A Guide to Redrow's Fabric First Construction Approach
We’re proud to be an award-winning housebuilder in the UK, known for the style and quality of our new build homes. We also put a strong emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability, literally building it into every brick of our properties with our ‘fabric first’ approach to construction.
Guides & FAQs | Guides | Energy & Sustainability | A Guide to Redrow's Fabric First Construction Approach
What to know when buying with Redrow
- All our homes are built with a fabric-first approach, meaning every element of our construction process is carefully designed from the very beginning to offer excellent energy efficiency.
- With My Redrow, you can customise elements of your new home and get updates on every stage of your buying journey.
What is our fabric first approach?
Fabric first means that we make sure every step of building our new Eco Now and Eco Electric homes is designed around energy efficiency and green living - from the very construction of the building to the finishes and accessories.
Unlike traditional building methods that focus on adding insulation and energy-efficient systems after construction as extras, our fabric first method involves designing and building each home's structure to maximise energy efficiency at every step.
This means carefully considering factors like:
- Insulation: Installing comprehensive insulation in walls, roofs, and floors to minimise heat loss.
- Airtightness: Sealing the building envelope to prevent drafts and heat escape.
- Window and door quality: Using high-performance windows and doors with excellent thermal efficiency.
- Orientation: Optimising the home's layout to maximise natural light indoors and reduce energy consumption.
- Efficient heating: Our Eco Electric homes use air source heat pumps to provide heating and to power efficient ground floor underfloor heating.
Benefits of fabric first construction for new homes
We make sure that (quite literally) from the ground up, every new Redrow home offers enhanced efficiency. As well as reducing our impact on the environment and helping with energy consumption, this is hugely beneficial for our homeowners too thanks to reduced bills.
Reduced energy bills
By buying a new home, you’re already choosing a property that is significantly more eco-friendly and efficient than older properties. The average UK home holds an EPC rating of ‘D’, but Redrow homes offer at least a ‘B’ rating thanks to fabric first. This means reduced bills and less spending on energy for our homeowners.
Lower carbon footprint
Because you’ll be using less energy and relying less on fossil fuels for heating (and cooling), living in a fabric first new home can help reduce your carbon footprint.
Improved comfort
When every element - from the materials we use for the walls to the sealing on the doors and windows - is hand-picked to be efficient, you really do feel it with consistent temperatures throughout the year.
Future-proof homes
Insulation and durability is built-in to our homes across all our award-winning collections . As well as offering seasonal comfort indoors, it means the property will also be more protected against temperature fluctuations from the outdoors. This reduces wear and tear overtime, keeping our new builds in tip-top shape for longer.
Plus, because all our homes are specifically designed for modern living, we’ve made sure that we’ve laid a solid foundation for adding renewable energy technology and features in the future.
Our fabric first homes
Eco Now homes
Available at developments across the country, Eco Now homes are built with high-specification elements like windows, doors and efficient boilers. Air-tight sealing keeps heat in during the winter, exceeding standard requirements by over 50%.
Control indoor heating with smart home controls and reduce your water consumption (without compromising comfort or performance) thanks to our efficient build techniques.
Eco Electric homes
A symbol of our commitment to sustainability, our Eco Electric homes offer superb efficiency along with outstanding quality. These properties are gas-free, with air source heat pumps offering more efficient heating than gas boilers.
Open-plan spaces and large windows allow for plenty of natural light indoors, while sustainable underfloor heating on the ground floor adds an additional layer of comfort.
Redrow and sustainability
Our commitment and dedication to sustainability starts with our fabric first approach, but also goes beyond that. We’re delighted to be able to offer a range of eco-friendly options for our homebuyers, from solar panels to electric vehicle charging points.
Sign up to My Redrow to keep in touch with your new home’s construction at every step of the journey and to browse additional options.
Find a Redrow new build development near you to find out more about the efficient homes available to view.
To the best of Redrow’s knowledge, everything in this guide is true at the time of writing. All descriptions, images and plans are illustrations, examples and/or approximations only and some processes listed may differ when buying a Redrow home, please speak with the sales team at your chosen development for more details. Redrow does not accept any liability or responsibility contractual or otherwise for any reliance on the information contained within the guide.