Top tips on living sustainably and reducing your energy use with a new build home

At Grandhome, we know how important it is to live as sustainably and environmentally friendly as possible. New build homes are much more energy efficient than older homes, and, on our site near Bridge of Don, we’ve incorporated an extensive green network into our plans and we’re developing naturalistic, untamed areas for local wildlife to thrive in. We’ve also designed our site to be walkable, reducing the need to drive. But there’s simple actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint too, and even save yourself some money.

Install a smart thermostat – Reduce your energy use and your bills by ensuring you’re using only the heating you need, when and where you need it.

Complete a Home Energy Scotland home energy check – Get a personalised energy saving report for your property, and find out how you can get help to improve your home.

Recycle your food waste – The UK creates 9.52 million tonnes of food waste per year, with 70% of this coming from households. In fact the average household throws away 1.96kg of food a day! Whilst we can do a lot by buying only what we need, and making better use of leftovers, it’s inevitable that you’ll still have some scraps left at the end of the day so make sure you recycle them in your brown bin.

Use peat-free compost, or better yet make your own – Peat is vital for carbon capture, as well as encouraging biodiversity and helping to prevent flooding, so if buying compost for your garden make sure it’s peat-free. Or put some of that food waste to good waste by making your own compost.

Use environmentally friendly cleaning products – Switching to more environmentally friendly cleaning products is a simple change you can make to reduce the volume of potentially harmful chemicals in your home. Plus, most products are packaged in recycled materials, and many offer concentrated refills for lower waste and less reliance on single-use plastics.

Choose a ‘green’ energy provider – You should always shop around for your energy provider to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible. And while you’re at it, filter your search to providers who use green or renewable energy to help reduce your carbon footprint as well as your bills.

Buy a new home – If you buy a new home with an energy rating of EPC A or B you might qualify for a ‘green mortgage’, which can mean a preferential mortgage rate. Many of the homes here at Grandhome meet this rating – with AJC Homes and Cala Homes committed to delivering more and more energy efficient properties.

And that’s not the only way you can save money by buying new. A new home could save you an average of £2,500 a year in energy costs in comparison to an older property, giving you peace of mind for the future of your wallet and the planet. They also generate 1/3 less carbon than similar older homes, and many will feature the latest innovations such as heat air pumps or energy efficient boilers.

Find out more about Grandhome and the homes available.