In a world increasingly conscious of the urgent need to combat global warming, environmentally friendly living practices in your house have become more vital than ever. As homeowners, our sustainable choices in home renovation can play a significant role in reducing our carbon footprint and preserving our planet for future generations.
If you’re looking for sustainable house ideas and want to renovate your home while doing your bit to help, use these eco friendly home improvements and mindful renovations tips we have for you. Practising sustainability at home not only enhances the comfort and style of your space but also contributes to small changes that can make a big difference for both your house and the planet.
Table of contents
- What is sustainable home renovation?
- How can I sustainably renovate my house?
- How to be more environmentally friendly at home
- How much does it cost to build an eco-friendly house in the UK?
- Final thoughts
What is sustainable home renovation?
A sustainable home renovation involves adopting design practices and utilising materials that minimise environmental impact while improving the functionality and aesthetics of your living space. This approach encompasses a range of strategies, from energy-efficient upgrades to eco-friendly materials and construction techniques.
Incorporating eco-renovation principles into sustainable home improvement projects further enhances their environmental benefits. Eco renovation focuses on reducing the ecological footprint of renovations by utilising renewable resources, implanting energy-saving technologies, and incorporating recycled or reclaimed materials whenever possible.
From installing solar panels and energy-efficient appliances to choosing low-VOC paints and eco-friendly insulation, every decision you make during the renovation process contributes to a more environmentally responsible home.
By embracing green home improvements and eco-friendly practices within their home, homeowners not only enhance the value and comfort of their properties but also play a role in addressing the challenges of climate change and promoting a more sustainable future.
How can I sustainably renovate my house?
Starting your sustainable renovation journey involves making environmentally conscious choices throughout the process. Here are some key eco friendly house ideas to consider for your home:
Insulation
Proper insulation is essential for maintaining a comfortable indoor environment and reducing energy consumption. For enhanced energy efficiency throughout your home, insulating your floors, roof, loft, walls, pipes, radiators, and hot water tanks will ensure minimal heat loss, saving you from costly energy bills.
Roofs and lofts
Insulating your roof and loft is crucial for retaining heat and reducing energy loss. For pitched roofs, consider installing insulation between and over the rafters or using insulation boards beneath the roof covering. In flat roofs, insulation can be installed above the ceiling or within the roof structure.
Sustainable methods include using recycled materials like cellulose insulation, made from recycled paper, or sheep’s wool insulation. These materials provide excellent thermal performance while effectively minimising your environmental impact.
Cavity walls
Cavity wall insulation involves filling the gap between the inner and outer layers of external walls with insulating material. This helps to prevent heat loss and improve energy efficiency. Sustainable options include materials like sheep’s wool, mineral wool, which can be made from recycled glass or rock, or polyisocyanurate boards. These eco-friendly choices provide effective insulation while reducing the carbon footprint of your home.
Solid walls
Insulating solid walls is essential for improving thermal efficiency, especially in older homes with solid brick or stone walls but can be more expensive than cavity walls. Internal insulation involves fixing insulation boards or studs to the interior walls and filling the cavity with insulation material. Natural materials like wood fibre boards or sustainably sourced polyisocyanurate boards offer excellent thermal performance and environmental benefits.
Heating systems
Insulating pipes, radiators and hot water tanks is essential for maximising energy efficiency and minimising heat loss throughout your home’s heating system. Pipe insulation sleeves or lagging can be applied to hot-water pipes to prevent heat loss during distribution.
Similarly, radiator insulation panels or reflective foil can be installed behind radiators to improve the retention and distribution of heat within rooms.
Additionally, specialised jackets or wraps can be fitted around hot water tanks to minimise standby heat loss and maintain water temperature.
Floors
If you live above an unheated space, such as a garage, or on the ground floor, like a bungalow or flat, insulating your floors will help you maintain thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Depending on the construction of your home, it can be installed above or below the floor surface.
For suspended wooden floors, consider installing insulation between the floor joints or beneath the floorboards. Mineral or sheep’s wool or rigid foam boards can be used to effectively insulate and minimise heat transfer.
For solid concrete or screed floors on the ground level, insulating the floor surface can help improve thermal performance. Adding a layer of wool floor insulation, insulation boards or underfloor heating mats beneath the flooring material can provide effective insulation and enhance comfort.
Draught-proofing
Seal gaps and cracks around your floors, windows, doors and other openings with draught excluders, weather stripping or caulking to prevent draughts and improve thermal efficiency. As a simple yet effective solution, draught-proofing not only helps to maintain a consistent indoor temperature but also reduces energy bills by minimising the need for heating and cooling and ensuring an airtight building.
By creating an airtight seal, draught-proofing prevents warm air from escaping during the winter months and keeps cool air inside during the summer, reducing the workload on your heating and cooling systems.
