How to make your home sustainable and efficient effortlessly

Although the construction sector has traditionally been one of the sectors that has had the greatest weight in pollution, more and more professionals are determined to innovate within the sector and offer sustainable and efficient constructions.

To this end, contemporary architecture is increasingly committed to constructions in which sustainable materials are used that are committed to self-management with the aim of reducing the cost of maintenance and the time that their owners dedicate to managing their home.

Some of the concepts that are taken into account today to create a sustainable building are:

·         In the first place, the materials with which a building is constructed will be decisive for the efficiency of the home. Like its thermal and acoustic insulation. On the other hand, the distribution of the spaces will be crucial with the light and temperature of the home.

·         Review the interior decoration materials with which the building is constructed.

·         Check the energy efficiency by demanding an Energy Performance Efficiency (EPC)

How to obtain an efficient home?

To achieve an efficient home, both technical and decorative aspects must be taken into account that will directly influence the efficiency and sustainability of the home. As well as consumption habits.

In the first place, Here in Spain it is important to take into account the electricity and gas rate that users has contracted out, since in many cases, contracting a rate that does not meet the basic needs of the home can increase the electricity bill considerably.

For example: If in a home they consume more at night, perhaps one of the rates that best suits the needs of users is the one that offers hourly discrimination.

To review your electricity rate, you must take into account some basic aspects, such as:

·         The size, i.e. the home area in square meters.

·         The number of people who live in the house and the routines they normally carry out.

·         How many major appliances are there in the house and how many of these carry out phantom consumption (those that despite appearing to be turned off if they are still connected to the general current, but still consuming energy even if they are switch off, but continue to consume a percentage of energy), as well as those that have an energy efficiency label.

·         Finally, the type of electricity and gas installation in the home.

To make a tariff change, the user must be clear that they will have to be the owner of the supplies to have total control of the energy contract. To make the change of owner of electricity and water, you must provide a series of information. Before making any changes, the user must know that it is not a free process and that it can take between 15 and 20 business days.

If you are from Murcia and want to make changes to your electricity tariff, you must get in touch with Endesa or Iberdrola office in Murcia or call by phone to request the change or request information on any specific aspect of the services you have contracted out.

In short, aspects such as good home maintenance and good thermal insulation can lead to a 40% decrease in the final electricity bill.

In our architecture studio Pacheco Arquitectos, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability are part of our set values, we believe that they are not an option but an obligation.