Romans 'were first to invent the eco-friendly house'
...Now archaeologists say the Romans were also the pioneers of the eco-friendly home.
A study by Oxford University researcher found that a typical Roman Villa built 2,000 years ago has environmental features that many greens would die for.
The academics, from the Institute of Archaeology, compared the attributes of a Roman villa and a 1930s semi - the most common form of housing in the UK.
While the typical British semi has radiators placed underneath windows to warm rooms, the Romans relied on efficient underfloor heating to keep their homes warm.
Modern homes use high quality drinking water - processed at huge expense - to flush their lavatories and wash their clothes. The Romans, in contrast, kept drinking and bathing water separate - using aquifers to bring spring water into towns, but relying on cisterns to collect rain water for bathing.
The Romans were also more careful about using recycled materials for building....
Read entire article at Daily Mail (UK)
A study by Oxford University researcher found that a typical Roman Villa built 2,000 years ago has environmental features that many greens would die for.
The academics, from the Institute of Archaeology, compared the attributes of a Roman villa and a 1930s semi - the most common form of housing in the UK.
While the typical British semi has radiators placed underneath windows to warm rooms, the Romans relied on efficient underfloor heating to keep their homes warm.
Modern homes use high quality drinking water - processed at huge expense - to flush their lavatories and wash their clothes. The Romans, in contrast, kept drinking and bathing water separate - using aquifers to bring spring water into towns, but relying on cisterns to collect rain water for bathing.
The Romans were also more careful about using recycled materials for building....