Archive for November, 2009
Havant council have become the second council in Hampshire to sign up to the government’s 10:10 campaign to cut their carbon emissions by 10% by 2010.
The campaign has already seen a number of individuals, organizations, businesses and celebrities sign up, including actor Colin Firth and DJ Sara Cox. Large organizations including Royal Mail and o2 have also signed up.
Local councillor, David Guest, has stated that the council will ‘work hard to reduce our carbon footprint’.
The council will be publishing a sustainability action plan after having worked with the Energy Savings Trust.
Changes including installing a water meter, buying A rated appliances, changing energy suppliers and insulating the home. Guest has also claimed that simple measures such as turning down the thermostat are also effective.
The co-ordinator of the Hampshire section of Friends of the Earth, Ray Cobbett, stated that the sign up is largely symbolic. However, the fact that 10:10 has gained support from around the country sends a hugely important message before the climate change conference for the United Nations in Copenhagen next month.
To find out more about the 10:10 campaign simply visit 1010uk.org.
If you would like to do your own part towards reducing your commissions by ten percent then your home is a great place to start. Double glazing dramatically reduces the heat lost by your windows, and making small changes like using energy saving light bulbs and switching off unused appliances.
A long anticipated £320,000 refurbishment of Alfrick’s Village hall has finally begun after months of delays.
The project means that one side of the hall will be completely replaced with a new foyer, toilet, meeting rooms and changing rooms. It will also go towards refurbishing the main hall and the kitchens.
These changes are designed to help make sure that the hall is usable by a greater proportion of the local community, with more events taking place at the same time.
Peace Memorial Hall committee member Richard Steele has said that ‘we’re delighted and relieved that [the work] is starting now’, and that it will help to solve the problem of currently only being able to cater for one function at a time.
Steele also stated that there were environmental considerations for the changes. They will help to improve energy efficiency by installing double glazing and a new heating system.
All of these changes have been made possible thanks to the Big Lottery Fund and money from Severn Waste Environmental Fund. The committee also received a number of donations from local residents and charities.
Work was originally planned to take place in the spring. However, there were difficulties removing an electricity pole, which is why there have been such long delays.
The work now is said to take around 23 weeks to complete.
Now is the perfect time to take a look at home much energy your home is using – or wasting – now that winter is almost upon us. The truth is that just about all of our bills have been rising, which means we have to get creative when it comes to thinking about how we can save some money.
No matter how often you turn on the heating, the chances are that the heat from your home is being wasted through your windows and walls. We will lose around 50% of all the heat in our homes, mainly through these two key areas.
The Energy Saving Trust has said that insulating our homes should be on our agendas this year. With more and more energy targets being set by the government, it’s time to make sure that our homes produce as little carbon as possible.
When you insulate your walls it can cost about £250 to get the work done, but this can save about half that amount a year on energy bills – so the work will pay for itself within a couple of years.
You should also consider energy efficient measures such as installing double glazing and insulating the floor.
There are also a number of cheaper ways to keep heat in the home, including draft proofing, closing the curtains to keep heat in, controlling radiators individually to only heat the rooms you are using and more.
A new affordable homes scheme has recently been launched in the Willesden and Brent borough.
Granville New Homes was unveiled by Brent Housing Partnership on Tuesday, based in the south Kilburn area and containing 110 affordable homes and intermediate letting. The properties range from one-bedroom apartments to maisonettes with four bedrooms.
The scheme is part of £1bn regeneration for the area – it comes as a partnership between South Kilburn Partnership and Brent Council.
A resident of Granville New Homes, Hannah Sayce, stated that “it has been an excellent experience” and that “the quality of the homes is second to none”.
The properties also include communal features such as gardens and a youth group, as well as being located in a location nearby to local shops.
Brent Housing Partnership are the landlords for tenants moving into these homes, rather than the council. The chief executive of Brent Housing Partnership, Helen Evens, stated that it shows potential of how the organisations can work together “to deliver much-needed regeneration to South Kilburn”.
All of the properties also come with a number of eco friendly, sustainable features including solar panels, green roofs, low power lights, insulation, double glazing and more. There are also water and refuse recycling facilities on site, and community services for all ages within the community.
If you’re looking for a unique way to extend your home then you might want to take a look at the designs by Huddersfield man Ben Lord, who has created eco ‘pods’ that don’t even usually require planning permission.
These pods are priced between £17,000 and £26,000, and are timber framed, including heating, electricity and plumbing inside.
Ben said that he came up with the idea after watching his friend build prefabricated buildings. He said that they can come with a grass roof to fit with outdoor spaces.
Ben sees these as the perfect place to work at home or study, without having to add a costly extension to the home.
The pod is delivered fully assembled, with a choice of three different sizes. They include energy efficient measures like double glazing and damp-proofing. They are very well insulated to ensure that heat is kept in. They are also made to look great and bring a modern addition to any home.
If they don’t take up more than half of the space in your garden then you won’t need planning permission, unless you live in a conservation area or listed building.
So far, only two of these pods have been sold. Some of the eco friendly materials include sustainable wood from managed sources, energy efficient double glazed windows, and natural rubber flooring.
Of course, if you’re interested in a more traditional eco addition to the home, you might consider a double glazed conservatory!
Over 3,000 families in Rochdale have enjoyed improvements to their home as a result of a government scheme that aims to revive the housing market.
Various home improvement measures were included as part of the scheme, including new double glazing in windows, wall insulation and the fitting of more energy efficient boilers.
The programme is known as Housing Market Renewal (HMR). It has, so far, spent £184 million on the Rochdale scheme. One of the main aims was to make houses more eco-friendly, which is why measures like double glazing were seen as crucial to improving the energy efficiency of buildings.
The project for Rochdale/ Oldham started in 2004. However, the HMR scheme itself was setup in 2002 to help tackle the failure of the housing market after prices were collapsing. HMR works with areas that have become less popular places to live.
Ian Austin, Housing Minister, said that ‘a range of imaginative regeneration projects have already taken place’ helping to revive neglected areas. The houses were modernised through a wide range of measures, including double glazing as well as refurbishing garden areas – making the homes more comfortable places to live.
Since the scheme started, there have been more than 3,000 refurbished homes, as well as 323 new builds. 800 properties have been demolished.
Ministers state that the scheme has made significant progress, though work still remains to be done.
The Camden Council has recently committed to spending an extra 1.15million on an insulation programme for private sector homes. This will help to ensure residents in the area save hundreds of pounds on their fuel bills.
The funding will provide up to 100 per cent grants to leaseholders and freeholders in blocks of flats, to be used on installing uPVC windows and cavity wall insulation.
In addition, the council also has a warmer, cheaper, greener program which is available to all residents. This program provides a number of grants to help make sure homes are more energy efficient, and that residents can cut down their carbon footprints. Double glazing is hugely popular in this scheme.
Changing windows and insulating homes is a great way to reduce carbon emissions as well as to save money on heating bills.
Executive Member for Environment for Camden Council, Chris Knight, stated that ‘Camden is committed to tackling climate change’ in a way that can also help it become affordable to local residents.
He added that making simple changes to properties, such as fitting insulation of uPVC windows, ‘play a huge role in protecting the environment, as well as saving money on energy bills’.
Knight encourages any interested homeowners to get in touch to get the support needed to go green in their home. Last year, 164 energy efficient measures were carried out as a result of council help, worth £138,559.
A new affordable, energy efficient housing scheme has recently been opened by MP John Howell in the Henley area.
The homes have been specially designed to be fitted with eco-friendly measures including uPVC windows and insulation. There are a total of 29 affordable homes, some of which are rented, and some are sold in a partnership scheme with Soha.
Mr Howell stated that there are many people ‘urgently looking for homes in Henley’ and that this new scheme should be celebrated.
Howell added that the economic climate means that fewer new homes are being developed, which is what makes this scheme ‘brilliant’. The impact on the town will be considerable, especially since the project makes use of a number of eco friendly measures, such as double glazing.
Cabinet member for housing at South Oxfordshire District Council, Dorothy Brown, stated that the council is prioritising energy efficient housing, and that this new development is a great step considering there is currently a shortage of eco friendly homes.
The shortage of land in the area means that ‘innovative’ methods of building homes that are still eco friendly are welcomed, according to Brown.
Elizabeth Hodgkin, the Mayor of Henley, also commented, stating that the scheme was great for helping out younger people who need a place to live. It also means that the council can promote more energy efficient techniques, using the latest available technologies.
A man recently applied to build a wind turbine for his home in West Ashling, and was met by criticism from locals in the area.
However, he replied by saying ‘I’m just trying to do my bit’.
The residents were unhappy about the new plans for the turbine to be build 150m south of West Ashling Mill, stating that it would reduce the view of the landscape.
However, the owner of the mill, Guy Hodgkin, states that he wants to turbine to be built in order to do his part for the environment. The turbine would be 24.8m high, helping to reduce electricity costs.
Hodgkin claims that he hasn’t done much to take care of his carbon footprint, which is why he wants the turbine as a way to make sure he’s doing his bit.
Hodgkin already stated that it wouldn’t be put back up on top of the mill, in order to avoid it being visible to everyone around. Instead, it will be placed in such a position that it won’t be visible to most people around the area on Mill Road.
Residents have suggested that he build a water turbine on the stream he has on his land, however, Hodgkin claims this isn’t cost effective. A water turbine would cost around £10,000 to run, and the electricity generator would take years to pay back. It would also mean working with river authorities to ensure fish had a route to get upstream.
Hodgkin also stated that he’d like to make use of other energy-efficient measures, such as double glazing, but isn’t able to due to his home being Grade II listed.
Google has recently announced that it’s becoming more ‘green’ by giving its customers a way to monitor how much energy they use every day, in real time.
However, experts are emphasising the fact that this should just be a part of the ways you go green, alongside a number of other measures which can help you to save money at the same time as helping the environment.
Google’s service is designed to help you realise how much energy your household is consuming at all times, which should be enough to give people a wakeup call.
Many people don’t realise just how much energy is being wasted through areas such as the windows. In order to see a difference, it’s important to make long term changes that will continue to save money for years to come.
For example, installing double glazing in the windows and doors throughout your home can help you to save an average of around £135 each year (according to the Energy Saving Trust), especially when you use energy efficient glass and experienced suppliers to carry out the work.
We are constantly being told of the latest rises in energy prices, which is why every little helps to keep our own costs low.
As an example, the Green Party recently installed double glazing in its office headquarters which has led to massive reductions in carbon emissions – something that we should all be doing if we want to do our part. The good news about double glazing is that it will continue to pay off for years to come.
