A green house is built to reduce energy consumption and waste. Green Houses reduce the negative impact of buildings on human health and the environment through better design, construction, siting, operation and maintenance.
They combine sustainable design, sustainable development and sustainable living. Green houses are designed and built within the framework of ecology in the broadest sense, i.e. the design and construction of the building is in harmony with the natural environment.
Studies have shown that the building sector is the most harmful polluter on the planet, consuming more than half of the energy used in developed countries and producing more than half of the greenhouse gases that are the main cause of climate change. A green building must therefore offer residents a healthier place to live and reduce or even eliminate energy bills, while having a very limited impact on the environment.
Envir, a housing and construction specialist based in Changé, is putting its expert eye on ecological construction.
What is an ecological or eco-friendly house?
As the Envir company points out, an ecological house is a house built to be environmentally friendly. This type of construction must therefore generate as little pollution as possible from its construction to its use while reducing energy needs and losses. To do this, the builders act on different parameters:
The design: the plans are made so that the house is perfectly integrated into its environment.
The building materials: the ecological constructions are carried out with building materials of natural origin, recyclable or not producing polluting rejection.
Equipment: the production of electricity, heating and domestic hot water must come from equipment that reduces energy consumption.
The parameters to be met for a building to be considered as ecological
To be considered as such, an ecological house must respect certain parameters:
First of all, the building site must respect the environment. According to the Envir company, it must use as little energy as possible while reducing waste as much as possible.
Secondly, the materials used must be of natural origin or recycled and non-toxic. If they can be produced locally, that’s even better, since transporting them will emit less greenhouse gases.
In addition, construction must take advantage of the environment and the climate. It must use the sun to its advantage to heat living spaces, use the protection of trees against wind, etc.
Finally, insulation and ventilation must be optimal. The insulation of the house must be based on natural materials such as flax wool, hemp wool, cellulose wadding and a high-performance ventilation system must be installed to ensure that temperatures are maintained at a constant level and that the air in the various rooms of the house is optimally renewed. Envir offers the installation of high-performance double-flow CMV systems for the environment.
Equipment for an ecological construction
If you want to build an eco-friendly house, it is not enough to use environmentally friendly building materials, you must also equip your home accordingly with systems that use renewable energy. Here are some tips from Envir based in Changé in favour of the environment.
Electricity
As far as electricity is concerned, the best thing is to produce it yourself. There are two solutions for this: photovoltaic or aerovoltaic panels. The first only produce electricity, while the second allows you to recover the heat produced by the panels to heat the inside of your home. A two-in-one solution for the environment that Envir recommends.
To produce maximum electricity, the panels should be positioned on the slope of your roof that is most exposed to the sun, often to the south. However, keep in mind that you will also need to invest in a storage battery, as solar panels do not produce electricity at night. You will then be self-sufficient and you will not have to pay any more electricity bills.
Heating and hot water
As a major emitter of greenhouse gases, you should think about installing a high-performance, environmentally friendly heating system to heat your home and produce its domestic hot water. To do this, you have several solutions:
Air-to-water heat pumps: by using the calories present in the air, air-to-water heat pumps enable you to heat the inside of your home and domestic hot water. They consume a little electricity but it is possible to couple them with solar panels. Thanks to this type of system, it is possible to reduce your heating bill by 3.
Wood stoves: this is an auxiliary heating system that can be used in addition to a heat pump. Envir advises you to buy a wood pellet stove and not a log stove, because they have a higher yield. Moreover, it is a more environmentally friendly fuel because the pellets are made from wood waste.
Ventilation, the specialty of Envir has Changed
The core of Envir’s business, ventilation is essential in an ecological construction, or not. Indeed, its role is to renew the indoor ambient air regularly to preserve the health of the inhabitants and avoid humidity problems.
In an eco-friendly construction, it is advisable to opt for a double-flow CMV. It limits heat loss and is therefore good for the environment, as Envir points out. It can save up to 15% on your heating bills.
Lighting
There’s no point in building an eco-friendly house if you don’t take the trouble to change the way you light up every day. Indeed, few people think about it, but the lighting of a house represents on average 10% of the electricity consumption of a household over the year. Therefore, it is essential in an eco-friendly home to change the way of lighting.
The best way to do this is to equip your home with LED bulbs. This technology has a much longer life than traditional incandescent bulbs and can reduce the energy bill by 10 times.
