What is a low carbon home?

A low carbon home offsets it's own carbon emissions, through modern methods of construction and smart living.

Built using timber frames and airtight fabrication, a low carbon home is 30% more energy efficient than a traditional new build home. Using solar PV panels and heat pumps, a low carbon house has the capability to run almost exclusively from self-generated power and cheaper electricity from the grid.

Clever, not complicated

These homes are clever, not complicated, designed to enrich lives by making it easy to reduce environmental impact.

Smart technology intuitively adapts to the unique needs of the occupier, learning over time about the way they live and adjusting accordingly to reduce energy costs and waste.

Water will be heated only when it’s needed, light switch sensors attune to the natural rhythms of the day, and the PassiveHaus construction means a warmer home. Lower running costs mean higher living standards and increased opportunities.

Production method

The low carbon homes we build are sustainable to the foundation. Our production method reduces carbon emissions throughout the lifecycle of the home, from fabrication, through build, running and eventual removal.

Timber frames are the key material, and what little waste there is, due to our quality control process during production, is sent to fuel the onsite biomass energy plant.

The closed panels remain completely dry during the build process, reducing water usage and minimising the need for snagging post move, which is kinder to our planet and makes for a better customer experience.

It also enables a faster build: we can complete a new low carbon home within seven to ten weeks, half the time of a comparable traditionally built home.

Lee Cardwell, from Mortgage Advice Bureau, says: Yes, you can and in particular green mortgages. As the method of construction is different then this will rule some lenders out but as time passes there will be more and more lenders coming to the market and offering better schemes for Green mortgages such as lower rates, cash incentives, lower fees etc. With a noticeable growth in public environmental concern in recent years and the government’s commitment to achieving an EPC rating of C or above on all domestic properties by 2035, the demand for Green Mortgages is increasing quickly.

The energy efficiency performance of a low carbon home compared to a traditional build home would depend on the size and build method used. For example, our five bedroom detached low carbon homes in Chesterfield offer an average of 30% more energy efficiency compared to the same home designs build using traditional methods and materials.

Eco houses and low carbon homes are not so dissimilar; they both have the same aim in mind, which is to reduce their impact on the environment both during and post build. Eco house is a broad term which refers to a home built with the aim of reducing energy consumption and water use, and is often built using local materials to reduce carbon emissions during transport. A low carbon home produces and often stores it's own energy, resulting in low carbon emissions being produced in the running of the home, including heating the home and hot water, powering electrical appliances and more.

Our latest low carbon homes are currently available at Loundsley Green, Chesterfield. Our exclusive collection of 15 homes at Purity comprises of five bedroom detached designs, all low carbon homes, and surrounded by 38 acres of protected woodland. Book a viewing today to find out more.