When it comes to designing your dream green home, there’s a lot to consider, are you going: carbon neutral, net-zero, off the grid, energy efficient, high performance or sacrificially sustainable?

With so much to think about, people often get hung up on the finer details like specific solar system sizes, rainwater harvesting and wooden fixtures and fittings, leaving the sustainable design to their architect or engineer.

But we’re here to tell you, it’s really not that hard! Once you start thinking about what low carbon is really about,  you can put these simple ideas into place and influence your final, sustainable design.

We work with low carbon designs everyday and put together a few keys points that can make a huge difference to the overall footprint…

1. Use life cycle design philosophy

2. Make it financially attractive

3. Design for the future…make it last

4. Make it functional

5. Choose quality over quantity

6. Use low embodied energy materials

7. Remember the 3 R’s

8. Think local, but not always

9. Make it climate sensible

10. Don’t land in hot water with your energy bills

11. Get a refresher on renewable energy

12. Low carbon doesn’t always mean sustainable…

Download our complete guide to low carbon building design!

Check back soon for more information about choosing locations, deciding about material distance and transportation and finding out whether solar PV really is that sustainable.