Green Issues and Energy Efficien

Green Issues and Energy Efficiency

This article was written and distributed by the Federation of Master Builders, the building industry's largest trade organisation, representing over 13,000 small and medium-sized companies throughout the UK. If you'd like to know more about the FMB, or would like to find a reputable builder, try the Find a Builder web site at: http://www.findabuilder.co.uk.

How to reduce energy wastage

The average household in the UK wastes an incredible £250 per year by not being energy efficient. Insulation and glazing are two key areas where heat loss is greatest: • Nearly 50% of all heat lost in the average home is through the loft space and walls. • More heat is lost through walls than any other route - approximately 33 per cent in an uninsulated home. • Around 20% of the heat in the average home is lost through ventilation and draughts, • Around 20% of heat lost from a home is through poorly insulated window frames and single glazing. Energy efficiency applies as much to older homes as it does to new homes. From next year it will be as important to update the energy efficiency of your old home, as it will be to ensure your new house conforms to Building Regulations on energy saving. The advantage of a new build is that every measure can be taken to improve the energy efficiency of the house. One energy efficient homeowner Rob Ralph, from Herefordshire, said “Most homeowners think it is far more expensive to do an environmentally friendly build than a conventional one – they are wrong. The basics – correct north:south orientation of the house, with larger windows on the south side and the smallest possible windows on the north, extra insulation and good glazing - require planning and thought, but not too much more money.” The new ‘Part L’ Building Regulations are expected to require enhanced insulation – from lofts, to cavity walls to double glazing, as well as require that all new and replacement boilers are condensing boilers. However, grants and offers will be available from the government, energy suppliers and local council to ease the cost of those improving heating and installing energy efficiency measures. This covers items such as loft insulation and solar panels. Contact the Energy Saving Trust for more details (www.saveenergy.co.uk). There are many simple ways of improving the energy efficiency of your home. Here are some tips. Walls, roofs windows and doors • Cavity wall insulation is one of the most cost-effective energy efficiency measures you can take in your home. By installing cavity wall insulation you can reduce heat loss through the wall by around 60% and reduce heating bills by £100 - £120. • Simply by insulating your loft to the recommended depth of 270mm (10 inches), you can save over a third of your heating costs. • Installing double glazing can reduce heat loss through windows by half. If you can't afford to replace all your windows, choose the rooms that cost the most to heat. • Most houses lose 25% of their heat through the windows . Installing low-emission glass (Low-E) allows the sun's heat and light to pass through the glass into the building, but blocks heat from leaving the room, thereby considerably reducing heat loss. • Invest in draught excluders for doors, windows and letterboxes opening onto the outside. Close curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping. Heating and hot water • Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are simply panels fitted to roofs which convert natural light into electricity. They can save households up to half of their annual electricity needs, representing an average saving of £100 a year on electricity bills. There are grants available to install these. • Solar hot water panels, fitted onto the roof, can provide 60% - 70% of a home’s annual hot water needs. There are grants available to install these. • Heating and hot water account for about 60% of the average fuel bill. If your boiler is older than 15 years, it should be replaced. By installing a high efficiency condensing boiler, you will save around a third on your bills. • By upgrading your heating controls and timers, you will improve the efficiency of any central heating system and cut your energy wastage and costs by up to 17%. • An insulating jacket for a hot water tank will keep water hot for longer and can reduce heat loss by up to 75% - a cash saving of up to £15 per year. • Insulating hot water pipes will reduce your fuel bills by £5 a year. • Reducing your heating thermostat by 1 degree Centigrade can cut 10% off bills. • Setting the hot water thermostat at 60 degrees Centigrade or 140 degrees Fahrenheit reduces wastage. Lighting • Lighting accounts for 10 to 15% of the electricity bill. • Buying energy efficient light bulbs rather than the alternatives, can cut wastage by over three quarters – that’s a saving of up to £7 a year for a typical 100W bulb. Appliances • Try to buy ‘Energy Efficiency’ recommended appliances. An energy efficienct washing machine uses 30% - 40% less energy than an older model. • Using a 40C cycle rather than 60C means you use a third less electricity. • An energy efficient fridge freezer uses nearly a third of the energy of a 10-year-old appliance – that’s a saving of up to £35 per year. Useful Links: Big Green Boiler Scheme: http://www.green-boilers.com Energy Saving Trust: http://www.est.org.uk/myhome Green Electricity Marketplace: http://www.greenelectricity.org www.energywatch.org.uk

Green Building and Home Improvement
By: Robert Barton

When building a new home, adding on an extension or even just a simple remodel within your home, you should always consider your local environment to maximize the efficiency of every aspect of your project.

