Self build is a growing market with over 20,000 self build homes completed last year alone. The main reasons behind this growing trend is affordability and quality. Self build homes are in most cases at least 30% cheaper than buying from house builders and are built to a higher standard. 

Heating. Nearly 30% of energy in the UK is used for heating and nearly all that energy comes from burning fossil fuel at power stations. By highly insulating your new house and making it as airtight as possible you can cut emissions and heating bills by up to 60%. Introducing a renewable energy such as Ground Source Heat Pump, wood burning stove or Solar hot water heating you could cut you emissions due to heating by 100% (Carbon Neutral).

Energy. Modern living consumes a vast amount of energy. By using energy saving lighting, energy efficient appliances and smart metering you could cut your emissions and energy bills by as much as 50%. Incorporating photovoltaic roof tiles and small scale urban wind turbine you could generate your own electricity and save a further 50% of your emissions and energy bills. Alternatively you could sign up to a 'Green Energy Supplier' who already generates energy from  renewables such as wind and hydro.

Water Conservation. As well as conserving water and reducing your water bills you can reduce your emissions. The purification process uses energy. Water is pumped around the mains and goes through a number of purification stages before it arrives in your taps as clean, drinkable water. Add a rainwater collection system to your project which uses water collected on the roof to flush toilets, use in washing machines and for watering the garden. You will reduce your water consumption by over 60%.

Embodied energy  is the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building, from the acquisition of natural resources to product delivery. This includes the mining and manufacturing of materials and equipment, the transport of the materials and the administrative functions. Embodied energy is a significant component of the lifecycle impact of a home.

For example a timber frame construction with timber weather boarding externally and plasterboard internally would have an embodied energy of 188 MJ/m². The same construction but with brickwork externally would have an embodied energy of 561 MJ/m² and should you build traditionally with brickwork and block work the embodied energy would be 906 MJ/m² nearly 5 times that of timber based construction.