible certifications – such as FSC or PEFC when it comes to timber- is also worthwhile.
However, it’s also important to simultaneously consider the durability of materials. Higher-quality windows, for example, that last longer than standard ones will be more sustainable, as they need replacing less frequently. And a durable material with a longer service life can sometimes be preferable to a locally sourced but less durable alternative.
Using sustainable design to reduce energy costs
One of the main reasons homeowners want to create eco-friendly homes is to reduce their energy costs.
This might be achieved through improved insulation, triple glazing, solar panels or even working to rigorous Passive House standards. Naturally, this is simpler when building from scratch rather than retrofitting.
Most people will only consider sustainable design advice for their home when they begin adding a house extension or start remodelling their property. And they will likely only add new eco-friendly elements to the new part of the house. But having a holistic, rather than a piecemeal, approach to sustainable design makes a huge difference.
Adding a battery to solar panels allows more electricity usage – perhaps for an electric car?
And switching to an air source heat pump to heat your home and provide hot water could increase the impact still further.
Can air conditioning be part of sustainable design?
Demand for air conditioning in UK homes is at an all-time high, given the changing climate.
Using it in a sustainable way is possible by combining an energy-efficient system with passive cooling measures, good insulation and intelligent controls.
The most sustainable approach is to reduce the amount of cooling a home needs first. Then use an efficient air-conditioning system to meet the remaining demand.
Ways to do this include adding external shading to windows, as seen in homes in the Mediterranean.
Better insulation, getting rid of thermal bridges (areas where heat can escape more easily), improving airtightness and using a ventilation system all help keep temperatures constant.
Future Homes and Buildings Standards 2027: what homeowners need to know
New carbon-cutting regulations are shaking up the way that new homes are designed.
The Future Homes and Buildings Standards will come into force in March 2027 to make new homes more energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions.
The standards will place greater emphasis on energy-efficient building fabric, low-carbon heating and renewable energy generation. For anyone planning a new home, understanding these requirements early in the design process will be important.
The regulations require all new homes in England to feature low-carbon heating measures such as heat pumps, high fabric efficiency, and solar panels.
They make heat pumps or heat networks expected, meaning conventional gas boilers will not meet the required performance standard.
People looking to buy or build a new home will need to understand how it is designed to meet these requirements. The aim is to ensure that new homes use at least 75 per cent less energy than 2013 standard homes.
If you’re considering building a new home, our Leeds architects can help you understand what these standards mean for your project.
Get more sustainable design home tips.
Our speciality is helping people create homes that match their lifestyles and requirements.
Over the years, our Wakefield architects have transformed hundreds of properties across Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, York, Huddersfield, Sheffield and further afield in Yorkshire.
Our architectural technologist, Tom Booth, is also a certified Passive House designer.
To take the first step in improving your home, speak to our team for a no-obligation quote.
