Sustainable Houses
What is a Sustainable House?
A sustainable house is not only one in which solar panels are placed on the roof, or in which the windows are double-glazed. Neither is it a small house built in a remote location and without connection to the electrical grid. Whilst they improve the energy efficiency of the building, these solutions do not make a home sustainable.
Nowadays, a sustainable house is something else, something more. The sustainability of a home is a global concept that begins with its design and takes fully into account its orientation, integration into the environment, interior layout, exterior shape, the use of the right constructions materials and the technology installed in the property, so that the day-to-day operation of the house in the long term is effective, sustainable and at the same time provides a better quality of life.
Sierra Verde Property Houses
The construction of houses does not have to be at odds with ecology. It is more than possible to build houses in a forest or on a coast without damaging the environment. And that is one of the principles that inspired our project: the houses of the Sierra Verde Urbanization were not conceived to integrate with nature, but to be part of the nature in which they are built.
Our project is not limited to respecting the legislation related to the sustainability of housing, nor to satisfying the demands of our clients, nor to following a trend or a passing fad. One of the essential principles of the Sierra Verde Urbanization is that its houses are sustainable and respectful of the environment, with the minimum of emissions and the maximum possible self-sufficiency. And, no less important, the cost of this energy efficiency is not unaffordable.
Difficult to achieve? Without a doubt, but we accept the challenge. As a basic condition, the developer of the Sierra Verde Urbanization imposed that all the properties achieve the highest standards in energy efficiency and sustainability. To this end, principles of sustainability were established to apply to all homes, both outside and inside, in communal areas, in the entrances, etc.
The principles of sustainability applied to all our houses
Orientation
A good orientation does not only consist of taking advantage of the surrounding beautiful views or locating the pool in the sunniest area of the plot. The orientation of a house with respect to sunrise and sunset is essential for the optimization of energy. A good orientation will provide a home with heat and light in the most efficient way and for as long as possible depending on the time of the year, which altogether will reduce energy use by up to 50%.
In addition, the houses of Sierra Verde have been carefully planned so that the distribution of spaces responds optimally, not only to the needs of its inhabitants but also to the use of natural resources of light and heat according to their orientation. For this reason, the distribution of the night area and the day area is carried out in accordance with the needs of the housing planning but also taking into account energy optimization.
The construction and building materials
There are many measures that can be implemented to build an environmentally friendly building, and one of them is the use of sustainable construction materials. These materials are those that with low environmental impact for their production, installation and long-term maintenance. These are materials with low energy consumption in their manufacturing and use cycle; they come from renewable and abundant sources (with special attention to wood); they do not come from sensitive or damaged ecosystems; they have a low level of CO2 emissions in their extraction, processing and transportation; and, finally, that they are the least harmful as possible as residue or waste.In large houses like ours (with an average area of 250 to 300 square meters in phases 1 and 2, larger in further phases), pointing out all the sustainability qualities of the chosen materials and how they fit in with the requirements or objectives listed in the previous paragraph would be very long and complex. However, it is necessary to mention that the Sierra Verde properties have decidedly opted for sustainable materials and, in this sense, the wood plays an essential role in the houses, both in their design and in insulation or strictly construction solutions. Timber has been used throughout history, but its specific sustainability properties are not yet fully known. For instance, it is the material with the least environmental impact in its production, due to the fact that during its life cycle it is capable, not only of generating a very low level but of eliminating a large amount of CO2. Equally important is its insulating capacity, which can save between 50-60% on heating and air conditioning.
Insulation
Incorrect insulation of a house can affect considerably its energy efficiency. Sierra Verde Properties make intensive use of insulating materials, from the roofs to the facades, in which the thermal insulation is made of rockwool or similar attached to the heavy facade sheet. In addition, it will be placed between the outer and inner layers of the exterior walls.
An essential element is the sealing provided by the exterior doors and windows, which are made of lacquered aluminum with a thermal bridge break that gives it great energy and acoustic efficiency, and all with double glazing and an air chamber.
In addition, within the house itself it is necessary to separate the areas of little use with doors, so that they conserve the energy and natural heat of the house.
Power generation
The Sierra Verde villas are built with a pre-installation for solar panels. How many panels and to what extent to take advantage of the potential generation of electricity through solar panels, will depend on each owner.
The individual study of each house, which is delivered with the project, also includes advice and an initial budget for the installation and use of batteries to store the energy generated through the panels, which will significantly reduce the use of Energy.
On the other hand, all our houses have a state-of-the-art intelligent electricity meter, so that controlling energy consumption is easier.
The home thermostats are also state-of-the-art, being digital and individually programmable thermostats on each of the floors of the house.
Heat and Cold
The general air conditioning of the house is achieved through the Heat Pump system. This multitasking technology that uses energy from the air to air-condition spaces, and with such high efficiency and high performance, is currently classified by European regulations as renewable energy. The outdoor unit will be installed on the roof of the house and the indoor units and ducts will be hidden in the interior suspended ceiling of the house.
This system is the most efficient from a sustainable point of view, and without losing the capacity to generate heat and cold, it reduces electricity consumption in the house by up to 70%.
Conclusion
A sustainable house does not have to be small, uncomfortable, isolated, or unattractive. And it doesn’t have to be expensive either. On the contrary, sustainability has long since ceased to be a luxury – it is part of the essence of 21st-century construction and it is essential in construction. Sierra Verde has introduced three key elements that make the houses sustainable and that at the same time drive each other: a) the houses have a suitable temperature at all times; b) this is achieved with a completely renewable source: the sun; and, c) the home needs to generate, on average, 50% less energy for heating.
However, in the medium and long term the cost of our sustainable houses is much lower than that of a normal one, and at the same time with a significant reduction in CO2.
In other words, Sierra Verde contributes directly to improving the environment by building houses that provide quality of life.