Consider using a chimney balloon to block off unused chimneys, further preventing heat loss and draughts and enhancing the effectiveness of your draught-proofing efforts.
Windows
Upgrading single-glazed windows to double or triple-glazing can significantly improve insulation and thermal performance. These windows feature multiple layers of glass with insulating gas-filled space between them, effectively reducing heat transfer and enhancing energy efficiency.
Additionally, selecting windows with low-emissivity (low-E) coatings further enhances their thermal properties, helping to keep your home comfortable year-round.
Opting for window frame options that conduct less heat or cold, such as wood or uPVC with thermal breaks, can further enhance insulation and overall energy efficiency. Remember, the lower the U-value, the better the energy efficiency.
For dark and dingy rooms that wouldn’t typically have access to natural light, sun tunnels offer a brilliant solution. These innovative devices capture sunlight from the roof and channel it into interior spaces. They not only enhance the aesthetic of your home but also reduce the need for artificial lighting during daylight hours, minimising electricity usage and lowering energy bills.
Solar panels
As a sustainable solution for your home that harnesses a renewable energy source, solar panels can provide effective yet clean power. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels convert sunlight into electricity, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering carbon emissions.
With advancements in technology and decreasing costs, solar energy has become an increasingly viable option for homeowners looking to reduce their environmental impact and energy bills. Not to mention, sunlight is free, so investing in solar panels not only offers long-term savings on energy bills but also provides a reliable and environmentally friendly source of power for your home.
Plus, they don’t need direct sunlight to work, so even on a cloudy day, solar panels can still generate electricity when installed on a wall or roof facing within 90° of the south.
Sustainable materials
Choosing sustainable materials for your construction projects is a conscientious choice and a step towards creating a healthier living environment while promoting environmental responsibility. Let’s explore some eco-friendly options in more detail:
Low-VOC paints
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are harmful chemicals found in many traditional paints that can off-gas into the air, contributing to indoor air pollution and potential health issues. Opting for low-VOC paints reduces exposure to these toxins, improving indoor air quality and creating a healthier living space for you and your family.
FSC-certified or recycled timber
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification ensures that timber is sourced from responsibly managed forests, promoting sustainable forestry practices and biodiversity conservation.
Alternatively, using recycled timber helps to reduce demand for virgin wood and minimises deforestation, making it an eco-friendly choice for construction projects.
Hempcrete
Hempcrete is a bio-composite material made from hemp fibres and lime, offering excellent thermal insulation properties and carbon sequestration benefits.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource that can be used for flooring, decking and structural elements.
Sustainably harvested cork
Sustainably harvested cork is a renewable and biodegradable material commonly used for flooring, wall coverings and insulation.
Reclaimed natural stone
Reclaimed natural stone offers a unique and eco-friendly option for building facades, flooring and landscaping, reducing the need for new quarrying and minimising waste.
Heating efficiency
You can improve the efficiency of your heating system by upgrading your thermostat and controls, installing heat pumps or incorporating underfloor heating. These energy-efficient solutions help to reduce energy consumption, lower heating costs, and decrease carbon emissions, all while enhancing comfort and convenience in your home.
Thermostat and controls
Upgrading your thermostat and controls is a relatively simple yet highly effective way to improve the efficiency of your heating system and minimise energy consumption. Modern thermostats offer advanced features and capabilities that allow more precise control over your heating and cooling settings, resulting in optimised comfort and energy savings.
These devices enable you to set specific temperature schedules based on your daily routine, enabling you to automatically adjust the temperature according to your needs. You can even control and monitor them remotely via a smartphone app when connected to smart home automation systems and Wi-Fi networks. So, at the touch of a button, you can switch off your heating, even if you’re away on holiday and forgot to turn it off.
Heat pumps
Operating more efficiently than traditional heating systems, heat pumps work by transferring heat from one area to another using a small amount of electricity to move heat from the outdoor air or ground into your home during the colder months and vice versa during warmer months. This process allows heat pumps to provide both heating and cooling capabilities.
There are several types of heat pumps available, including air-source heat pumps, ground-source (geothermal) heat pumps and water-source heat pumps. Air-source heat pumps extract heat from the outdoor air, while ground-source heat pumps extract heat from the ground or water sources such as ponds or wells. Ground-source heat pumps typically offer higher efficiency levels and greater consistency in performance but may require more space and upfront investment for installation.
Underfloor heating
Underfloor heating systems offer a modern and eco-friendly alternative to traditional radiators, providing energy-efficient and comfortable heating throughout your home. These systems comprise a network of pipes or electric heating elements installed beneath the floor surface, distributing heat evenly across the room from the ground up.
Unlike traditional radiators, which heat the air around them, underfloor heating radiates heat upwards from the floor, resulting in more uniform heating and reduced heat loss with fewer cold spots and drafts. They also eliminate the need for bulky radiators, freeing up valuable wall space and allowing for more flexible interior design options.
