I don't know about you, but I have thought more about my carbon footprint this year than ever before. Thanks to Greta Thunberg and her fellow climate activists, the decisions and small changes we can all make towards the greater goal have been highlighted.
Our choices when buying a garden room, whether that be a standalone building or a garden room house extension, can play a key role in helping reduce our carbon footprint.
Bespoke garden room extension specialists Westbury Garden Rooms report a significant number of customers showing interest in the environmental impact of their garden rooms.
Jonathan Hey, founder of Westbury Garden Rooms comments:
"The mounting environmental crisis has come to a head this year on a scale not previously seen, and people are now questioning the choices they are making in their everyday lives - be that rejecting the throwaway culture of cheaply-made clothes, to reducing the number of unnecessary flights they are taking. Therefore, it stands to reason that this also extends to their homes too, with people wanting to understand how their new orangery or garden room might impact the environment."
Westbury Garden Rooms tell us that customers are questioning:
- The sustainability of the timber used in the garden room
- The emissions produced in transporting materials
- Where the building is manufactured
- The measures that can be taken to ensure the garden room exceeds current Building Regulations
Made in the UK
Westbury Garden Rooms welcome their customers to their manufacturing facility in Essex. This gives them the opportunity to explain their manufacturing process and show them the steps they take to recycle and reuse their material offcuts.
Working with a company that manufactures their garden rooms in the UK reduces the carbon footprint of the building, particularly in the form of emissions from transporting materials and parts.
Jonathan Hey continues:
"Every glazed extension manufacturer will have an environmental story to tell but homeowners who are really serious about environmental issues need to fully understand the manufacturing process from start to finish. It's one thing for a manufacturer to say they want to use sustainable wood but if the factory doesn't recycle or reuse offcuts, or if it's halfway around the world, then the benefits in one area will be outweighed by pitfalls in another."
Accoya rather than hardwood construction
Westbury Garden Rooms use Accoya rather than hardwoods for their buildings. Accoya is a highly durable, modified timber that is produced by using fast-growing FSC or PEFC certified timbers such as Radiata Pine and treating them with non-toxic chemicals — resulting in a super strength timber that has a lifespan of 50-years. Choosing Accoya avoids using precious slow-growing hardwoods sourced from the rainforests of South America and Africa.
Low VOC paint finishes
The choice of paint used for your garden room can play a big part in its environmental credentials. Paints give of VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds). Westbury Garden Rooms use Teknos paints which give off low levels of VOC. Three coats of Teknos paint is applied to the Accoya. This results in a low maintenance, long-lasting finish, which only needs repainting every twelve years.
Greener than a uPVC conservatory
A quality timber building such as those by Westbury Garden Rooms is much greener than uPVC conservatories. High levels of energy are used to manufacture uPVC and then uPVC conservatories use lots of energy to heat and cool the space.
Because of the thermal qualities of timbers such as Accoya mixed with the high spec double glazing and solid insulated roof structure, a garden room extension will be much more efficient to run than its uPVC counterpart - both environmentally and financially!
