Approximately 25% of all energy used in the UK is used domestically so one of the best places for us to start being green is at home. Giving your house a green makeover or eco-refurb doesn’t always have to cost a lot or be complicated. This month’s five tips to create a green home are simple ideas that you can gradually put into practice to start helping the planet and your bank balance.

1. Reduce Energy Usage: Wasting energy is not just wasting environmental resources but also money. Within your home it is essential to look at ways of reducing energy use before tackling any other measures. A few easy ways to reduce energy consumption are: -

Turning your heating thermostat • down by 1oC will cut your heating bill by approximately 10% and typically could save £50 a year;

Draught proofing, 15% of heat • loss occurs through draughts so draught proofing window frames, doors, keyholes, letterboxes and floors will save energy;

Close the curtains at dusk • to reduce heat loss through windows;

If you have any unused rooms, • turn the radiators down to the lowest setting and bleed radiators regularly to ensure they are working at maximum efficiency;

Fit foil behind radiators to • reflect heat back into the room;

Don’t leave things on standby, • switching them off when not in use could save around £40 a year;

Is your water too hot? The • cylinder thermostat should be set at 60oC/140oF

The Chorlton Refurb website have lots more information and energy saving ideas: - www.chorltonrefurb.wordpress.com

2. Insulation, Insulation, Insulation: Are you warmer under a goose down quilt or a cotton sheet? Well, it’s the same for your house. Look to increase the ‘tog rating’ of your home by increasing the insulation to trap more warmth inside your house. This means less energy is

15 WAYS TO CREATE A GREEN HOME – PART 1In the first of three articles Mike Macpherson of ADC Architects Ltd offers some exciting tips on how to make your home greener and how to choose green when making home improvements.

needed to heat the house, less CO2 emissions, and money saved on bills. Typically over 50% of heat loss from houses is through the walls and loft, so they are the best place to start upgrading insulation. These days you can choose from a wide range of effective insulation products made from mineral wool, polystyrene, cellulose (recycled newspaper), multi-foil, or even natural sheep’s wool for those who suffer from allergies. The type of insulation will depend on your preference, your budget, and your health.

3. Low Energy Lighting: Change the bulb, change the bills! A low-energy bulb costing less than £2 can reduce your energy bill by £60-£100 over the bulb’s lifetime. How many lights do you have in your home? Installing dedicated low-energy light fittings (which only take energy-efficient bulbs) is the easiest way to reduce your electricity usage. This doesn't mean you have to compromise on style, as the shops now have great looking designs. LED fittings can also be installed to save money.

4. Buy A-Rated Appliances: Our home appliances – fridges, freezers, washing machines, dryers, kettles and dishwashers - use large amounts of energy, each costing around £25-£50 a

year to run. Simple measures can be taken to reduce the energy use of appliances. For example, whenever possible dry clothes outside rather than using a tumble dryer; don’t overfill the kettle, boil the right amount of water; keep your freezer well stocked for maximum efficiency. When buying new appliances, look at the EU energy label that all appliances now have to display. Choose A-rated products (or A++ for refrigeration), which consume up to 25% less energy and use less water. Also look out for the Energy Saving Recommended logo, which is awarded to only the most energy-efficient products, and also endorses products in categories where there isn’t a statutory EU energy label, such as televisions and boilers.

5. Use less water: The average household uses 175,000 litres of water each year or approximately 155 litres/person each day. We pay for that in our water bills. Considering that 35% of our total water use is flushed straight down the toilet this is an easy place to make changes to cut bills. Toilets use on average 61,000 litres of water/year - dual flush toilets are now fairly standard and if a low flush type toilet is used it reduces to 40,000 litres/year. If you are thinking of changing your bathroom fixtures choose a 4 litres per flush toilet.

Other ways to reduce your water consumption are to install reduced flow taps, aerated showerheads or flow regulators and take less baths in favour of showers. Outside in the garden a simple option is to install a water butt fitted to a rainwater pipe, the collected rainwater will keep your garden watered. A new home built in accordance with the Code for Sustainable homes has to achieve reduced water use of 105 litres/person per day. Existing homes should aim for this target too and try to save 25% on water consumption.

To follow up on the above tips and have a free home energy check, calculate your own carbon footprint & look at many more easy ways to save not only energy but money as well, visit the Energy Saving Trust website: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

Next month Tips 6-10 will make some more green suggestions for anyone considering home improvements.

Giving your house a green makeover or eco-refurb doesn’t always have to cost a lot or be complicated. This months tips 6-10 provide more ideas on green home improvements that help the planet and your bank balance.

