Questions & Answers about Eco-friendly homes

What is an eco or environmentally friendly home?
Why are eco homes better than conventional ones?
Are eco homes more expensive to buy?
Do eco homes hold their resale value?
What simple things can I do to make my current house more environmentally friendly?
Is GreenMoves an Estate Agent?
What are the standards that GreenMoves uses to determine whether a property can be advertised on the website?
Who is behind GreenMoves?
How can I advertise my property for sale on GreenMoves?
How can I advertise my business on the GreenMoves website?

What is an eco or environmentally friendly home?

Environmentally friendly homes have some features in common, they could include for instance:

Higher than normal levels of insulation.
Natural materials used in the building, e.g., timber framed, wool insulation, straw bale walls, organic paints.
Solar thermal hot water heating systems on the roof.
Photovoltaic panels on the roof for generating electricity.
Wood fired central heating systems.
Rainwater harvesting for flushing the WC.
Greywater collection (from sinks and bath) for watering the garden.
Composting toilet.
Large amounts of glazing to allow lots of daylight.
Heat recovery systems for space heating.
Passive solar orientation - where the house benefits from a southerly orientation, gaining free light and heat, this is normally allied to larger amounts of glazing facing south and smaller amounts to the north elevations.

Why are eco homes better than conventional ones?

Depending on the type of eco home they are cheaper to run; they should use less energy and therefore have lower carbon emissions; they should hold their values longer; they should outlast conventional homes; they are healthier to live in with more daylight and less off-gassing of chemicals in the building fabric, such as VOCs in paint, and formaldehyde in MDF, and better more controlled internal temperatures; they are less harmful to the environment.

Are eco homes more expensive to buy?

Not necessarily. Some have been constructed for less than the cost of a conventional home, some for more, so in general the price should not be substantially different.

Do eco homes hold their resale value?

Yes. The experiences of developers and homeowners suggest that they will.

What simple things can I do to make my current house more environmentally friendly?

Switch to an energy supplier offering energy from renewable sources. Switching takes about five minutes, we recommend Good Energy as they supply 100% green energy and not a mixture as some companies do.
Switch your light bulbs to low energy light bulbs.
Ensure that your home is well insulated in the loft and via cavity wall insulation, for more information go to www.thinksulation.co.uk.
Upgrade your appliances to those with an ‘A’ Rating.
Install radiator reflector panels to minimise heat loss.

Is GreenMoves an Estate Agent?

No, GreenMoves is not an Estate Agent, we don’t charge our advertisers a percentage of their sale price, we have no physical For Sale signs and we won’t personally be able to show you around properties. Instead we provide a website and marketing services which aims to bring information on all available eco homes together in one place making life easier (and more environmentally friendly) for those seeking a healthier home.

What are the standards that GreenMoves uses to determine whether a property can be advertised on the website?

Please see our criteria page.

Who is behind GreenMoves?

GreenMoves was started and is run by three Directors who have environmental backgrounds. Please visit Who we are to learn more.

How can I advertise my property for sale on GreenMoves?

Please see our How to Advertise page for further information.

How can I advertise my business on the GreenMoves website?