Sustainable houses could signal house price stability
The recent downward trend in house prices could be reversed if more sustainable homes are built claim Leamington Spa based consulting engineers, jnpgroup. jnpgroup’s designs for a future with reduced carbon emissions, less dependency on mains services and a sustainable lifestyle have been built in Northampton and promise a greener future and more stable house prices.
House prices have dropped as much as 8% nationally since the credit crunch and mortgage famine. This has spelt doom for many builders and people wanting to sell or buy a home. Houses built with sustainability in mind are an answer to price instability, carbon emissions and flood risk claim jnpgroup. jnpgroup’s designs, commissioned by Barratt Northampton, are now reality and with an emphasis on reducing carbon emissions and dependency on mains water they are environmentally sound and, being lower cost to run, likely to retain their value when other houses drop in price.
jnpgroup partner, Steve Weitzel, commented, “We were commissioned to design houses that met government targets for carbon emissions, so we planned homes that are energy and water efficient, use renewable energy where possible and minimised waste. Recent increases in gas and electricity prices make these homes very desirable. We have also designed them to capture solar energy via photovoltaic systems and solar water heating systems. Coupled with very effective insulation this means they are much cheaper to run than the more traditional home.”
He continued, “Climate change, and in particular last year’s floods, have made planners and builders think about how modern house design can be used to prevent disasters. The houses we designed for Barratt Northampton at Upton took all this into consideration and were built before last years floods.
We designed some of the houses with “green roofs”. These are built with plants like sedum growing on them. This slows the flow of water and prevents flash floods. On other roofs we “harvest” rainwater. Harvested rainwater is then stored in underground tanks and reused for things like flushing toilets. This saves considerable amounts of mains water, energy and money.”
The houses at Upton have been built as part of a sustainable project, which incorporates tree-lined roads and the use of a sustainable urban drainage system designed to control the amount of rainwater leaving the site. This prevents flooding other people’s homes and workplaces downstream and means the project benefits people not only in Upton, but also in Northampton and beyond.
jnpgroup designed houses are low density and overlook the scheduled Ancient Monument of Old Upton village. Every house has been designed with an unobtrusive electric car charging point and, for those that want to use public transport, links Upton to the centre of Northampton and its railway station with a regular bus service.
Further details from Steve Weitzel on 01926 889955
