The Future of Homes

17/10/22
Family Homes Luxury Homes Design Rural living Countryside

Is your home ready for the future? We look at how introducing features and innovations to our homes can all help us do our bit for the environment.

Our homes are already far more than just bricks and mortar, they’re the spaces where our memories are made and lives are lived. But beyond the emotional aspects of our homes, there’s a potential for them to have a real and positive impact on the world around us.

When we look at the future of homes, whether that’s the construction of new homes or changing how we live in our homes in the years to come, the environment is becoming a large part of the conversation. To contribute towards helping the planet,our homes should be places that allow us to reduce our environmental footprint and live more simply, while still being somewhere we love to spend our time.

Your home and how you live should reflect your values, so if you’re future-focussed with a care for the planet, there are lots of ways you and your home can channel this. We’ll be exploring some of the easiest ways you can make your home more energy efficient, how our new ‘work from home’ schedules are driving a positive shift towards sustainability, and some of the efforts we at Cameron are making to combat climate change.

Embracing energy efficient house design

UK residents are big energy users. Did you know that the UK's buldings account for 17% of our total greenhouse gas emissions? We all know we need to improve the energy efficiency of our homes. But where do you start?

Switch to smart lighting

Traditional bulbs are highly inefficient but modern LED lights last longer, making them far less wasteful. However, the greatest saving on energy can be made with smart lighting. Lights you can switch on and off remotely might just seem like a neat trick, but it has the potential to seriously reduce your consumption in the long run.

Be smart with your heating

In an age where your energy consumption can be controlled at the touch of a button, it's worth taking advantage of tech. Smart thermostats will learn a household's patterns and adjust the heating accordingly. This reduces the use of your heating when nobody is home. They can even heat selected rooms and save energy in the rooms that are not being used.

Insulation options

Installing insulation is a great way to reduce heat loss. Depending on your home, circumstances and budget, there are lots of insulation techniques to consider. From loft or floor insulation to draught-proofing your windows and doors - all can help you save. Even little alterations such as fitting your hot water cylinder with an insulating jacket can save you 155kg of carbon dioxide emissions.

Choose more efficient appliances

You can help reduce your carbon footprint and other greenhouse gases by using energy-efficient home appliances. Since these have lower emissions, they're one of the cheapest and easiest ways to help the environment. They can reduce your energy and water consumption and help you save money in the long run. Plus, because all new appliances have an energy efficiency rating, when you buy its super easy to check its efficiency.

Saving energy outdoors

If you're green-thumbed, gardening can be therapeutic, but it's good to consider how much energy your hobby is consuming. Simple things like responsible water usage, making best use of non-electric gardening tools, and composting to avoid landfill, will all have a positive impact on the environment.

Make the most of the sun

Possibly the earliest trend to pop up in the energy efficiency conversation is the use of solar power. A certified way to future-proof your home, solar power is the ultimate DIY renewable energy. Apart from the obvious financial benefits, the key benefit is that it's a big step away from fossil fuels.

WFH - a positive step for the future of sustainable homes

With an increase in people working from home, energy efficiency is more important than ever, and most existing houses aren’t always designed to the most efficient standards. The goal now for house builders is to make the conscious shift towards creating more eco-friendly homes. The consumption and waste of energy and water, using sustainable building materials, and improving interior air quality are all at the top of the list.

The increased need for a home office brings it higher up the list of priorities for buyers which affects how designers and architects view the floor plans for new properties. Purposely-designed and dedicated workspaces are becoming more popular. Not only are they more self-sufficient, but they provide obvious mental and environmental advantages too. They help promote work-life balance, providing a boundary where the working day ends, and home life begins. And reduced travel by swapping commuting to the office for video meetings provides clear environmental advantages over time.

For those not working at home, the compromise of working closer to home is certainly there. The integration of places of business within new build developments is also helping reduce CO² emissions.

However, while it may seem as if working from home is a greener option, it’s not always that straightforward. Your energy consumption will invariably rise if you’re at home, so finding a space that makes use of natural light and reduces the possibility of round-the-clock heating is in keeping your energy consumption and bills lower.

Building our first eco homes

We've always maintained a passion for build quality and am ambition to put our customers first. That combined with the integrity, trust and pride, gives us our foundations. We've continually striving to design homes around people, not plans. We're delighted to announce that in the very near future, we'll also be building homes for the planet too as we begin work on our first ever eco homes.

If you want to know more about our homes, developments or any of our future projects, we'd love to hear from you.