Green designs

Green solutions

Instead of depending on our energy coming from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gas, some households are now looking at using renewable energy such as solar and wind energy. The UK is the windiest country in Europe and even on a cloudy day, enough sunlight gets through to provide some solar power.

solar panels and wind turbineson the roof of a house

Most buildings in the UK are cooled in summer by opening windows. But as our summers get warmer we may be simply letting more warm air in. The buildings that are at highest risk are those that lack shading from direct sunlight and have poor ventilation. So will our houses become similar to those in the Mediterranean where shutters are used to provide shade but windows can also be opened to provide ventilation during the day?

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Design a house

infra red image of a house showing heat loss

Your task is to design a house built for the changing climate of hotter summers and wetter winters in the UK. Think about:

  • the most efficient use of energy
  • sustainable building materials
  • energy sources for the building

Download information about important design features.

Find out more about renewable energy in the section Tomorrow’s Energy

 

Next: Sell it!