W
hen you’re self-
building, you have a
clean slate to create
a home that is as
energy-saving as
possible, cutting bills and
your carbon footprint. What
is more, energy efficiency is
increasingly likely to be a
stipulation of planning
permission.
So, where to start and what
to choose? We’ve nailed down
a list of the top five energy-
saving measures every self-
builder should consider:1
Effective orientation There
is one thing you can’t
change about your self-
build and that’s the plot. You
can, however, work with your
architect to ensure that your
home’s orientation makes the
most of the sun. The addition
of thermally conductive
glazing can help too; think
large glazed gable ends or
full-height glazed doors.
“Ideally, living areas should
be located south to benefit
from low-lying direct sunlight
and associated solar gainduring the winter months,
while secondary spaces like
stairs, corridors and stores are
best positioned north as they
have a lower heating
requirement anyway,” says
Oliver Rehm, the managing
director of the modular homes
specialist Baufritz UK.
However, there can be a risk
of overheating during sunnier
months. Brise-soleil shading in
aluminium or slatted timber
offer popular solutions.2
Fabric first The trend is
towards highly insulated,
airtight homes as
exemplified by Passivhaus.
Not all self-builders are
committed to achieving
exacting Passivhaus
certification, though —
especially with the increased
labour and materials costs,
plus about £1,500 for approval
by the Passivhaus Institute —so the guiding principle of
“fabric first” is often the more
desirable standard.
Allan Corfield, of Allan
Corfield Architects, says the
fabric of the building must be
the priority before even
thinking about energy-saving
technology. This might involve
an external envelope using
innovative building methods,
such as steel or cross-
laminated timber frames
with structural insulated
panels (SIPs), rather than
bricks and mortar.
Phil Lidgerton, the
managing director of Building
Materials, a construction
materials supplier, adds:
“Design of the external
envelope using modern
framing systems combined
with high-performance
materials to reduce heat loss is
a way to produce low-carbon,
energy-efficient buildings.”Choosing effective
insulation is key here. Wood
fibre insulation is, er, hot. It’s
made from waste sawmill
industry chips and offcuts.
“Wood is a sustainable, low-
carbon building material,
combining high-performance
with versatility,” says Stuart
Goodall, the chief executive of
the Confederation of Forest
Industries (Confor). “It locks up
carbon and requires far less
energy to produce than steel,
brick or concrete. It is
recyclable, compostable and
uses no nasty chemicals.”
Goodall recommends the
Pavatex and Steico brands.3
Smart heating Self-
builders are getting excited
about the reliability and
responsiveness of smart
systems such as geofencing,
which automatically triggers
the heating based on yourYOU’VE GOT
THE POWER
Five ways to cut your energy bills and your carbon
footprint in your new-build home. By Jayne DowleJIM STEPHENSON; SHUTTERSTOCKW
hen Ben and Louisa
Brown were growing
up in Suffolk, summer
holidays in the resort
of Thorpeness were a
family tradition: lazy days on the beach,
cycling trips to Aldeburgh and messing
about on boats on the Meare, a Peter Pan-
themed boating lake.
When the couple had children of their
own, they continued the ritual and rented
holiday homes in the town, which Louisa
describes as a quirky place that is still
unspoilt — “it’s not yet Chelsea on Sea”.
But trying to find the right property for
the extended family was difficult. “To get
one house for two consecutive weeks was
virtually impossible,” says Louisa, 48.
“The key summer weeks are taken almost
a year ahead.”
Buying was equally difficult. “Many of
the houses in Thorpeness have been in
the same families for several generations
and rarely come on the market,” Louisa
says. So when a 1960s chalet bungalow
across from the beach came on the market
in 2017, the Browns jumped at the chance
and snapped it up for about £750,000.
The location was great, about an hour’s
drive from their farm in Bury St Edmunds.
But the house was poorly insulated and
the layout didn’t solve a conundrum: how
to take a holiday there with extended
family without driving each other mad.
So they decided to start from scratch and
hired the Suffolk architect IF_DO to build
them just what they needed: a
multigenerational holiday home.
Heath House, completed last year, is a
six-bedroom, 3,444 sq ft home with a
layout conducive to multigenerational
harmony. On the ground floor there is a
large open-plan kitchen/living room
where the clan gather for meals. Just offBRIDGING THE GENER
This family created a quirky Suffolk holiday home with
separate living quarters for the grandparents. It’s the
ultimate multigenerational escape, says Hugh Graham
The Brown
family at their
Thorpeness
holiday home,
which has a
spacious
dining room
and full-height
glass sliding
doorsMARK BOURDILLON; NICK DEARDENWhether you are embarking on a
renovation, building a home, making
a few improvements or updating your
garden, you’ll find everything you
need to make your project a success
at Grand Designs Live from April 30 to
May 8 at the ExCeL centre.
More than 500 self-build,
renovation and home improvement
companies will be at the event. Plus
you can get free advice for your
project and listen to the exciting
programme of live talks from speakers
including the Grand Designs
presenter Kevin McCloud and Grand
Designers from the TV series. There
are sessions on everything from
working from home to boosting your
health through interior design.
Buy two tickets to attend Grand
Designs Live, April 30-May 8, at the
ExCeL in London for £16.
Use the ticket offer code STIMES
at seetickets.com. This is a saving of
up to £24 on the door price. The offer
is for Grand Designs Live London 2022
only and must be booked before
midnight on May 7, 2022. A
transaction fee applies per order.
Children aged 15 and under go free.In association withGRAND DESIGNS SPECIAL
12 April 24, 2022The Sunday Times
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