SHOULD THIS be AN ACCORDIAN TO THE HOME PAGE?
Here are the answers to the questions we get frequently asked about GreenMoves and eco homes.
Click on the plus sign next to the question to view the answer.
If you cannot find the answer you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact us.
Environmentally friendly homes have some features in common, they could include for instance:
- Higher than normal levels of insulation.
- Natural materials used in the building, e.g., timber framed, wool insulation, straw bale walls, organic paints.
- Solar thermal hot water heating systems on the roof.
- Photovoltaic panels on the roof for generating electricity.
- Wood fired central heating systems.
- Rainwater harvesting for flushing the WC.
- Greywater collection (from sinks and bath) for watering the garden.
- Composting toilet.
- Large amounts of glazing to allow lots of daylight.
- Heat recovery systems for space heating.
- Passive solar orientation – where the house benefits from a southerly orientation, gaining free light and heat, this is normally allied to larger amounts of glazing facing south and smaller amounts to the north elevations.
Depending on the type of eco home, they are cheaper to run; they should use less energy and therefore have lower carbon emissions; they should hold their values longer; they should outlast conventional homes; they are healthier to live in with more daylight and less off-gassing of chemicals in the building fabric, such as VOCs in paint, and formaldehyde in MDF, and better more controlled internal temperatures; they are less harmful to the environment.
Not necessarily. Like all houses some have been constructed for less than the cost of a conventional home, some for more, so in general the price should not be substantially different. But over time you should see a saving both in terms of the financial cost and to the environment.
The experience of developers and home-owners has shown that eco-homes do hold their value.
- Draught-proof your home and block any unwanted gaps that can let cold air in.
- Switch to an energy supplier offering energy from renewable sources.
- Ensure that your home is well insulated – for more information visit Energy Saving Trust.
- Upgrade your appliances to those with an ‘A’ Rating for energy use.
- Install radiator reflector panels to minimise heat loss.
- Use smart meters to track and manage your energy consumption.
- Install Water-Saving Fixtures
- Fix leaks
- Use a Water Butt to collect rainwater for garden use.
No, GreenMoves is not an Estate Agent. We charge a flat fee for listings – not a percentage of their sale price, we have no physical For Sale signs and we aren’t able to show potential buyers around properties.
We are a portal, a hub, a listings website which aims to bring information on all available eco homes together in one place making life easier (and more environmentally friendly) for those seeking a healthier home. We focus just on eco property in the UK and worldwide and we aim to be the first port of call for anyone looking to live in a more environmentally friendly home.
There are a number of standards that we might use to assess eligibility of properties such as:
- BRE Eco Homes
- Code for Sustainable Homes
- SAP Ratings
- Home Energy Ratings/Energy Performance Certificates
Other properties may be listed where it can be shown that an effort has been made to make the property more environmentally-friendly, such as:
- Higher than normal levels of insulation.
- Natural materials used in the building, e.g., timber framed, wool insulation, straw bale walls, organic paints.
- Solar thermal hot water heating systems on the roof.
- Photovoltaic panels on the roof for generating electricity.
- Wood fired central heating systems.
- Rainwater harvesting for flushing the WC.
- Greywater collection (from sinks and bath) for watering the garden.
- Composting toilet.
- Large amounts of glazing to allow lots of daylight.
- Heat recovery systems for space heating.
- Passive solar orientation – where the house benefits from a southerly orientation, gaining free light and heat, this is normally allied to larger amounts of glazing facing south and smaller amounts to the north elevations.
On each listing there is an area for a description of what makes the home, property (or holiday) environmentally friendly, or greener than the average and if they have been assessed according to the standards listed above.
For properties or plots for sale visit the Listing an Eco home, eco property or plot for sale page
For properties to let visit the Listing an Eco home, eco property or plot for rent page
But if those pages don’t answer your questions please feel free to contact us.
If you are offering an environmentally friendlier holiday please visit the Listing a green holiday page
But if that doesn’t answer your questions please feel free to contact us.
If you’d like us to include details of your event – whether that is a conference, meeting, webinar or training events – please visit the Listing an Event page
But if that doesn’t answer your questions please feel free to contact us.
If you’d like us to include details of your business in our directory, whether you provide services or supply products which have an eco element, – please visit the Listing your business in the GreenMoves directory page
But if that doesn’t answer your questions please feel free to contact us.
We are excited about our new trial space for Wanted Notices. If you’d like to place a Wanted Notice please visit the Placing a Wanted Notice page.
But if that doesn’t answer your questions please feel free to contact us.
GreenMoves is a limited company – number 05295421.
It was founded in 2004 with the website arriving in 2005 to provide a first port of call for anyone interested in buying or selling eco-homes. Eco property was a topic close to the hearts of the three original directors and they decided to set up the company in response to the lack of such sites on the Internet.
It is now run by a single director from the registered office in Somerset.
But if that doesn’t answer your questions please feel free to contact us.