Elements of a Green Home

Elements of a Green Home

Buying your dream home is wonderful but buying a green home is even better. There are so many benefits and reasons to go green, from reducing your bills to protecting our environment. Until you sit down and calculate your potential savings over a prolonged period, you probably will not believe how big an impact going green can have. Research shows that green homes can save homeowners around £380 per year and prevent over half a ton of carbon emissions.

Here are some of the best ways to turn your house into a green home:

Go solar  

Photovoltaic panels, more commonly known as solar panels, generate electricity from the sun to power your home. If you have a south-facing roof, then you will get the most benefit from solar panels. You can apply for a ‘feed-in-tariff’ through the government website and rates will depend on how energy efficient your home is and the size of your system. You can even sell surplus energy to your energy supplier at a rate of 4.85p per unit of electricity. It takes an average of 9.5 years to get the installation to pay for itself, but it does vary around the UK.

Make the switch to LED light bulbs 

Switching over from incandescent light bulbs to LED and CFL bulbs may seem like an insignificant change in the grand scheme of energy consumption but used 8 hours a day, it will last 17 years!* Although LED bulbs can be more expensive to purchase, a bulb is estimated to pay for itself within five months. What’s better -all Anwyl Homes new builds are all fitted with LED downlights!

Eco-efficient appliances

Certain items in your home will be having the biggest impact on your energy bills, so identifying which appliances are energy draining is the first step to a greener home. Washers and dryers usually account for around 13% of your home’s energy consumption, so ensuring that these appliances have high energy efficiency ratings will help you to make considerable savings. Even though you may need to spend a bit more to buy an A+++ rated appliance, over time it will be a very worthwhile investment. Electric ovens and refrigerators are also big energy consumers.

Install smart meters

Your heating bills are usually going to be your most problematic area, especially in the cold winter months when many people like to have the heating on for when they get out of bed and in the evenings. To help manage your heating bills and keep an eye on how much you are using, a smart mater is a great addition to the home. You can use apps to control your heating, so you can even turn it off when you are away from the home in case you have forgotten to turn it off! All of that wasted energy can really mount up so having closer control over it will help you to lower your heating consumption. Even seeing your daily consumption could be beneficial, as you can see in real-time how much you are using, instead of just getting a bill every quarter.

Lower your water heater temperature

Your water heater will probably take up a big chunk of your energy bills, so being more careful with your water usage will help you to reduce costs. Showering for a bit less time and setting the temperature slightly lower will help you to save money – for every 10 degrees (F) reduced, you can save between 3-5% in water heating costs.

When it comes to Anwyl new homes we incorporate reduced water measures from the start. These include dual flush toilets that help with water conservation by using 1/3 less water, low overflow devices on baths, and kitchen tap flow reduction devices. All of which can limit your water use and save you money.


All Anwyl new builds are designed to meet the energy efficiency standards per the appropriate building regulations. We take pride in providing our customers with energy-saving houses that reduce their running costs and general expenses. The criteria that we meet within the building regulations also positively impacts the environment.

*LED Light Bulb Facts