With everyone understanding more and more about the science behind the damaging implications of global warming and climate change, project managers responsible for new housing developments in the UK must take steps towards ensuring sustainable living for residents and do their bit to protect the planet. Temperatures are rising in the UK year after year, with the UK’s ten warmest years on record occurring since 2002. As well as managing personnel, a budget, and staying on track to meet building deadlines, project managers must now consider how they can build sustainable housing developments. Here we have come up with a guide to building sustainable homes on a budget for project managers.
Affordable Sustainable Building Materials You Can Use for Eco-Homes
There is a range of affordable, sustainable building materials you can use to build sustainable homes in housing developments. Recycled metal, reclaimed wood, bamboo, precast concrete slabs, and cement made from recycled plastic are some great examples of sustainable materials you can use to build eco-friendly homes in modern housing developments.
How You Can Protect Natural Habitats and Plants and Wildlife on the Site and Nearby
Saving the planet certainly isn’t just about humans; it’s also about conserving plants and wildlife and the earth’s quirky wonders of nature.
Sadly, housing developments are notorious for bulldozing and destroying the natural habitats of flora and fauna both on-site and in the nearby surrounding area. Thankfully, to legally restrict the disruption developments can cause to ecosystems, the Environmental Bill was passed in parliament in 2020 requires housing developments in England to demonstrate a 10% increase in biodiversity on or near the development site. Eco-friendly sustainable housing developments in 2022 will protect natural habitats and plants, and wildlife instead of destroying them.
Before launching housing development projects, detailed surveys on the designated land must be carried out to check it is safe to build homes. For topographical survey services, project managers may want to take a look at THS Concepts. They have experience in these surveys and can help you to ensure that your land is safe and ready for development.
Conserve Energy Through Effective Home Insulation
Making sure the homes you build are well insulated with less warm air able to escape through holes and cavities in walls, the attic, and the roof is essential for a home being energy efficient and conserving energy. Adequate insulation will also keep homes at a constant temperature and guard against the cold in the winter and excess heat in the summer months. Insulation reduces energy demands and, as a result, lowers the carbon footprint of homes, helping the environment. Homeowners can also save money on energy bills by having better home insulation.
Low Carbon Homes
Homes not built by developers sustainably can release a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing considerably to global warming and the greenhouse effect. Low carbon homes (or ‘zero carbon homes’) reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using energy-efficient materials and cooling technologies such as solar panels to offset carbon. Zero carbon homes must have highly efficient mechanical ventilation systems. In the next few years in the UK, you will see plenty more housing developments with new build low carbon homes. Project managers need to think about how they can reduce the carbon footprint of their residential building projects whilst also staying within budget, sticking to deadlines, and not overspending.
These days, money-savvy project managers should constantly be on the lookout for innovative ways to build eco-friendly homes using sustainable building materials on a budget.