There are four main areas that need to be focused on when planning your building project. They include:

- water
- energy
- building materials

Each of these areas contain specific products and methods that can really benefit your home lifestyle and increase the capital on your house to.

The first area to cover is water, which may or may not be relevant to your project. However, where ever there is plumbing or an outside wall where gutters can be fixed the optimal water conservation methods should be utilized where possible. There are many interior products that can really help to reduce water wastage and improve efficiency which include:

- water saving taps
- water efficient showerheads
- composting toilets
- water diverters (diverters which hold the water while the hot water reaches your tap to save wasting all that water whilst waiting for the hot water to arrive)

Furthermore, by installing a Greywater system you can use all the water that usually runs down your drain, on your garden or lawn.

For the exterior, high quality gutters and water storage devices such as water tanks are ideal for harvesting hundreds of litres of water that can be used for a variety of applications.

A strong water budget mixed with an overall highly efficient water system can save you heaps of money on water bills and reduce the impact on your local catchment system.

The second part of this article focuses on energy. Most people immediately think solar and then think "I can't afford it!" but there is much more that can be done to improve the efficiency of the energy usage in your home.

If you are doing large scale renovations, the position of your home / room in regards to sun direction is vitally important. A north-south facing house is much more energy efficient in terms of temperature control as the sun has less direct focus on the rooms.

Many different products exist to generate energy or improve the energy usage and overall efficiency of your home. Some of these include:

- a solar panel system, either stand alone, grid connect or hybrid with wind turbines to generate electricity
- high quality insulation, including batts and foil boards
- solar hot water systems
- ventilation and extraction fans
- energy efficient appliances and white goods
- lighting, including CFL's (compact fluorescent lamp)
- hydronic heating
- air conditioners with inverter technology

All of these products will either generate free electricity, use much less energy than other products on the market, or control the temperature of your home to save on running costs to maintain comfort.

Building materials is another important consideration when starting your project. Many materials have good qualities, while others can contain harmful chemicals which can be dangerous for your health. Knowing all these risks is almost impossible, but there are certain things to look for when making these decisions.

- Use as much untreated materials as possible. Most treated materials use very harsh chemicals which contain volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and formaldehyde. Over time, these compounds break down and become part of your indoor breathing space.
- These VOC's can also be found in conventional paints and finishes. Always ask your supplier for brands which use little or no VOC's in their products.
- Concrete that contains high levels of flyash are much better for the environment and lower the use of the toxic concrete powder in construction
- Conventional termite control utilizes the harshest of all chemicals and can be extremely carcinogenic. However, there are many new products that can remove termite problems without the use of harmful chemicals. Always ask your provider about their environmental policy and research the chemical they use
- Many insulation companies still use the resin based fiberglass insulation which contains high levels of formaldehyde and are damaging to your health. Look for insulation that is glass wool or made from cellulose fibre is your best bet for your families health and the environments.
- Double glazed windows and the utilization of roller shutters and blinds is the best way to reduce heat build up within your home.
- Strawbale and compressed earth homes are becoming more and more popular due to their constant interior comfort levels, and no they don't look like "mud huts", in fact, they are fast becoming a distinguished and stylish home design
- Finally, cabinets and draws often use the cheap particle board over the solid wood varieties to save money. However, the particle board contains formaldehyde to bind the particles together.

Building and home improvement can be very satisfying when the job is complete. However, it becomes even better if taking into consideration these factors mentioned above to make your home comfortable all year round for you and your family.

Author Bio
Environmental Scientist, Rob Barton author of "The Sustainable Path" showcases sustainable products and services at www.onlife.com.au

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Which Material Should I Use To Insulate My Loft?
by: Alex Perry

Insulating your loft is one of the best ways that you can save on energy and heating bills, and reduce your personal contribution to Climate Change. However, there are a bewildering range of materials that you can choose from. The following article tells you what you should think about when choosing between different materials, and how some of the most popular materials stack up against each other.

