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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

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      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeJun 4th 2016 edited
     
    Posted By: gravelldWould be interested if anyone has developed this type of strategy especially if they could share it documentation form.
    I tend to make the big decisions first i.e. Net Zero Energy Home
    Then follow with the methods that I need to employ to achieve this i.e insulation, airtightness, local generation. This puts some numbers in place.
    Then I break those down into technologies that can be implemented i.e. mineral wool, cellulose or rigid board insulation, PV or ST, wood burner, wind turbine, hydro
    Finally I look at the price of each to purchase and install. This is where it can become tricky as you have to pick your base comparator carefully. You can decide this, but Ă‚ÂŁ/(kWh.year) is a good one to start with. Though you may want to modify this for individual elements i.e. insulation may be better as W/(m.K) initially.
    • CommentAuthorjadam
    • CommentTimeJun 7th 2016
     
    Thanks for all the comments and input. Much food for thought. The temptation is still there to keep my like simple (or at least simpler) and just stick with the norm. It seems like an uphill battle - especially since our ambition and budget only just about meet to start with!

    Met another architect tonight who seemed slightly better, but not inspiring on the energy side of things.

    Wookey - I'd definitely value meeting up with likeminded Cambridge folks, so please let me know if you get together again.
    • CommentAuthorgravelld
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2016
     
    I don't understand how it makes anything simple other than a few short term things dealing with contractors and architects who don't know any better.

    The whole point of fabric-first is simplicity.
    • CommentAuthorringi
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2016
     
    Even finding a contractor that will give a fixed price quote for any job that is not to be done the same way as their father and grandfather would have done it, is very hard. Most contractors are not willing to spend more than a few hours quoting for a job they may not get, it takes longer then this to price up any work they have not done many times before.

    Until there is a 100% standard spec and build method for “better then Part L” I don’t see this changing.
    • CommentAuthordaiking
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2016
     
    I've got a lot of sympathy for the OP. Can't help but lots of sympathy. :bigsmile:

    From where we came from, the my house's 50mm cavity with blown in fluff and double glazing felt like heaven, never mind 'only having current building regs in the extension.
    • CommentAuthorwookey
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2016
     
    Posted By: jadamThanks for all the comments and input. Much food for thought. The temptation is still there to keep my like simple (or at least simpler) and just stick with the norm. It seems like an uphill battle - especially since our ambition and budget only just about meet to start with!


    But there is a climate crisis on, and building to anything less than AECB silver shouldn't actually be allowed. Yes I know it's might be 'easier', but you have to live with yourself afterwards (and it'won't be much easier- getting anything built is a load of work).

    Met another architect tonight who seemed slightly better, but not inspiring on the energy side of things.


    Cambridge is full of green-minded architects. Check out CAR (Cambridge Architectureal Research) - they'll know who to talk to even if it's not up their street. Anne Cooper (lives just round the corner from me). Also Green Hat Construction is a builder not afraid to tackle things that aren't bog-standard, and understands that insulation matters. I didn't bother with an architect in the end. Just used a useful builder and did my own drawings. Contact the AECB for right-thinking people in east anglia.

    Cambridge Carbon Footprint are the org that run the ecohomes scheme every year where you can visit people's houses and see what they've done (inlcuding a couple on this list). They have lots of useful info and run evenings on how to manage refurb and find the resources/people you need.
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