6. Use Natural Paints and Finishes: Most paints, adhesives, sealants and finishes contain solvents which produce potentially harmful volatile organic compound emissions. All solvents, natural or synthetic, contain VOCs which are emitted when the solvent evaporates. Prolonged exposure has been linked to health problems including headaches, skin irritation, allergies and respiratory problems. Instead opt for natural paints and finishes such as beeswax based finishes for wood, low-VOC paints and sealants, and water-based formaldehyde-free adhesives. These may be a little more expensive than similar chemical-based products, but are well worth the cost to avoid toxic products. Look for the European Union Ecolabel, which helps consumers to spot products that are kinder to the environment. Details of the range of natural paints available can be found at the following manufacturers websites:-

www.auro.co.uk & www.farrow-ball.com

7. Use Natural & Renewable Flooring: Every year we send around 1.8 million tons of synthetic carpet to landfill and it takes thousands of years to biodegrade.

Fortunately, there are a quite a number of alternative natural and renewable flooring options available that have a low impact on the environment. You can buy ‘green’ carpet made from natural materials, such as sheep’s wool, coconut husks (coir), jute and sisal (plant fibres) or seagrass - and generally they are a similar cost to good-quality synthetic carpet. When installing the carpet opt for an underlay made from recycled materials.

Alternatively, choose a wood floor from a sustainably

managed forest. Bamboo is an especially sustainable material that is durable, naturally waterproof and often cheaper than hardwood flooring.

Linoleum is another alternative made from natural, renewable products. It does not fade, is antistatic and repels dust and dirt, which make it suitable for asthma and allergy suffers. It has a 30-year lifespan and is low maintenance and 100% biodegradable. For information and details on the huge range of colours and designs refer to:-

www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/For-Your-Home/Products/Linoleum

Other flooring options worth considering include durable cork, rubber, and recycled glass/ceramic tiles.

8. Use High-Quality, Sustainable Materials: Materials that require manufacturing use high levels of energy to produce, and often give out pollutants as a by-product. Use as many materials as possible that are from natural, sustainable sources - and are also highly durable with

15 WAYS TO CREATE A GREEN HOME – PART 2In the second of three articles Mike Macpherson of ADC Architects Ltd offers some exciting tips on how to make your home greener and how to choose green when making home improvements.

a long lifespan. When buying new timber (consider reclaimed timber first), make sure that it is from a sustainably managed forest and is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved or similar. Natural stone is another great building material as it will outlive you, and probably the house itself. Rather than use imported stone, a better alternative is to use locally bought new or reclaimed stone flooring, paving and roof slates.

It is almost impossible to avoid installing some manmade products, but if they’re built to last & never needing replacement, then they’re still a good compromise. Metal has a large carbon footprint, but it will last for many years - as will fired clay bricks and roof tiles. For further details & information on materials and green products visit the following website:

www.greenspec.co.uk

9. Use Local Labour and Materials: When carrying out your home improvement works look to source the materials needed as locally as possible - small, local suppliers can offer very competitive prices. If your refurbishment works include removing some elements of your home, recycle & reuse these

materials wherever possible.

Aside from less CO2 emissions in travel, local labour also has the advantage of being close to you, so trades people can come out quickly if there are any problems.

10. Improve Site Ecology: Wherever possible look to improve the bio-diversity of any outside or garden areas. If you have to remove any trees, plant more and re-use the old wood or burn it on a wood burning stove. If you remove the natural habitat of any birds or other animals, put in nesting boxes and feeders. Increase the range of plants and start a vegetable garden or install a small pond.

Reuse any soil you have dug up when landscaping the garden.

You don’t even need to have a garden to improve bio-diversity, providing a ‘living roof’ to a new extension can have a positive impact on local wildlife or even simply doing a DIY green roof on top of a shed. A good local example of a living roof that has improved biodiversity can be found at the Unicorn Grocery, visit the website for details:-

www.unicorn-grocery.co.uk/living_roof.php

Next month in the final article tips 11-15 will make some further green suggestions for anyone considering more extensive home improvement work.

15 WAYS TO CREATE A GREEN HOME – PART 3In the last of three articles Mike Macpherson of ADC Architects Ltd offers some exciting tips on how to make your home greener and how to choose green when making home improvements.

Giving your house a green makeover or eco-refurb will reduce our carbon dioxide emissions & play an important part in helping to prevent climate change. This months tips 11-15 are more extensive home improvement ideas to create a green home.

