As the winter months approach, homeowners and renters will be thinking about their energy spend, and how to avoid the inevitable bill stresses that come with heating a home. Prospective house buyers are encouraged to consider the energy efficiency credentials that a new build home can bring.
Barratt Homes has a portfolio of properties available throughout Glasgow and Edinburgh – all built and furnished with energy efficiency at the front of mind, which also makes them kinder on the purse strings.
The award-winning housebuilder works closely with its sustainability team and industry experts to ensure it uses the most up-to-date building techniques, products and home furnishings, saving buyers’ money and providing peace of mind about their carbon footprint.
Bathroom and kitchen fittings
Appliances installed as part of the Barratt Homes’ kitchens, bathrooms and en-suite shower rooms are sourced to be amongst the most energy efficient on the market. Fixtures and fittings could save up to 25 litres of water per day, per person.
Taps and showers use the latest aerated technology to ensure the most powerful flow while also reducing water usage. And, the water is powered and heated by a highly efficient SEDBUK A-rated condensing boiler – the most efficient rating available for boilers on the market.
Building techniques
By using the most up to date technology, materials and techniques to build a new home, Barratt is able to ensure its homes are up to 65% more energy efficient than an older home from the Victorian era.
These updates mean that occupants of a new-build home can save up to £1,410 on their energy bills per year.
Walls in a Barratt Home are constructed using the latest enhanced-efficiency insulation that incorporates heat reflecting, low emission technologies ensuring high levels of thermal efficiency. These new materials and new techniques mean that walls are up to six times more energy efficient than a home built in the 1960s.
Windows
A window is not just a window in a Barratt Home. All of the double glazed windows are filled with argon gas that works to reduce heat loss. Additionally, a low-emissive coating allowing heat from the sun to penetrate your home without allowing heat to escape.
Doors
External doors are insulated to reduce heat loss – and to improve soundproofing. Barratt ensures all doors are fully sealed within the frame when closed to make them as airtight as possible which means they keep the warm air in, and the cold air out.
Additionally Barratt Homes ‘pressure tests’ properties to ensure a tight seal has been achieved and residents won’t be troubled with draughts.
Lightbulbs
All light fittings in a Barratt home are now equipped with energy efficient bulbs that reduce electricity consumption by up to 75%, saving you money year on year in comparison to an incandescent bulb.
Anne Ross, sales director, Barratt East Scotland said: “All of our homes are built with energy efficiency in mind. From the appliances we install to the techniques our site manager and site teams use to build the home, we aim to be as efficient as possible.
“Our business is constantly learning and evolving and therefore we are always developing our techniques and sourcing new products to ensure we remain on the leading edge with our properties.”
Barratt Homes and its sister brand, David Wilson Homes, are building throughout Edinburgh and the East. David Wilson Homes is currently building in Haddington at Dovecot Mill, and at Heritage Grange in Edinburgh, while Barratt Homes has developments at The Limes in Edinburgh, The Heathers in Dunfermline and Heritage Grange, Edinburgh.
Additionally the housebuilder is building throughout Glasgow and the West. Live developments include; Brackenhill View in Hamilton, Abbey View in Johnstone, Wallace Fields in Robroyston, Highland Gate in Stirling, Braes of Yetts in Kirkintilloch, The Fairways in Bargeddie, Merlin Gardens in East Kilbride, Colville Gate in Bothwell, Weirs Wynd in Brookfield, Thornton View in East Kilbride, Lairds Brae in Kilmarnock, Chapelton Rise in Cumbernauld, and Riverside @ Cathcart in southside of Glasgow City.