The Tiny Home Revolution builds in Ireland
Land use for European homes has doubled in size since 1960. Resource demand for the construction sector is one of the highest energy sapping industries in operation today. Resources are only becoming more expensive as reserves are depleted leading to increased costs on the citizen. In 1960, the average family home was approximately 20 metres squared. In comparison, today’s homes are hitting 45 metres squared and are projected to increase further as we edge closer to 2030.
On reflection, how many rooms do you actually need for a comfortable life and to serve your basic needs? What if you could build a low-tech, financially friendly, energy efficient home without the excesses the 21st century has brought with it?
Through exchanges with European partners, Cork City Council learned about the tiny home concept, a solution not only reducing resource demand in construction but also employing a life of sufficiency. Building a tiny home that is designed to your basic needs, is functional, compact, lasts a lifetime and reduces resource demand substantially. Additionally, the home is energy efficient, easily transportable and suitable for sale once its need is satisfied. In Ireland, the tiny home concept is growing with multiple businesses now offering it as a cheaper and eco-friendly alternative to bigger homes.
Bigger buildings demand a higher share of resources. Each additional building material requires sourcing, manufacture, transport and install contributing to the resource use, energy demand, cost and the associated impacts on the environment. Climate change, biodiversity loss, extreme weather events and societal pressures are being felt worldwide because of the demand on natural resources.
Sufficiency, as defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a ‘set of measures and daily practices that avoid demand for energy, materials, land and water while delivering human wellbeing for all within planetary boundaries.’ The concept has a focus on employing low-tech solutions that are useful, durable and accessible to all. The Tiny Home concept, because of the reduced resource demand, long life cycle and financial accessibility for vulnerable groups facilitates a concise and attractive demonstration of the sufficiency concept.
As part of the FEEL project, ALOEN highlighted the good practice of the tiny home concept that has been employed previously in Lorient. The tiny home idea has been employed in France for student accommodation and solving the homeless crisis to ease the demand for land resources. In addition to residential solutions, the concept can be applied to caravan parks or tourism guesthouses allowing space for other more environmentally friendly uses.
Energy efficiency will not be enough to stave off catastrophic climate change. At the rate we are using resources and energy, temperatures will rise to over 3 degrees before the end of this century. Employing sufficiency now can ensure there is a future for Earth.
The FEEL Project is an Interreg Europe Project aiming to test and develop the sufficiency and Low-tech concept in eight European Countries. Through interregional learning and capacity building form our partner regions, the project will influence key decision makers to change policy instruments supporting the sufficiency concept ensuring an equal and just transition for all.