With climate change high on the political agenda and energy costs rapidly rising, how important is it for new homes to bemore sustainable?
Redrow’s head of sustainability Julia Green and head of technical Jonathan Moss discussed net zero carbon – balancing the amount of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere with how much is removed – and what it means to their business on a Redrow podcast.
What is sustainability?
Julia said for Redrow it’s about what they are building, where they are building it and how they are building.
How sustainable are Redrow homes?
Compared to older homes, Redrow’s homes are more eco-friendly and cost effective to run, and they don’t just comply with current building regulations they regularly exceed them. Inparticular this applies to the regulated energy in a home such as the heating and hot water, but Julia and Jonathan discuss how Redrow goes beyond this – including a strong focus onthe materials we use from our supply chain. Jonathan also goes on to explain how previous research revealed that a large four-bedroom detached new-build could save around £1,300in annual running costs compared to a similar sized Victorian property.
Aesthetics v practicality
Redrow’s Heritage Collection homes have great kerb appeal thanks to the detailing in their Arts & Crafts styling and use of traditional materials, while inside they have modern kitchens, larger windows and big open plan spaces. We hear from Julia and Jonathan about some of the challenges of enhancing energy efficiency while retaining the traditional look and feel, and how Redrow takes a “fabric first” approach, hiding as much of the technology within the walls as possible. “That means it just does its job seamlessly for the customer. They don’t have to operate it, they don’t have to maintain it, it is there forever more,” Julia explained.
What will happen when gas boilers are banned?
Replacing gas boilers with heat pumps has been big news recently, but Jonathan and Julie tell us about some more of the other changes that are going on. New building regulations this year are set to reduce the amount of carbon used in running a home by 32% and by 2025 there will be a 75% reduction on the current regulations. Redrow’s product innovation programme is already trialling new technology, including air source heat pumps and what’s described as smart home energy systems, before introducing them to customers.
“We want to understand what it is like to live with the technology, how easy is it to operate, how easy is itto maintain, is there a noise impact, what are the running costs?” said Julia.
To hear more from Jonathan and Julie on this important subject and some of the other issues surrounding it the podcast is available here.