Rich reject 80s opulence and go green

Rich people no longer want their homes to flaunt their wealth Dallas-style but to reflect their concerns for the environment, experts said yesterday.

Money-saving devices such as solar panels and rainwater harvesters are now de rigeur on new houses for millionaires, in an age when conspicuous consumption, epitomised in the ’80s with the Ewings’ family mansion Southfork, has lost its appeal for the wealthy.

One architect says this is not just a passing fad and believes the richest people are just as concerned about the Earth’s future as the rest of us – but can afford the equipment to make their homes more sustainable. E

ven US president George W Bush – reviled by the green movement for his refusal to implement the Kyoto agreement on climate change – has a suite of green devices at his Texan ranch, where the house was designed to maximise the warmth obtained from the winter sun. Heat from underground is brought into the house using water pumped around a circuit, and a water harvester recycles waste water and rainwater.