Self-build for beginner's

HOW TO DESIGN A HOUSE THAT'S CHEAP TO RUN

- 

Create a space that's comfortable to live in and won't cost a fortune to heat with our expert guide

Let’s start with some good news. If you’re building a new house today - especially if you live in a house built pre-2000s - you're in for a nice surprise. Even if you just meet the current Building Regulations and do nothing more, your new home will feel warmer, more comfortable and be much cheaper to run. That’s because Building Regulations have become a lot stricter over the past two decades and our understanding of how to design energy-efficient homes has come on in leaps and bounds.

But let’s be honest, most self-builders aren’t just looking to scrape by with the minimum requirements - they want to do things properly. They want a house that’s comfortable all year round, that doesn’t consume energy and doesn’t come with eye-watering utility bills. Some people even manage to get their annual heating bills down to less than £100. That might sound extreme, but it’s absolutely possible if you adopt the right approach.

So what's the secret? Once you understand the regulatory requirements, it then all comes down to two things: first, reducing how much energy your home actually needs, and second, deciding how you're going to generate the energy you need. You can’t really separate the two and you'll only get great results if you treat them as two sides of the same coin. You could throw thousands of pounds at a fancy renewable heating system, but if your house leaks like a sieve, you'll still be spending more than you need to.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND BUILDING REGULATIONS