Olive Green Developments

Housing

At Olive Green we build houses that harness as much energy as possible from natural resources - ie sun, wind and biomass - and cut energy loss through effective insulation. We also maximise the use of low environmental-impact building materials.

Natural resources

By harnessing renewable sources of energy, we dramatically cut both emissions and fuel bills. Techniques include:

• passive solar orientation
  maximising the heat from the sun by positioning windows on south-facing walls
• photovoltaic panels (ie solar panels)
  harnessing the sun's natural energy to generate electricity
• solar water heaters
  using the sun's energy to heat water for washing, laundry etc
• water harvesting
  collecting rain water in storage tanks for household use
• grey water recycling
  treating 'grey water' from showers, baths and sinks for use in laundry, toilet
  flushing and watering plants
• wood-chip combined generators
  generating both electricity and heat
• wind turbines
  using wind energy to generate electricity

Insulation

Effective insulation makes houses cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter - significantly reducing the need for heating and air-conditioning. We achieve this with:

• triple glazed windows
• super-insulated walls and windows
• more effective loft insulation

The result is comfortable, modern homes with the lowest impact on the environment,
and the lowest possible dependence on non-renewable energy.