Advice for building energy efficient new homes

Energy efficiency and sustainability are no longer the ugly duckling of the real estate sector, but have now become serious selling points capable of attracting potential buyers. Companies know this, and they talk it up in their promotional material. But do they know how best to communicate the green benefits of homes?

Apart from the sustainable construction seals and certificates, such as BREEAM, GREEN and LEED, there are few benchmarks for property developers to apply minimum sustainability guidelines in their residential developments and new homes.

This is precisely the objective that has led AEDAS Homes to create and publish its own Green Book, which "aims to be a flexible guide, open and adapted to each area, to help designers, builders and in general all agents to apply sustainability measures," explains its CEO David Martínez.

To carry out, in a transparent way, the different implementation processes, this book includes a series of protocols focused on measures such as energy, water, building materials, waste, biohabitability, integration into the surrounding environment, society, best practice and economy.

In each of these protocols, AEDAS recommends carrying out a series of actions in order to calculate the costs, the viability of the housing development and the benefits it will bring to the end user.

Energy

• Apply passive systems in design and installation: in order to do this, it is essential to know the climatology of the area, what is the best way for the property to face, where the sunlight and shade is and how it can be used.
• Install systems that generate energy through renewable sources: among others, put direct consumption solar panels in communal areas, car parks and lifts, even though it is not obligatory by law.
• Monitor all energy consumption of more than 20% in electrical and thermal energy.
• Use domotic home automation systems to integrate all the information and control systems (including lighting, flood sensors, smoke detectors, security systems and motorised solar protection control).
• Install highly efficient electrical appliances (such as bi-thermal washing machines and dishwashers, which are those with two water outlets, one for cold water and another for hot water).

Water

• Design gardens that are respectful to water scarcity. It is recommended that an ecologist or agronomist be hired to design landscaped areas with plants native to the region in order to minimise the need for water supply as much as possible. For the irrigation of trees, shrubs and plants, the use of drip watering is a good idea to reduce water waste in your garden.
• Install leak detection systems to avoid water loss from pipes, tanks, treatment devices, etc.
• Use highly efficient appliances, for example, by installing taps designed to reduce water consumption by up to 50% more than normal taps. The installation of aerators is recommended for less efficient appliances.
• A guide to best practice. In addition to implementing all the water-saving measures previously mentioned, property developers are advised to provide good water practice guides to the buyers of new homes.
• Promote the use of facilities for water treatment and reuse, for instance by putting in a double waste water pipe to separate blackwater and greywater. The sewage pipes (blackwater) go directly to the municipal sanitation network. Greywater pipes (from sinks and other household usage) are connected to the point where they are treated.

Materials

• Use products with a low environmental impact and building materials with eco-labelling to obtain a more environmentally friendly life cycle analysis.

Waste

• Promote recycling by providing adequate storage space for recyclable and non-recyclable household waste. To this end, it is recommended that buildings be equipped with specialist containers for the following types of waste: cardboard and paper, glass, plastics, organic material and general waste.
• Evaluate the installation of composting and compacting systems for waste.
• Inform buyers where the local landfill site is, and what benefits they can obtain by using them, for example, discounts on trash taxes.

Biohabitability

• The comfort and well-being of residents depends on the quality of indoor air, so it is important to set minimum standards and reduce the concentration of chemical pollutants in the air that can be harmful to human health and the environment.

Integration with the environment

• Integrate buildings and gardens into the local environment and support actions that favour biodiversity.
• Provide training courses for the members of the community about sustainability, green areas and democratic involvement in the decisions of community management.
• Promote the principles of xero-gardening. The main idea of this type of garden is to have a sense of ecology and minimum maintenance, trying to limit the use of phytosanitary products and machinery with fuel consumption while promoting recycling and composting. It aims to establish an optimal balance between the available resources and the needs that a garden must satisfy.
• A guide to best practice. In addition to the correct design of green areas and the proper selection of the species to be planted, it is advisable to provide good practice guides for biodiversity management to the occupants of the building.
• Build green facades and roofs. Building green wall surfaces with plants in them is becoming more common in buildings designed with sustainability in mind. They make it possible to improve the biodiversity and aesthetics of the environment, increase the thermal and acoustic insulation of the building, reduce noise pollution and improve the quality of the surrounding air. It has also been demonstrated that these systems have microclimatic effects as they can regulate the temperature of the environment.
• Increase the comfort of end users by reducing their travel needs and promote sustainable movement via public transport, electric cars and bicycles.
• Design spaces for bicycle parking with electric bike battery recharging points.
• Put in charging points for electric cars. The demand for this type of vehicle is increasing as a result of the economic and environmental benefits it brings to buyers. It is therefore recommended that as many parking spaces as possible have an electric recharging point and that this be taken into account from the design phase, as the cost of installing them during the post-construction phase will be considerably higher.

Society

• Encourage social interaction between the tenants of the building while providing features to help in their daily life and contributing to well-being by positively influencing their psychosocial situation.
• Build a communal gym. In order to improve the health of the building's inhabitants and thus create added value, developers are recommended to create sports areas or build homes close to sports facilities.
• Encourage urban gardens and allotments because they contribute to the improvement of the urban landscape, encourage the use of public space for citizens, promote good ecological practices and local consumption, mitigate air pollution and raise awareness about waste recycling. In addition, it can be an activity for local people to socialise. If there is not enough space to build traditional urban allotments, the use of hydroponic techniques is recommended, which will increase production and optimise the use of space compared with traditional vegetable plots.

Best practice

• Promote an integrative project from the pre-design phase to synergise all disciplines and construction systems, achieving a positive environmental impact and higher performance in design.

Economy

• Use life cycle cost analysis (LCC) as a tool for decision making in the design phase, taking into account the different phases of the construction with the aim of obtaining a reduction in economic impact during the entire useful life of the building.