Award-winning housebuilder Weston Homes puts sustainability at the core of everything it does, meaning good news both for the environment and homebuyers at its developments. At the forefront of energy efficiency in the new-build sector, Weston Homes is committed to building high-quality low carbon homes at an affordable price, meaning reduced energy bills for residents, through its ‘Fabric First’ approach to the design and construction of all its new build homes using cutting-edge technology.
Weston Homes reports homebuyers at its developments can save, on average, up to 70% in energy costs, equating to up to about £1,700 a year in bills, and reduce their carbon emissions by up to 73%, compared with those living in older homes. Such huge savings were only one factor, however, in why Weston Homes won the WhatHouse? Gold Award 2023 for Best Sustainable Development, for Abbey Quay, an innovative urban village in Barking, East London.
Abbey Quay showcases Weston Homes’ passion for ensuring that sustainability starts well before construction commences. As with the majority of Weston Homes’ developments, this emerging urban village is built on ‘recycled’ former industrial brownfield land. Across six acres, a collection of 1,089 future-proofed energy-efficient homes sit alongside 22,281 sq ft of commercial and leisure space.
Homes at Abbey Quay are being created using the housebuilder’s ‘Fabric First’ approach, based on the principle that the best way to save energy use is to not need to use it in the first place, so they minimise heat loss and maximise solar and light gain in the properties design.
The unique hybrid building methods of British Offsite, part of the Weston Group, blend offsite methods of construction with traditional build. Product control starts in its two highly advanced design and development robotically-controlled factories, with the UNisystem providing unique next-generation light gauge steel framing and infill panels offering the highest standards of insulation and design. The hybrid construction system not only creates more sustainable materials, but also reduces build time, CO2 emissions, site energy consumption and noise pollution. The metalwork used at Abbey Quay is made with 38% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable, with the windows made of recycled glass.
Homeowners at Abbey Quay and across other Weston Homes developments can expect to pay considerably less in energy bills – up to 70% less than they would living in an older-style home – thanks to a host of energy saving features. These include thermally efficient heating, such as air source heat pumps and hot water cylinders, solar panels, temperature-controlled taps, carefully chosen appliances and high efficiency CFL and LED lights both inside and outside the property. LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. There are no harmful gasses, very little heat, and a much better lifespan – now up to 50,000 hours.
Siblings Katy and Andreas purchased a three-bedroom apartment together at Weston Homes development Abbey Quay, a new riverside urban village in Barking which is undergoing significant and rapid regeneration. They rented together for five years before deciding to buy their own home. Energy saving was high on their agenda. Katy says, “A lot of rented houses are not modern. Many old, period homes have bad insulation and all the heating goes out the windows. When we rented, bills were a big part of our salaries. New build homes might be a bit more expensive initially, but we knew we would save money on bills.”
Laura, a homeowner at Gun Hill Park, a Weston Homes development on the heritage site of the former Cambridge Military Hospital in Aldershot, Hampshire, started seeing the sustainable benefits of her new home as soon as she moved in. She says, “After our first winter at Gun Hill Park we had overpaid by £1,000 on our energy bills. This is a low-cost home on every level.”
Jake, who left his family home to buy his first property with his partner, Jade, at a Weston Homes’ development in Brentwood, Essex, was not looking forward to being responsible for energy bills. However, he says, “We hardly ever need to put the heating on, and our bills are really low. We almost always have our windows open to the balcony without feeling cold.”
Thermally efficient, floor-to-ceiling windows that reduce heat loss and maximise natural warmth from sunlight, private outdoor space and access to gardens, areas of green landscaping and nearby public parks are another focus of Weston Homes, keeping healthy homes high on their agenda.
Committed environmentalist Johanna chose her four-bedroom townhouse in a Weston Homes development in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, for its sustainable credentials, and the fact it was surrounded by green space. “We have a lovely garden, and a very green, landscaped area around us,” says Johanna, who creates sustainably printed fabrics from her garden office. “It has been built so that it does not look like an estate. Strolling around, we have met a lot of other homeowners who have become our friends and our community.”
Her love of natural materials aligns with another of Weston Homes’ passions, to encourage homebuyers to shop with “sustainable luxury” in mind when decorating and furnishing their homes. Weston Homes’ WhatHouse? 2023 Gold award for Best Interior Design, for a sustainable show home at Gun Hill Park included tips for recycling vintage furniture to add a personalised touch to a home, reframing and hanging original artwork bought on websites such as eBay, and shopping for 100% cotton sheets and pure wool rugs from high street favourites.
Weston Homes’ blog, Weston Life & Style, is tailored to Weston Homes’ residents and potential purchasers to help them get the best out of their new home. Articles from award-winning journalists and industry experts on everything from interior design tips and shopping sustainably, to making the best outside space – it is full to the brim with inspiration to help buyers sustainably personalise their new Weston Homes property.
Bob Weston, Chairman of Weston Homes says: “Sustainability is at the very core of all Weston Homes’ developments, from the very beginning of the build to well beyond. The regeneration of brownfield sites are carefully chosen to ensure they are close to public transport, and thus ensuring greener ways of travelling, and the UNisystem hybrid building method is highly energy efficient with minimal heat loss. This ultimately ensures homeowners’ energy bills can cost up to 70% less than those you would expect to pay in an older home. With a focus on reducing carbon emissions, and optimising health and wellbeing, Weston Homes is creating new, diverse and lively communities that will not only attract new jobs and investment but are collectively passionate about meeting climate change targets.”
For further information on Weston Homes please contact Tel: 01279 873 333 or click here.