Water
Thinking about ecological construction also means reviewing the way we consume water on a daily basis.
It is possible to drastically reduce its consumption by applying a few tricks: equip your taps with water-saving regulators, install a water-saving shower head, install toilets with a two-speed flush or, quite simply, invest in dry toilets and set up a rainwater recovery system, especially for watering your garden.
Household appliances
First of all, in an ecological house, the ideal is to favour household appliances that run on renewable energy such as wood-burning stoves or solar ovens. However, they can be quite expensive and difficult to find. So if you decide to buy traditional appliances, make sure they are energy efficient. To do this, look at their energy class and choose at least A+.
Green building materials
Materials are the basis of all ecological construction. In order for the house to be truly described as eco-friendly, it is imperative that the materials used in its construction are environmentally friendly. Envir tells us which ones are to be preferred.
Wood
It is the flagship material of any ecological construction. Wood is renewable and recyclable, while being 15 times more insulating than concrete. Most of the time, it is used to build the structure of the building and is then filled with other materials.
Hemp
It is the ecological material par excellence. Hemp grows very easily: it does not require a lot of water and fertilizer, and the use of pesticides is not mandatory. In ecological constructions, it is mixed with lime to provide an alternative to concrete.
Straw
Surely you’re thinking that building a house of straw is risky, that it won’t last in the face of the passage of time? Well, think again. Straw houses are just as strong as other houses simply because the frame is made of wood. It is then filled with lime-coated straw. Straw provides very good insulation.
Raw earth
Raw clay, as the name suggests, does not need to be baked. Therefore, its manufacture does not require much energy. However, it is an ecological material with many advantages: optimal humidity regulation, reduced heat exchange between inside and outside, etc.
Monomasonry brick
This material consists of very thick, honeycombed terracotta bricks. It is thanks to the air contained in these cells and their high thermal inertia that the construction is well insulated. Very resistant, they allow the construction of multi-storey buildings. Black point: their manufacture requires a lot of energy as the bricks are made of terracotta.
On this site, you will find articles dealing with ecological constructions in their smallest details (materials, design, equipment, etc.) while benefiting from the advice of Envir, a company based in Changé, expert in construction.
The different types of ecological houses
Faced with the craze for eco-responsible housing as well as for the preservation of the environment, the supply of eco-friendly homes has grown significantly in recent years. There is now a wide range of properties, meeting all expectations and all budgets. Envir, a specialist in insulation and energy renovation, invites you to discover the different types of ecological houses currently available.
The BBC house
Very much in vogue, the BBC house, Bâtiment Basse Consommation (low-energy building), is particularly interesting for making energy savings. It is also environmentally friendly, as this type of house emits a very low quantity of greenhouse gases. In order to obtain this BBC label, the energy consumption of the house must not exceed 65 KWh/m² of floor area or 40 KWh/m² of floor area in Mediterranean coastal regions.
The positive energy house
The Positive Energy House is a completely innovative concept that makes it possible to produce more energy than the consumption emitted by its occupants. It is called a self-contained dwelling: the Positive Energy House requires very little energy, and it is also possible for the occupants of the house to resell the unused energy. This is a great way to reduce your bills and, what’s more, earn money! This is also a strong argument when selling the property.
The passive energy house
The passive energy house is one of the so-called sustainable houses, due to its materials, its optimal insulation, its CMV (Controlled Mechanical Ventilation), which significantly reduces thermal losses. To be considered as a passive house, the house must be able to produce 90% of its energy needs. In addition, its annual heating consumption must not exceed 50 KWh/m².
The High Environmental Quality (HQE) house
The High Environmental Quality (HQE) house offers its inhabitants a healthy and high quality habitat. It meets many standards, and goes even further, in a constant concern to preserve the environment, with low energy and water consumption. The limitation of greenhouse gas emissions and all types of pollution are also part of its characteristics, as is the attention paid to the production of waste. Among this type of construction are bioclimatic houses.
The timber-frame house (MOB)
The timber-frame house (MOB) is fully in line with the trend towards eco-responsible housing. It is currently experiencing growing success, due to its many qualities, its durability, but also its warm and friendly aestheticism. In addition to its fast construction times, the MOB offers great modularity: it can be adapted to any type of plan and architecture. But it is above all its performance that is particularly attractive. Wood, with optimal insulation, offers great comfort to the inhabitants, both thermally and acoustically. The energy needs, and therefore the inherent bills, are low.