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Almost everyone can agree that climate change and global warming are happening and that CO2 is one of the main contributors. The running of homes in the UK totals approximately 21% of our energy consumption. We need to do more to cut down on their energy consumption in our homes and buildings. Keep reading below to find out how building homes with concrete can help you achieve this:

Small Steps are Made

Most people are trying to reduce the impact they have on global warming Even small changes have been shown to make an impact. Many of us have installed energy-efficient appliances and compact fluorescent bulbs in our homes. We have also changed our windows to multiple-paned, low-emittance glazing systems.

But, one of the biggest changes we could make is to change the way in which we construct buildings. The technology to build the most durable, comfortable and energy-efficient homes is available in concrete housing systems. You may have heard that cement production plays a huge role in CO2 emissions, but a huge amount of work has been done to reduce this.

How Can a Concrete Home Save Energy?

The concrete’s thermal mass has a huge heat storage capacity, which means that it:

  • Can maintain temperatures better than other building materials
  • Uses less energy input
  • Can make a house more comfortable – the heat inside a home won’t vary as much
  • Can help to reduce the amount of insulation needed in a home

Controlling Air Filtration

Another main part of energy conservation in concrete buildings is controlling the amount of air that enters the property from outside. The air from outside can bring in pollutants, humidity and the cold. Although all buildings need to have a certain amount of fresh air, controlling this is preferable.

Companies who have used exterior concrete walls and good-quality doors and windows have produced infiltration rates of 0.1%. If you’re considering building your own property, or are a construction company thinking of using concrete, then you should look for concrete suppliers near you who can provide you with the ready-mixed concrete or concrete blocks you need to build your home.

The company MixIt is a popular choice of suppliers of concrete in London. Not only do they supply ready mix concrete for domestic and commercial builds in London, but they also supply concrete blocks that you can use to build your property.

Mechanical Systems

Another way concrete buildings can save energy is by reducing the cost and the size of the cooling and heating systems. Most mechanical systems are designed to cope with the extreme external design conditions. The airtightness and thermal efficiency of a home constructed with concrete allows a huge reduction in cooling and heating loads. You should think about employing an engineer who has experience in fitting systems in energy-efficient properties. A system that is oversized will go on and off more often and won’t provide the humidity controls you need. Super-insulated wood-frame construction, enveloped, double-walled, earth-sheltering and other ideas that were common in the 1970s are often what we see being built and promoted today. However, the concrete home will need fewer resources, be easier to maintain, last longer, provide better comfort and durability and probably most importantly help reduce global warming. Why not consider using concrete in your building project?

Claire Preece