11. Install Green Heating: More than 60% of the energy we use at home is used for space heating and hot water. An A-rated high efficiency condensing boiler is a must for any eco refurbishment project. Regulations stipulate that boilers can now only be installed if they are A- or B-rated on the Government's SEDBUK rating scheme, which means that all boilers in the UK have to be at least 86% efficient - a rating that condensing boilers currently exceed. For a boiler efficiency database visit:- sedbuk.comInstead of a traditional radiator-based heating system, another option is a warm water underfloor heating system, which is more energy efficient and more responsive in warming up the house quicker. Because the floor itself has a much larger surface area than standard radiators, the water can be heated to a lower temperature. An underfloor heating system costs around the same as a high quality radiator system but running costs can be between 10-30% cheaper. For those who want underfloor heating in just one or two rooms, an electric mat system might be better suited. For winter months, wood burning stoves are great room heaters. They are airtight

& more efficient than an open fire and wood is a carbon neutral fuel - logs are also a cheap form of fuel.

12. Use Renewable Energy: A large percentage of a home’s energy needs could be met through renewable energy technologies and you can save money on your energy bills by making use of solar panels, heat pumps and, to a lesser extent, wind turbines (which only work on sites with a good wind speed). The downside is that the payback periods on the initial investment can be long, although the recently introduced Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) and Renewable Heat Incentives (RHis) should reduce payback periods (even with a reduced the rate of FiTs due from December 2011). If you are considering which renewable technology is the best option for you, the Energy Saving Trust website has a renewable energy selector www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/renewableselector/start/ which offers advice on what’s most appropriate for your home & its location.

The main renewable energy options to consider are as follows:-Solar Panels Generally there are two types of Solar panels, Solar photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal with Solar PV producing renewable electricity and Solar Thermal producing renewable heat for hot water. The specification of Solar thermal roof panels for hot water heating is generally a more cost effective solution, particularly on a South facing roof. Expect solar thermal panels to provide around 60% of annual hot water requirements, with installation costs around £2-3,000. Solar PV systems have a typical installation cost of around £1,000/sqm with the amount of electricity produced being around 100kWh/sqm/annum. There are many PV systems on the market, including versions that are integrated with roof tiles which avoids having a separate panel on top of a new roof.Heat Pumps Heat pumps are great for supplying underfloor heating but cost around £6-10,000 to install. In terms of efficiency, a ground-source heat pump is likely to have a higher coefficient of performance (COP) than an air-source pump, owing to the consistent temperature below ground (usually 10- 12°C) rather than the air (which varies with the seasons).Other Renewables Two other location dependent renewables are wind turbines and hydro power. If you’re interested in either option, you will need to commission a specialist site

survey to establish the viability of the resource.

13. Change Windows: Older homes will benefit from new windows and they can have a huge impact on the comfort levels of your home. There are two main factors that play a part; the window frame and the glazing. In terms of thermal performance there is little difference between PVCu and timber frame windows, with aluminium being slightly less efficient. PVCu has received a bad environmental press and timber frame windows are generally preferable. However, there is an argument that as PVCu windows can be recycled many times, they might be a more sustainable option than initially assumed..When it comes to glazing, there’s the option of either double or triple glazing with glass coatings available which

make glazing more efficient. Low emission (low-e) glass has an invisible thin coating of metal oxide, which allows the sun’s heat and light to pass through the glass, but also blocks heat from leaving the room. This reduces heat loss through windows by around 30%.

14. Ventilate Properly: Mechanical ventilation has become a necessity in our homes, but it can actually be a really energy-efficient way of both ventilating and heating, as well as providing a very pleasant living environment. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) is quiet, provides filtered air (helping asthma and hayfever sufferers). It will extract the moist, stale air from bathrooms and kitchens to a heat-recovery unit (usually situated in the loft), and pass it through a heat exchanger to recover around 65-70% of the

heat that is usually lost in a standard ventilation system.There are also options to ‘passively’ ventilate your home, meaning it requires no energy at all; with either a pressure system or whole house passive stack system.

15. Recycle Materials & Use Recycled Materials: The average house uses around 164 tonnes of new building material in its construction. On average 13% of this new material will be wasted – 21 tonnes of waste & off-cuts that goes straight to landfill. To avoid waste, sort out unused building materials and make sure they are used by others. There are companies who will collect such materials, a good example is a local community timber recyling business Timber Recyling in Manchester (TriM); for information visit the website www.timberrecycling.org When carrying out your home improvements, use as many reclaimed materials as possible— this could be anything from recycled aggregate through to decorative finishes.