Green Renovating

I can’t build green can I? I’m renovating, not building a new house.

Many of our clients, who are planning to renovate, are often confused as to what they can or can’t do or should or shouldn’t do when it comes to building green.

Because most of the media and general information available is focused on informing people about new houses, we are finding people who want to renovate are left feeling that there is nothing that they can do.

“We are only renovating, not building a new house. What can we do?” is a common comment we hear from people.

In response to this, we are regularly asking clients, “if you had the choice to renovate greener or not to, which would you choose”. They always choose to renovate greener.

So what can you do and how far should you go?

Both of those questions are tied in together. In short, the answer is as far as you feel comfortable.

By making your renovation more energy or water efficient or healthier than what is standard practice, you are building greener.

Using painting as an example, a greener building choice would be to choose a low VOC paint over a standard paint. By choosing a low VOC paint you are making a decision to create a healthier indoor environment for your family.

So if you think you would like to renovate greener, here are our top ten tips to consider:

1.    Design your renovation to take best advantage of any Northern orientation, design in good cross ventilation and provide sun shading to the Eastern, Northern and Western elevations.
2.    Insulate your renovation well. Ensure you provide, as a minimum, the recommended insulation rating for your climate and location. For a natural insulation choice, why not consider wool?
3.    Install water efficient tap ware and toilets. Also, consider putting in a rainwater tank and connecting it to your toilets. Flushing of toilets uses around 10% of the water consumed in your house; this translates into around 9000-13,000 litres per year.
4.    If you have an electric hot water heater, why not replace it with a solar hot water system?
5.    Install compact fluorescent light fittings instead of standard light fittings. Compact fluorescent fittings are around 4 times more energy efficient than standard fittings.
6.    Install energy and water efficient appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines.
7.    Improve the insulating performance of your windows by installing an efficient glass such as a Low E glass. Standard glass provides absolutely no insulating value when it comes to preventing heat loss in winter or heat gain in summer. Anything you can do to improve this is a bonus.
8.    Use low VOC paints and floor finishes. Normal paints and floor finishes have high solvent content which has been proven to be bad for our health.
9.    Use low formaldehyde MDF and particle boards for your kitchen cupboards. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen that is released from standard MDF and particle boards over time.
10.    Use sustainably sourced timber. When using timber in your renovation, look for timber that comes from sustainably managed sources with the FSC mark, not from illegally logged rainforests.

All of the above items are very easy to include as part of the planning for your renovation. The minimal additional cost associated with them will repay itself, not just in lower running costs but you will also have a healthier and more enjoyable house to live in.