What do you think about new build houses these days? Is high energy efficiency on your list when you are looking to move house? Hertfordshire developer Mark Bettridge from Saltbox Design and Build Ltd, has recently unveiled a home that sets a new standard for eco-conscious living.

Local and eco-friendly, the perfect combination for me to amplify here, Mark agreed to meet and tell me more…

I came away feeling this isn’t just a house; it’s a testament to thoughtful construction, an eco-friendly residence designed to minimise your impact on the planet while providing you a comfortable and cost-effective living experience.

Meeting Mark and understanding his ethos when it comes to how he develops homes, it’s pretty obvious that he is a stickler for detail, and a responsible, quality-focused developer who cares about the community he lives in. Here’s what he said about his latest build: ‘It’s a house I would want to live in” Mark told me “My primary focus is delivering a high-quality product that I can be truly proud of. As a local developer in Chorleywood, my family has deep roots in the community. I understand the importance of maintaining a strong reputation. No one wants to be known for shoddy workmanship. After all, your home is your sanctuary, your haven. It’s where you create memories and raise your family. I want the people that buy my houses to know they can trust me to build something exceptional, something they’ll be proud to call their own.”

Here’s just a few photos of the interior…

So, let’s take a deep dive into the eco-friendly technologies that make this home truly special…

Let’s Get Technical…

We’ll explore how features like super air-tight construction, mechanical ventilation, and triple-glazed windows contribute to its exceptional energy efficiency. You’ll also learn about the unique building materials he used and the sustainable energy solutions that set it apart from a typical new build but more importantly what the benefits are to whomever lives in this home.

Super Air-Tight Construction with MVHR

The first thing to mention about this house is its MVHR system, which stands for Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery. This fancy bit of kit pulls warm, moist air out of rooms like bathrooms and kitchens, cleans it and distributes it back throughout the house. It’s basically a heat recycling system, ensuring you don’t waste any energy! In the summer it will also work hard to rebalance to the set ambience temperature so if some rooms are heating up more than others, it will look to take air from the cooler rooms to the warmer rooms while extracting the heat to the outside. It’s quite a significant piece of kit and having seen it now I can understand how it fits best in a new build! A note here, all this ‘kit’ fits into one room, where the back door is – much of it is installed off the floor, giving plenty of space for shoe racks, and coat racks and a place to wipe down anyone with muddy footprints!

Mark showing me the MVHR.

Fresh, clean air is brought in from outside, filtered to remove pollutants like dust and pollen, keeping this home healthy and comfortable while preventing heat loss and keeping the fresh, improved quality, air circulating. Living with allergies can be a real struggle, especially during pollen season. An airtight house with an MVHR system can significantly improve your indoor air quality and provide relief. Here’s how:

  • Pollen Blockade: An airtight house acts as a barrier, preventing pollen and other allergens from easily entering your home. Tightly sealed windows, doors, and gaps around pipes and cables minimise the infiltration of outdoor pollutants.
  • Constant Fresh Air: The MVHR system continuously supplies fresh, filtered air from outside while simultaneously extracting stale indoor air. This ensures a constant flow of clean air, diluting the concentration of allergens inside your home.
  • Dust: The MVHR system recovers heat from the outgoing stale air and transfers it to the incoming fresh air. So by minimising heat loss, making your home more energy-efficient you can reduce reliance on heating systems, which can sometimes stir up dust.
  • Reduced Moisture: By controlling humidity levels, an MVHR system helps prevent the growth of mould and mildew, common triggers for allergies and asthma.

So, we have a healthier indoor environment by minimising allergen exposure, providing consistent fresh air, and improving overall air quality. No more drafts or stuffy rooms! And because the MVHR system recovers heat from outgoing air, this home could use up to 10 times less energy for heating. That’s a win-win for your wallet and the environment.

But here’s the catch: MVHR systems only work if your house reaches suitable airtightness targets. That means minimal air leakage, which is exactly what this house achieves.

Air Tightness Score of under 1

New builds in the UK typically have an air tightness score of around 8m3/hm2 @50pa. 10 was the previous maximum permitted until changes came into force in 2022. The lower the score, the tighter the building envelope. Special attention has been paid with this home to seal up any gaps or cracks and the windows and doors are all triple glazed, all contributing to an incredible score of less than 1. Diagnostic air tightness tests were carried out early – as soon as the windows were in and before any internal plaster boarding began – so any gaps could be sealed. There isn’t even a letterbox in the door – it’s outside of the house on the wall because a letterbox in the door loses a lot of heat! It’s the little things that count.

