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Environment: Green is the new black - Gordon Miller, whatgreenhome.com

Green is the new black

You’ve no doubt read, seen or heard about the fact that the world is turning green in our belated attempt to reverse climate change. In the UK residential housing sector (which accounts for 25 per cent of all CO2 emissions, which is one of the main greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change) all new build homes will have to be built to zero carbon levels by 2016. As of next year, new domestic properties must be 25 per cent more energy efficient than those built pre-2006.

Overseas, many developed nations have implemented climate change policies which impact dramatically on the homes you are going to be able to buy. In Spain, all new homes must be built with solar thermal for water heating. In France, legislation compels developers to install high levels of thermal insulation. In Portugal progressive measures have lead to around 11 per cent of its annual electricity requirements being provided for by wind power.

But what does this mean for a new home you may want to buy abroad? Is it likely to look like some science fiction or futuristic approximation of your own conventional house? Well, in 99.9% of the cases so called eco homes look exactly like the homes you’ll see the length and breadth of the UK because much of the technology that makes them energy efficient or eco friendly is inbuilt in the fabric of the house and is invisible to all but the trained eye.

For example, most new homes can be built to be sufficiently air-tight that they achieve a 44 per cent energy (level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes) saving over 2006 building standards. To reach Level 6, which is zero carbon, it’s necessary for the homes to be powered and heated from renewable energy sources – solar, wind, or water or from the earth – and not from fossil fuels – coal, gas, oil – which when burned to produce energy emit CO2.

So, added to the high levels of insulation which lessens the need for ‘space’ heating in any case, homes can be warmed from ground source heat; hot water can be produced from solar thermal panels (they are effective for 60 per cent annual hot water heating requirements in the UK). Electricity can be generated from photovoltaics, which requires only daylight (not sunlight) to be effective. Many homeowners find that a combination of these technologies can provide for most of their energy needs.

New developments

Increasingly, many new developments worldwide will include one or several of the eco-technologies. AlmaVerde Village & Spa on the Western Algarve, Portugal, was one of the first commercial resorts to adopt sustainable technologies to reduce energy consumption. The developer pioneered the Coolhose system, which ensures a constant 26C degree temperature whatever the external temperature whilst saving 94 per cent on CO2 emissions and energy consumption against the Portuguese average.

Elsewhere, many housebuilders are not only constructing environmentally sensitive homes they are also developing sustainably. In the broader context a sustainable development is one where the needs of today can be met without compromising the needs of future generations. The philosophy has become known as triple bottom line (TBL) development whereby social, environmental and business aspects are given equal weighting for a common good.

Examples of TBL in action in the overseas property sector include Medina Palms, an environmentally sensitive resort development of 50 villas and apartments at Watamu, on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast. The properties are to be built from stone block - locally sourced from a quarry for consistency of structural strength - concrete and steel, with local casurina and palm thatch roofs. Hot water will be generated from solar power, and two underground biodigesters will be process greywater that will be reused for irrigation purposes.

The social responsibility being practised can be witnessed in the developers support for the Born Free Foundation, and a local marine conservation initiative, Watamu Turtle Watch. Kenyan engineers and contractors have been engaged for the works at Medina Palms, and in the region of 150 local jobs will be created during the construction phase, as well as approximately 40 jobs ongoing once the resort is completed in 2011. The initiatives demonstrate the developer’s commitment to local engagement and his long-term sustainable growth strategy.

Similarly, the English developer of L’Amandier, a boutique resort development of contemporary homes in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco, is engaging locally by setting up a much-need waste management programme. The initiative will ensure that not only is construction and operational waste from the development dealt with responsibly but also the wider community will benefit from a much needed resource. As a corollary the environmental impact of poor waste disposal and CO2 emissions will be lessened.

Oh, and the properties at all three developments (which can be viewed on whatgreenhome.com) look much like you’d expect a house to look even allowing for architectural detailing in keeping with the local vernacular.

Gordon Miller

Gordon is a journalist and founder of eco homes website whatgreenhome.com.

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