News Details

August 25, 2019

What Makes an Eco-Home Warm and Dry?

An eco-home is affordable, livable, warm and dry, Here’s why.

Warmth and dryness are amongst the top qualities that most people look for in a home. In fact, for many those two essential things are higher on the list than the size of a house and even its location—after all, they contribute greatly to the health of the inhabitants. There are many ways to achieve a warm, dry home—but when you’re retrofitting with heat pumps and vent systems, it can get expensive and time-consuming.

An eco-home, like the ones that Greenhaven designs and builds, is warm and dry right from the beginning. They are easy to live in, affordable to run, and friendly to the environment. Making the absolute best use of sustainable products and specifically designed for energy efficiency, these homes are the way of the future.

Here’s why these homes are the gold standard in warm and dry living environments, and why you might consider one for your next abode.

Clever design

Eco-homes like those we produce at Greenhaven are designed by architects with energy efficiency in mind. We aim for “passive design”, resulting in buildings called “passive homes”. These can be kept at a moderate temperature throughout the year with an absolute minimal amount of power usage. The first passive home was built in Germany in the early 1990s, and they have become increasingly popular as a sustainable, high-quality option for liveable homes.

The basis of a passive home or eco-home is not just in the materials, but first in the clever, careful design. This comes right down to the positioning of the windows and the placement of insulation. An eco-home is well-thought-out and optimised for its environment.

Top-notch materials

After design comes the quality of the materials used to make an eco-home. While these may be pricier than the more standard options, in the long run the savings on energy are well worth it. Good quality joinery, timbers, roofing systems, and other materials reduce heat transfer and make eco-homes a pleasure to inhabit.

Featured materials, like concrete on the floors which absorbs heat during the day and emits it later, make a huge difference in keeping a place warm without paying through the roof for a heat pump. Windows, of course, are also integral in heat regulation, and eco-homes ensure they use quality panes.

Cost-saving measures make for a better environment
While eco-homes are lauded for their friendliness to the planet, the drawcard for many owners is the long-term savings on heating and cooling bills. This drives the design and material choice, encouraging builders like Greenhaven Homes to offer such homes, and consumers to buy them.

It’s a win-win. The earth gains a household with a smaller footprint, and fewer fossil fuels are burnt to keep it warm or cool. Meanwhile, the inhabitants get a warm, dry home that doesn’t cost the earth in power bills.

The whole package

Essentially, an eco-home—or passive home—is an entire package. You can’t start with a normal blueprint or your average existing home and add a few things to make it extremely warm and dry. The entire process is centred around energy efficiency, keeping warmth in, and keeping dampness out. From design to material choice to how the building is placed in its environment, everything comes together to make a home that’s safe, healthy, and hospitable.