Sustainable Construction

"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it be work such as our descendants will thank us for."
John Ruskin

Imagine a house:

  • so well insulated you only occasionally need to put the heating on
  • with hot water for your showers and washing machine from solar energy
  • with electricity provided by energy from the sun or wind
  • recycling the water from your shower for the toilet or for watering your window boxes or garden.
  • made from recycled building materials.

There are some sustainable houses in Jersey, have a look at the case studies link. The other links on the left will give you more information on how to create a sustainable house. Sustainable building needs to be seen in the context of peak oil. We need to reduce our dependence on oil as a source of heat energy. Oil use also impacts on global warming, the cement industry is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK (Rob Hopkins)

Here are some sustainable building tips from www.builditonline.co.uk

  1. Insulate well - use natural materials like treated wool or newspaper and double glaze all external doors and windows.
  2. Be bold with south-facing glazing, particularly where rooms have a high thermal mass such as exposed brick or granite walls which will absorb and store heat from the sun.
  3. Choose natural building materials such as timber, not plastic.
  4. Make sure timber is from sustainable source or recycled, not tropical hardwood!
  5. Reuse old stone or parts of older buildings.
  6. Avoid using fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas for heating.
  7. Install a 100-200 litre rainwater tank (with filter fitted) in the garden.
  8. When building or buying check out local bus and cycle routes.
  9. Consider micro electricity generation using solar panels or wind turbines, but remember that insulation and using solar gain are more important.