So, with a score of under 1 this home is seriously airtight, which contributes to the amazing energy efficiency. What does that mean? Heat loss is significantly reduced and can translate to substantial energy savings. For example, underfloor heating, while taking time to warm up, retains heat for much longer due to the reduced heat loss. With this airtight home, you could switch off the heating earlier in the evening, potentially saving on energy bills and reducing your environmental impact. In a typical house, heat would escape up to eight times faster once the heating is switched off.

Triple Glazed Windows and Doors

Having three panes of glass instead of the usual two, triple glazing provides amazing insulation keeping the heat in during the winter and the air cooler during the summer. Plus, these windows are excellent at keeping the noise out, so whatever is going on outside, peace can reign inside.

Rear view from the garden

Now, some people might worry that triple-glazed windows and a super airtight house could mean a lack of ventilation. But fear not! That’s where the MVHR system we mentioned earlier kicks in, ensuring a constant flow of fresh air.

Fire Safety and Sustainable Building Materials

Building a house with SIPS (Structural Insulated Panels) or timber frames can sometimes raise concerns about fire safety. But this house has been cleverly constructed to address that. Using timber can create both a warmer and a quieter home, if constructed correctly. In the UK, any part of a SIPs or timber built building that is within 3 metres of another house, needs to be fire boarded. But for this house, they decided to fire-board the WHOLE house, both inside and outside creating a protective barrier resulting in a much better, safer home. This means that a fire inside the house would struggle to spread outwards, and vice versa. The exterior is clad with Cedral Board, which, as well as looking lovely, is also A2 fire-rated and super sustainable.

Mark drew me a rough diagram of the many layers making up the walls in this home. Now I am not proclaiming to understand all of them, but it’s no wonder this house is going to be super quiet, super-efficient and super warm for its lucky owners.

Acoustic Insulation

Chatting to Mark, how quiet it was inside really struck me! He explained, timber is much better at absorbing noise than a brick build house but still, paying attention to the detail, he wanted to ensure this house benefited from the best acoustic insulation he could give it ensuring less noise between floors and rooms. A full acoustic floor has been put in between the two floors – that’s before any flooring/carpeting was laid, plus acoustic plasterboard walls and additional acoustic insulation between the rafters. Combine the airtight construction with acoustic insulation in the walls, floors and roof, adding in the triple glazing, whether you’re looking for a peaceful retreat or a place to focus on work, this house has you covered.

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Sustainable Features: Solar Power and Battery Storage

Of course, a house this advanced wouldn’t be complete without some impressive sustainable features. The crown jewel of this eco-friendly home? Maybe. The 13 solar panels on the roof capture the sun’s energy, which is then stored in a 5.76 kWh of battery storage. This means that the house can generate a significant amount of its own clean electricity, reducing reliance on the grid, lowering carbon footprint and even tapping into low-cost energy tariffs with a little planning.

Solar panels

With zoned underfloor heating downstairs, all via an easy app on a smartphone, to smart radiator controls upstairs and wifi controlled heated towel rails I understood how you could efficiently have the ultimate flexibility, only heating where you need it.

Mark’s meticulous craftsmanship is evident in every detail, creating a residence that not only looks beautiful but also respects the environment

The Bottom Line

This house is a real showstopper. It’s a perfect example of how innovative design and construction techniques can create a home that’s not only comfortable and stylish but also energy-efficient and eco-friendly. An airtight construction forms the foundation of this energy-efficient home. Combined with Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), it ensures fresh air circulation while minimising heat loss. Triple glazing and underfloor heating provide consistent warmth, while smart radiator controls optimise energy consumption. Acoustic insulation creates a peaceful haven, and excellent heating insulation minimises heat loss. Finally, solar panels harness renewable energy, further reducing reliance on the grid. This synergistic approach results in a comfortable, healthy, and environmentally responsible living space.

Wow, this the best example I have seen of just what CAN be done with a new build home, that benefits not just the family that lives in it but our precious planet and its resources too.

Here are Mark’s contact details if you need them: