Keep it small

There are twenty simple tips to green your home at the end of this story, but first, what is an eco home?

Strictly speaking its a house built to minimise negative impact on the plants, wildlife and human beings in the area. It is designed to suit the climate of the area and uses alternative forms of energy for it’s running and maintenance relying on sun, wind and biomass instead of the grid supply.”Ecological homes reuse and recycle most waste and used materials that are available very close to the site/area. It encourages local handicraft or art and harvests rain water and reuses most water that the building consumes. It is a home that takes the least from earth’s natural resources to build.

For example, a mud wall-based, thatch-roofed structure of a smallholder is the most sustainable, for it uses the least energy. He does not transport any material from any big distance by trucks that consume diesel, which is another precious fossil fuel that hurts the planet’s resources. In the urban context, using bricks is ‘not friendly’ since it uses precious topsoil that takes 1200 years to form one inch of it, naturally!

Bricks use energy at 400 deg C. And the energy used mostly comes from cutting forest wood or by using coal, both natural resources that are finite and therefore exhaustive or extractive.

So unless you start from scratch you will never live in a truly green home. But here are 20 ways to be greener right now.

1. Switch to low-energy lightbulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs use up to 80 per cent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last15 times longer.

2. Turning your thermostat down by 1 deg C can save up to 10 per cent on your annual heating bill.

3. Never leave your personal computer or monitor on when not in use - they burn a huge amount of energy.

4. Turn your television off at the wall when not in use. A television on standby is still using 80 per cent of its power.

5. Close your curtains when it starts getting dark to reduce the amount of heat escaping through your windows .

6. Air leakage wastes an enormous amount of thermal energy. Seal all leaky doors and windows.

7. Save water by putting a flush saver, or even a brick, in your loo cistern to reduce the amount of water used with each flush.

8. Replacing an ageing central heating boiler with a new condensing type could cut your heating bills by more than 20 per cent.

9. Your hot water does not need to be boiling, so make sure your cylinder thermostat is set at 60 deg C.

10. Next time you upgrade your fridge or freezer make sure you get an energy-efficient model. An “A++” rating denotes the best energy efficiency.

11. Urban water run-off from paths and patios can be stored in a sustainable drainage system which helps prevent flooding in main sewers and drains.

12. Use water butts to store rainwater for use in the garden. It can even be filtered and used in the house for flushing loos and in your washing machine.

13. “Grey water” from your bath and shower can also be filtered and re-used in the house or garden.

14. Solar hot water heating is one of the most cost-effective technologies available. Once installed, up to 70 per cent of your annual hot water requirement can be met by this technology.

15. Solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels generate electricity from sunlight. Although a whole-house system is an expensive option, small panels can be used efficiently to power certain appliances such as water pumps and lighting circuits.

16. If your windows need replacing, make sure you fit new double- or even triple- glazed units. Double glazing can cut heat loss through windows by up to 50 per cent.

17. A third of all building heat is lost through walls. Cavity wall insulation is easy and cheap and even solid walls can be insulated either indoors or outside.

18. Increasing the depth of your loft insulation to at least 20 cm could reduce heat lost through your roof by 25 per cent.

19. Use a compost bin and reduce the amount of kitchen rubbish you send to landfill.

20. Most metals, glass and plastics can be recycled and most local authorities have a collection scheme. Make sure that you
segregate and recycle all these materials.

There’s more
In the UK Householders can benefit from free loft and cavity wall insulation, benefits advice checks and energy efficiency advice. This helps to increase householders incomes while at the same time reducing their fuel bills and reducing harmful emissions.

There are literally thousands of homes losing vast amounts of heat through their walls, windows, floors or through their roof because of poor or non-existent insulation measures. Up to 25% of a home’s warmth can be lost through the roof and 35% through the walls if they are not properly insulated.

To find out what benefits you may be entitled to and how you can cut carbon emissions see www.warmzones.co.uk ”

Go Green at work

Carla Metcalf, environment officer at the Environment Agency, said:

“In recent years we’ve heard a lot about the kind of things we can do at home to be more environmentally friendly.

“That’s great, but why stop there? There are a lot of things we can do at work to be greener. In my office for example, I noticed that while a lot of people remember to switch off their computer at the end of each day, they often leave their monitor on. We now have posters reminding people to save energy by switching off the lights when they’ve finished working, along with their computer monitors and phone chargers.

“Being green doesn’t just mean saving energy. At work we have a number of ways of reducing how much waste we produce. I now recycle as much as I can as we have recycling bins for all sorts of things, from drinks cans to crisp packets. My office has an on-site composter so after lunch I can scrape any leftovers into a special bin to be composted. If your office is too small for a composter, why not try a wormery?

“Being green can also be fun. This month my team organised a team building event which involves cleaning up a local river bank. Not only does it make a difference to our surroundings it’s a good way of keeping fit and having a laugh.”

Save water

Alistair Baker, communications manager at Northumbrian Water, said:

“Although we have plenty of water in the North East that is no reason to waste it.

“Providing drinking water uses valuable natural resources-energy is needed to treat it and pump it round the pipe network. Chemicals are used to clean it, the more it is cleaned the more waste products and carbon dioxide are produced. The more water we take the less remains in the natural environment.

“Everyone can play their part by using water but not wasting it. Water is vital for health - so be generous with the water you drink, but wise with the water you use.

“There are lots of simple things which save water, like turning off the tap while brushing your teeth - that can save up to a 10-litre bucket full.

“Fix dripping taps - a tap that drips once a second can waste 13 litres a day. A new washer will save 4,750 litres of clean water a year, the same amount of waste water to be treated, and if it’s a hot tap, 4,750 litres worth of energy to heat it.

“An average bath uses 80 litres and an ordinary shower uses only 35 litres. Fit a Save-a-flush bag in old-style cisterns and save a litre every time.” Bags are free at www.nwl.co.uk

Get your kids involved

Involving the whole family in a greener lifestyle can be fun and with a little encouragement children will love becoming little eco warriors.

It can be really easy to get children involved. Once they know what to do and why, they will remind you to recycle, turn lights off, etc. Encourage children to turn off electrical appliances when they leave the room or are not using them. Show them your energy bills before they start to make their small changes, and then after, to show how much energy and consequently money you have saved by their actions.

Children really enjoy planting vegetable seeds, watering them and watching them grow - it’s also a really good way to get them to eat more healthy food. Even if you only have a small yard, some vegetables can be grown in pots, for example potatoes, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Encourage children to put recyclable items in your box, discuss what sorts of things can be made from the materials when they have been processed (eg aluminium cans go into cars, trains, planes). Make models with packaging materials, donate old toys to charity shops and use a library for books, CDs and DVDs.”