Green roof and eco-friendly garden
Transform your garden into a green space by installing a green roof system. Green roofs will provide additional insulation to optimise energy efficiency while protecting your roof membrane from the elements and reducing stormwater runoff. They also create a habitat for wildlife and improve air quality.
Additionally, consider planting an eco-friendly garden with native plants, wildflower beds and pollinator-friendly species, such as lavender, geranium and sunflowers, to support local ecosystems and promote biodiversity.
By helping local wildlife flourish, you can reduce your impact on the environment. You can also contribute to biodiversity by installing bird feeders, birdhouses and bee hotels, providing essential habitats and food sources for native species. Encouraging pollinators like bees and butterflies helps to support ecosystem health and promote the reproduction of flowering plants.
Furthermore, creating a sustainable garden can help to mitigate urban heat island effects by providing shade and cooling the surrounding area. What’s more, rainwater harvesting techniques, such as installing water butts or permeable paving, can help conserve water and reduce strain on municipal water supplies.
Implementing compositing practices further reduces waste and enriches the soil, promoting healthy plant growth and ecosystem resilience. Happy planting!
Water saving devices
Install water-saving devices such as low-flow taps, showerheads and toilets to conserve water and reduce water consumption. Additionally, harvesting rainwater for irrigation purposes and implementing greywater recycling systems will further reduce your water usage and minimise environmental impact.
How to be more environmentally friendly at home
Making small changes in your daily habits can have a significant impact on reducing your environmental footprint and promoting sustainability. Here are some eco-friendly practices you can adopt at home:
Switch to LED light bulbs
Replace traditional incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs. LED bulbs consume less energy and last longer, reducing electricity bills and environmental impact.
Conserve water
Something as simple as turning off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving will conserve water. As discussed above, low-flow taps and showerheads will further reduce your water consumption. If you want to prevent water wastage, you might need to fix that leaky tap you’ve been putting off.
Reduce energy waste
Switch off lights, appliances and electronic devices when not in use to avoid unnecessary power consumption. (Think of the polar bears!) As tempting as it may be to leave your TV on standby, make sure to get up off the sofa and switch it off completely.
Practice recycling
We’re sure this is on the top of your list of things you do already, but you should separate your recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and aluminium cans accordingly. By participating in recycling efforts, you can divert waste from landfills, conserve resources and contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable environment.
Minimise single-use plastics
Opt for reusable alternatives to single-use plastics whenever possible. Use reusable shopping bags, water bottles, coffee cups and food containers to reduce plastic waste and minimise environmental pollution. Buy that water bottle you’ve been meaning to get!
Support sustainable transport
Choose eco-friendly transportation options such as walking, cycling, carsharing or using public transport whenever possible. Depending on your budget, you may want to consider investing in electric or hybrid vehicles to reduce carbon emissions.
Grow your own food
Why not start a vegetable garden or grow herbs indoors? These will supplement your diet with fresh, locally-grown products. Growing your own food reduces reliance on industrial agriculture, minimises food miles (to virtually zero) and promotes self-sufficiency. Plus, if there’s a zombie apocalypse, you’re sorted!
Conserve resources
Use durable and reusable products instead of disposable alternatives. Repair and maintain household items whenever possible instead of replacing them, and donate or recycle things you no longer need.
Forget about fast fashion; charity shops are a fantastic way to find unique and affordable clothing while reducing waste and supporting charitable causes. It’s a win-win!
How much does it cost to build an eco-friendly house in the UK?
Building an eco-friendly house in the UK involves numerous factors that can influence the overall cost. While initial construction costs may be higher compared to conventional homes, the long-term savings in energy bills and environmental benefits often outweigh the initial investment.
Overall, the cost could typically be anywhere between £225,000 and £585,000, but this involves building an entire home and varies depending on factors such as size and design complexity, choice of materials, energy systems and site-specific requirements.
While upfront costs may be higher compared to conventional construction, the long-term benefits in terms of energy efficiency, environmental impact and occupant comfort make eco-friendly housing an increasingly attractive and viable option for homeowners committed to sustainability.
Consulting with architects, builders, and sustainability experts can help you navigate the process and make informed decisions to achieve your eco-friendly housing goals within budget constraints.
Final thoughts
Embarking on a journey to create a sustainable and eco-friendly home is a rewarding endeavour that offers numerous benefits for both homeowners and the environment. By incorporating environmentally friendly practices and technologies into every aspect of home renovation and construction, you can reduce your environmental footprint, lower energy bills, and create greener and healthier living environments for yourself and future generations.
There are countless ways to make a positive impact on the environment while enhancing comfort and functionality at home. Together, let’s strive to create homes that are not only beautiful and comfortable but also environmentally responsible and resilient, leaving a lasting legacy of stewardship and sustainability.