how do we decide which eco-friendly homes to feature on whatgreenhome.com?
We include private properties and developments worldwide that are practicing and/or working towards green goals in the categories detailed below; homes which you, the public, may want to buy for personal use, as a first or second home, or for investment purposes. We only list developments where there are properties for sale. We may, however, from time-to-time write about sold-out developments in an editorial capacity, perhaps to highlight an example of good, or bad, practice, innovations or because we feel like it. We don't pretend we are exhaustive – although we aim to be – and we may occasionally be the victims of a ‘greenwash’, but our intention is to feature only developments that are genuine in their intent and practices.
what are the criteria by which we choose eco-friendly homes?
We are great supporters of One Planet Living (OPL) and think they are coming from
the right place. Their standards may be the most elevated but, hell, someone's got to
raise the bar. As the leader article says “2% more in costs over conventional
building practices, simply
Why we like...
One Planet Living:
They bang the drum.
is a price worth paying”. OPL has 10 guiding
principles that include those listed below. We agree with all of them but have decided
for a number of reasons – some practical, some arbitrary – to focus on the following
5. So, what do they each mean to us?
zero-carbon
Energy requirements are provided from renewable sources e.g. solar, photovoltaic, ground source heat, hydro-electricity, wind-turbines, combined heat and power (CHP) etc. Effective orientation and insulation lessens the need to produce heat or artificially cool a building. Where back up or top up energy is required, it is supplied from a renewable source that is REGO certified.zero-waste
A waste management programme should ensure waste is minimised through reduced packaging, and provision of recycling facilities. Where it is unavoidable, waste is sorted, collected and disposed of responsibly e.g. organic waste will be composted, paper is recycled. Building waste during construction is recycled and reused onsite where possible or disposed of responsibly offsite.sustainable water
A minimum requirement of a sustainable water initiative is a reduced flush system and/or a ‘save a flush’ bag that minimises water usage. Grey water i.e. from showers and baths etc should be captured, cleansed and recycled. Rainwater should be collected and recycled for irrigation. Permeable pavements to aid rainwater runoff should be a feature. Sedum roofs or similar to reduce rainwater run off are seen as beneficial.local and sustainable building materials
Construction materials should be from local, sustainable sources not imported from afar. The benefit will be reduced transport (air) miles, a boost to the local economy, and vernacular architecture. Whenever possible, reuse or recycling of existing constructions and materials should be undertaken. The use of local labour and contractors is desirable to reduce the carbon footprint and generate local economic independence.sustainable transport
The provision of a sustainable transport policy should be in place to reduce the reliance on motorised vehicles. Developments should be designed to encourage walking and cycling, electric carts provided. An airport, train station collection service should be provided; a shared car pool implemented. Traffic-calming measures should be installed if traffic is allowed on the site.
how do we rate an eco-friendly home?
We assess each home and then use the following icons to show our ratings for each of the five categories detailed above:
the development meets, or exceeds, our assessment criteria for this category,
the development partially meets our assessment criteria for this category,
the development does not meet our assessment criteria for this category.
terminology
The terms green homes/houses, environmentally friendly homes/houses, eco homes/houses and sustainable homes/houses are generally used synonymously on whatgreenhome.com and in the broader media. See our terminology page for a detailed lexicon of the terminology used in the field of sustainable development.
