10 February 2026 Matt Green - Director of Architecture
Think about sustainable homes, and most people picture solar panels on the roof or high-tech heating systems.
But the real savings - both financially and environmentally - are determined by how well a home is designed and built to perform.
At Salmon Planning + Architecture, we specialise in low energy new build homes. We help self-builders and private clients create comfortable, future-proof homes with dramatically lower energy bills.
Better performance = lower energy bills.
A low energy home is designed to use far less power for heating, hot water and everyday living - without sacrificing comfort.
Key features include:
When all these elements work together, your home simply needs much less energy to remain comfortable.
One of the most important principles of sustainable architecture is 'fabric first' design.
Rather than relying on technology to fix inefficiencies, we focus on creating a highly insulated, airtight structure from the outset.
This means:
In many cases, a well-designed low energy home can use up to 70% less heating energy than a standard new build.
That’s a saving you'll feel every month.
Good energy performance isn’t just about insulation - it’s also about smart design.
We carefully consider:
By working with the site and the climate, we aim to make your home naturally stay warmer in winter and avoid overheating in summer - reducing reliance on heating and cooling systems.
Once energy demand is low, modern efficient systems become incredibly effective.
We often incorporate:
You will see that because the home performs so well, these systems are cheaper to run and deliver excellent comfort levels.
For self-builders and private clients, one of the biggest advantages of a high-performance home is long-term savings.
Benefits include:
✅ Much lower heating and electricity costs
✅ Protection against rising energy prices
✅ Comfortable temperatures all year-round
✅ Improved air quality
✅ Reduced carbon footprint
Many of our clients are amazed at how little it costs to heat their new homes - even during winter.
Every site is different. Whilst we are based in the South West where the climate, landscape and planning context need careful consideration we will advise you wherever you are in the UK. We have clients across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Bristol and Bath.
We design low energy homes that:
Sustainability isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution - it’s about thoughtful, site-specific design.
A well-designed low energy home isn’t just cheaper to run - it’s simply a nicer place to live with:
And the peace of mind that comes from knowing your home is built for the future.
If you’re planning a new home and want to reduce energy bills while creating a beautiful, comfortable space, we’d love to help.
If you are considering building a low energy home or the development potential of a site, Salmon Planning + Architecture are well placed to help with expert planning advice and in-house specialist architectural services.
With offices across the South West in Somerset and Devon, please do not hesitate to make contact with us.
5.0 rating of 17 reviews
We worked with Dan and Matt at Salmon Planning Company to secure planning permission for a double garage, workshop, and gym/yoga room. From start to finish, they were incredibly professional, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. Their advice on both the planning and design stages was excellent, and they made the whole process smooth and stress-free. Highly recommend their services!
Prompt, professional and client-focused. Would highly recommend Salmon Planning, thank you!
It has been a real pleasure working with Matt and the team at Salmon Planning + Architecture. Throughout the process they have been consistently professional, prompt to respond, and genuinely helpful at every stage. A great team to work with, which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
I was very pleased with the services and advice provided by Salmon Planning. I also thought the in-house architecture / drawing service worked well - saving costs, time and generally making things far more efficient. We managed to easily secure consent for something that I thought might be fraught with issues. Nigel is also very well informed on local / Somerset matters. Highly recommend!
The Salmon Planning Team assisted me with an assessment of development potential in the Conservation Area of a rural Oxfordshire village. The advice I received was extremely helpful both in its decisiveness and clarity and backed up by a very useful written report. I would be happy to recommend the company for those looking for a very experienced and professional planning-led team. I wish I had contacted a planning-led architectural firm first off rather than having expensive plans drawn up by an architect and then refused by the Local Authority! It would have been a much cheaper exercise.
I regularly contact Nigel Salmon for information and advice. He, and his colleagues, are always friendly and rapidly provide excellent advice and services. As a Chartered Surveyor myself, I appreciate the professionalism of this firm.
Excellent end-to-end experience and advice for our listed property in Brighton. Would highly recommend
I’ve been using Dan Foster and his team for over 2 years now on my property developments, the level of service, support, and professionalism of each member forever seems to impress! They have saved me many times, highlighting (potentially expensive) issues I had missed and always listen to my ideas and questions with great patience . I cannot recommend this company more highly , if you need reliable advice/designs from a team for your projects definitely give Salmon Planning a call. They will tell you everything in black and white and explain all you need to know regarding the complete planning process from start to finish.
Salmon Planning have secured planning permission for me for both holiday lodges and a new build pub and restaurant as well as for a new dwelling. The Salmon Planning team’s skill at handling complex planning applications and securing successful outcomes has been excellent. I would happily recommend their planning and architectural design teams.
I have found Salmon Planning to be a well-run, professional planning company who have always strived to go above and beyond to help their clients achieve their objectives.I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
Dan and the rest of his team at Salmon Planning were consumate professionals, dealing with every aspect of a sensitive, high profile, listed, town centre development, in a conservation area. Always available for every question I had … and I had a lot.I would, without a doubt ,call upon them for any future planning projects and would have no reservation whatsoever in recommending. Unquestionably 5 star - thank you.
Excellent all round service from Nigel and his knowledgeable and experienced team. I have recommended them to many people in the past and will continue to do so in the future as they listen, understand and work with clients to deliver achievable results.
I was extremely pleased by the service provided by Dan Foster at Salmon Planning Company. He provided advice in relation to securing planning approval for the conversion of a barn to a residential annexe, leading to a swift and successful outcome. His advice was timely, thorough and well reasoned and his effective communication with the planning authority led to an outcome which would not otherwise have been likely. The support provided proved to be money well spent.
We had the pleasure of working with Matt and Dan from Salmon planning recently. They dealt with our planning application for a wrap around kitchen extension from idea to submission. They listened and came up with very helpful input. They are a useful mix of knowledgeable, practical and creative. They made the process straightforward, seamless and enjoyable. They dealt with all the laborious paperwork and liaised with other relevant bodies, leaving us to just contribute to the ideas and design. They are both extremely amiable and a pleasure to deal with. The process was affordable and I feel I got great value for money. Use them, you will be pleased you did.
