The Clean energy for EU islands secretariat is delighted to highlight the innovative practices in energy-efficient buildings in Sint Maarten, as shared by local experts. These practices exemplify resilience in natural disasters and set a benchmark for sustainable construction.
Sint Maarten has faced severe hurricanes and has embraced best practices in constructing resilient homes. These strategies were developed with various types of homeowners in mind, including those in social housing, the middle class, and the upper class. The focus is on creating durable, cost-efficient, environmentally safe, and energy-efficient homes.
Key aspects of the home design include:
- Efficient Home Design Concepts: Homes are designed with a future-proofing approach, ensuring a lifetime guarantee. Incorporating a cistern or water tank in the home design to catch rainwater to reuse for flushing of toilets and washing clothes.
- Cost-Efficient and Durable Construction Materials: The materials used (ICF) are chosen for their durability, noise reduction capabilities, essential insulation, and resilience to extreme weather conditions like hurricanes and heat waves.
- Environmental Safety: The designs aim to improve health and well-being while reducing the carbon footprint.
- Energy Efficiency (SMART Homes): Insulation is a big one as the homes are constructed with a high R-value material, ICF for walls, floors and roof. These homes reduce electricity bills through innovative solutions like using the roof as a water heater. By installing HOT water lines in the concrete roof and painting the roof black, the roof heats the water using solar energy, providing a cost-free hot water solution.
For a detailed look at some of these innovative homes, visit the links below:
These best practices and lessons learned from rebuilding after hurricanes position Sint Maarten as an example of energy-efficient and resilient home construction. The Clean energy for EU islands secretariat is proud to share these insights, hoping they inspire similar initiatives across other EU islands.
Together, we can build a sustainable future, one resilient home at a time.