4 sustainable interior design ideas for your new home or extension

In March 2020, the spread of Covid-19 shocked the world as cases sent most countries into major lockdowns.Companies had to migrate their systems to support remote working. Many people didn’t have the setup to work remotely including office space, meeting rooms or comfortable furniture causing chaos and uncertainty.Fast forward 2 years and the majority of people still work from home, having felt their need for space and a comfortable working or living environment.

So how do you achieve more space? Home extensions or loft, dormer conversions are a common way to add more space and improve the value of your house. Or maybe you’re looking to generate income (with lodgers), fancy a nice office or walk-in closet in the loft. Whatever it is, you have to think about the economic and environmental impact of your development.

Here are 4 eco friendly interior design tips to ensure your home extension or new build is more energy efficient:

1. Thermally Insulating Windows and Doors
2. Recycle and Reuse Water
3. Solar Powered
4. Energy Efficient Lighting

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1. Thermally Insulating Windows and Doors

At the heart and soul eco friendly design tips and sustainability is the Thermal Insulation of windows and doors.

The ability to trap and control the flow of heat makes all the difference between your need for more or less energy.

Having well-glazed doors and windows, designed to capture the heat of the sun (at varying times of the year) will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer, thus reducing the need for heating or air conditioning.

2. Recycle and Reuse Water

71% of our planet is made up of water, with freshwater constituting just 2.5% (97%+ being saltwater).

Needless to say, there’s not an abundant supply of fresh water, so it’s necessary to be efficient.

Did you know there are now systems to recycle and reuse domestic wastewater?

Grey Water Recycling Systems can help recycle domestic wastewater for sanitary, gardening, laundry or other purposes.

3. Solar Powered

By far the most common idea when talking about sustainability and eco friendly design tips is the use of Solar Power.

Solar Panels or Solar Roofs can be a great addition to your home and reduce some of the dependency on the electric grid.

Depending on where you live and your energy needs, your house could produce more energy than it uses.

4. Energy Efficient Lighting

In recent years, the use of energy-efficient lighting has become widespread as people are more aware of reducing energy bills.

Fluorescent light bulbs can be replaced with LED or CFL bulbs as they offer longer life, greater energy efficiency and fewer toxic metals.

They also don’t need to be replaced as often as regular, old fashioned light bulbs, win-win situation.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored eco friendly design tips, the need for sustainable home design and 4 simple ways to implement it.

Eco-Friendly is a choice and one that will benefit our children and generations beyond.

I hope this article inspires you to be considerate of your home design choices to support this fabulous planet we live on.