France leads green race
The upshot of the environmental legislation is some of the lowest carbon emission homes in Europe. (Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands are also particularly strident in ensuring new homes meet minimum thermal emission standards. The UK is playing catchup.) A new development just released on to the market – Annecy-le-Vieux, a five-minute walk from the Centre of the lakeside town of Annecy in the Haute Savoie region – promises to take insulation values to a new level.The developer, MGM, says that for the past 20 years it has insulated the external walls of the homes it builds – despite the fact that, in France, this became a legal requirement only last year – and the levels of both thermal and acoustic insulation [in its properties] exceed the standards demanded by French building standards.
Nathalie Turchet, MGM’s London-based UK sales manager said: "Annecy-le-Vieux will be a state-of-the-art development in terms of sustainability and fuel economy.”
Particularly commendable is the company's investment in geothermal heat pumps to utilise energy from beneath the earth to heat the homes. Other eco-features being adopted include flow regulators on taps to conserve water use, and lighting activated by movement detector and low-energy light bulbs in communal areas. The latter initaitve at least is a no brainer, surely, in this day and age.
MGM are far from being alone in France in their adoption of environmental principles. Other developers in France have taken sustainability issues to a higher level. Check out P&V's commendable Bois de Harcholins resort in Eastern France http://www.whatgreenhome.com/western_europe_page3.html#harcholins, or the excellent Lodge St Germain in the Languedoc at http://www.whatgreenhome.com/western_europe_page1.html#lodgestgermain, or particularly apt as we head into the ski season, Le Clos de la Croix Blanche in Chamonix at http://www.whatgreenhome.com/western_europe_page3.html#croixblanche