We’re all about sustainability here at Park Homes! Our houses are designed to have minimal environmental impact, so our planet can stay beautiful for future generations to come. Depending on your budget, lifestyle and preferences, we can tailor make sustainable features for your home. There are so many sustainable options that could be perfect for your house. Many are included as standard in our designs so aren’t at any extra cost. Our sustainable options include:

Heating and Cooling

• Passive house heat recovery ventilation systems are 85% energy efficient, making them far superior to other ventilation systems
• A passive house saves up to 90% of energy costs and only 1.5 litres of heating oil per square metre each year—far less than other energy efficient housing designs
• You shouldn’t need much extra heating with a Park Home but if you require additional heating we suggest clean wood burners, pellet fires, gas fires, gas or diesel air heaters or, better yet solar air heaters, reducing reliance upon fossil fuels

Water Heating

• Shower domes are fitted to the top of your shower to keep warmth and moisture inside your shower while leaving your bathroom drier and saving energy
• Solar hot water systems use the sun’s energy to heat your shower. You can choose between an active system (uses circulating pumps) or a passive system (uses gravity circulation)
• Gas or solar water heaters store hot water so you can have hot water whenever you need
• Air source hot water pumps absorb heat from outside air and transfer this heat to your hot water. They can cut your hot water costs by 50-75%

Water Saving

• Water reclamation units capture water and purify it to be reused
• Rainwater storage tanks can be placed under the house or on the roof if space is tight
• Greywater storage tanks save the waste from baths, showers, washing machines and basins, clean and treat it so it can be reused for filling toilets, washing clothes and watering the garden

Waste

• Septic systems hold waste water in a septic tank allowing solids to separate which are decomposed by bacteria while remaining water is pumped out
• Aerated waste systems use biological and mechanical filtration to turn water waste into irrigation water
• Composting toilets can be emptied and, when composted well, create highly nutritious soil, which is great for the garden
• Incinerating toilets leave a tray of ash every 3-4 weeks that can just be thrown away

Renewable Energy

• Solar panels capture the sun’s energy saving you energy costs. Small or large systems can be installed
• Wind turbines harness the power of wind for energy. Small turbines can be used to power charge batteries while large ones can power houses
• Tesla Powerwall 2 is a new invention coming to NZ in 2018, that can we mounted on walls to store energy to use as a backup in blackout or for solar and wind energy storage
• Solar cookers and ovens convert the sun’s energy for use in cooking

Building Materials

• UPVC double (or triple) glazing means superior insulation and better temperature control (cool in summer, warm in winter) so you don’t have to rely on heating and cooling devices
• Energy saving glazing in addition to UPVC makes temperature control even stronger
• Windows in an efficient building envelope with good insulation keeps heat in when it’s cold and out when it’s hot

Lighting

• LED lights are made from lightweight materials that not only save energy but last longer. They don’t have any harmful chemicals like mercury and are very resistance to breakage

Other

• Deep cycle batteries are long lasting car batteries designed to be regularly and deeply discharged
• Bio-paints from the Natural Paint Co. have zero toxicity levels so are better for the environment and for your health

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If not, your 42 pages of inspiring sustainable living ideas is just one click away here: (scroll to the end of the page) http://parkhomes.co.nz/