Ecological living from ground up

WHEN we talk of living in an eco-friendly, carbon-neutral way, the image that sometimes springs to mind is one of earthen roofs and the occupants walking round in sandals they have knitted themselves.

Thankfully, this is not the only way we can live in harmony with the environment, and it is quite possible to enjoy all of the creature comforts we have become accustomed to and ensure our living costs and fuel bills are minimal, which are probably the key motivators for most people.

However, if you can substantially reduce your property’s lifetime energy costs and a by-product of that is an environmentally friendly building, then everybody wins.

The best way this can be achieved is to design in efficiency from the ground up. It need not cost more – in fact, as this case history shows, the finished property has cost less than using the common block construction which seems to be the norm in France.

I recently became fortunate enough to become involved in a project that is not just for the younger generation, as the very nice couple concerned could be described as "not so young".

I admire their motives. The client wrote to me: "We really want to take it as far as we can with sustainability and ecological considerations, as state of the art as we can afford, and we hope to use the house as a show home for all various aspects of sustainability.

"This is something we have thought about for nearly 40 years. I am often told that I will never get my money back from a project such as this. At our time of life, this is not a great consideration. The payback time, as far as I am concerned, is over the lifetime of the building and involves its contribution to a better and more sustainable future for generations to come."

Many building techniques used today do not differ much from the past. We still rely heavily on cement and concrete, both of which are extremely harmful pollutants. Apparently our buildings are still responsible for a staggering 27 per cent of CO2 in the atmosphere.

However, this particular property has been quickly erected on site using ready-made structurally insulated panels that are simply delivered in kit form. It was manufactured off-site in factory-controlled conditions, meaning it was completed quickly, efficiently, on time and on budget – not words you hear everyday. It took only two weeks to complete the main structure.

Apart from financial savings in construction costs, it also has the advantage that the structure is "super-insulated" – the building is made of insulation – which will mean substantial energy and cost savings for years to come. A well constructed and insulated property is the absolute cornerstone to any new, future-proof green building. The building also has a solar hot water system.

So, for anyone thinking of a new build, then there are options that are not only green, but also have lower construction costs and lifetime running costs.

The client added: "I hope this project will serve as an example of what can be reasonably achieved with a little thought and effort. I would like it to become a point of interest for the community by involving locals from the start (the mayor is very interested).

"By communicating our aims effectively and as widely as we can, and showcasing new technology and possibilities, we may open a few minds and make some progress."

This column is written by Marc Asker, head of EcoPower, a renewable energies company that he set up in 2007. He has been in the industry since 2003.