In the UK hundreds of thousands of people are insulating their homes each year to cut their energy use. One of the most important parts of the house to insulate is the loft, where the average home can lose up to 25% of its heat. If you insulate your loft well, you can save over a tonne of CO2 each year, and around £110 a year off your heating bill, according to the energy saving trust. With such savings, insulating your loft can pay back the investment required in under 2 years.

There are many different materials to choose from when thinking about insulating your loft. The most popular type of material is mineral wool, which as the name suggests is derived from naturally occurring minerals. Popular brands include ‘Rockwool’. A similar option is glass wool, which is made from recycled glass and sand that are heated and spun into fibres. Popular brands include ‘Knauf’ and ‘Space Blanket’.

You can also use organically derived materials to insulate your loft. An increasingly popular choice is sheep’s wool, which comes in slabs made of fleece offcuts which are treated to make them fire resistant and insect-proof. ‘Thermafleece’ is an established brand. Other options include board from compressed wood waste, material made from recycled and scrap cotton, flax (brands include ‘Isovlas’), rolls or slabs of hemp (brands include ‘Thermo hemp’), and finally cellulose / paper (brands include ‘Excel Warmcel’ and ‘Homatherm’).

With so many options, how should you choose? There are a number of different things you may want to take into consideration:

1. Insulation performance: this is measured by the material’s ‘U value’, which is a measurement of how fast the material conducts heat (or cold)

2. Cost: in £s per square metre and

3. Qualification for government subsidies: in the UK, most people can get large government grants that cover much of the cost of insulating their home, but only when using certain materials

4. Renewable source material: is it made from material that will grow back?

5. Embodied energy: how much energy has been used to produce and transport the material?

6. Ease of disposal: is it biodegradable or recyclable?

7. Other considerations, such as its ability to deal with moisture, and also how easy and safe it is to install

All the materials listed above have similar insulation performance, with materials like paper and wood performing slightly better than mineral wool. Sheep’s wool is supposed to be particularly effective at keeping buildings cool in summer, because it releases moisture to keep cool. This can reduce peak temperatures by up to 7 degrees centigrade when compared to other materials.

The prices of these materials are also very similar, with the exception of wood, which can be double the price of the others. Therefore in terms of straight performance and cost, there is not much to distinguish the different materials.

However, in the UK, mineral or glass wool is the only material offered under the various different government grant and discount schemes. Under these schemes you can get your loft insulated by a professional contractor at a heavily discounted price, which often actually makes it cheaper than DIY. Provided your building is suitable, everyone can qualify for these discount schemes in the UK, and so for most people their choice of material is bound up with accessing these grants and using a professional contractor.

For those determined to go the DIY route, there are some other considerations that can help you decide on one material versus another. For example you may be concerned about what happens to the material at the end of its life. Glass wool is the hardest to dispose of, being neither recyclable or biodegradable. Mineral wool is recyclable but not biodegradable. All the organic materials mentioned above are the easiest to get rid of, being both recyclable and biodegradable.

Another consideration is the amount of energy used in the material’s manufacture. Glass wool is again the worst performer here, compared to all the other materials. You might also be concerned whether the material is made from renewable resources: all the organically derived materials are, but mineral wool and glass wool are not.

Finally you may also want to think about other considerations, such as ease of installation, what happens if it is burnt, and ability to deal with moisture. For example, glass wool causes irritation when it comes into contact with skin (as does mineral wool), releases toxic smoke if burned, and does not perform well when wet. By contrast sheep’s wool insulation can be installed without gloves or protective clothing, is not irritating to the skin, and will naturally help prevent condensation.

To sum up, the option that most people will find attractive is to install mineral or glass wool using a professional contractor, so that they are able to access government grants, and make sure the job is done properly. However, those going the DIY route should consider the benefits of one of the organically derived options, such as sheep’s wool.

About The Author Alex Perry is a founder of http://www.downwithco2.co.uk a site dedicated to making it easy for people to save energy and cut their personal contribution to Climate Change by giving them information and putting them in touch with companies that can help.

Save Water

This article was written by Dan B - http://www.robuild.co.uk

Most people fix dripping taps as a matter of urgency. Economy is one reason,
professionals usually charge a lot for their time that a householder may
save a considerable amount of money by doing the job themselves. The second
reason might be the thought of having to find a good plumber, then having a
complete stranger in their homes. Beyond that chore, plumbing is generally
left to plumbers. But, does the plumbing industry deliver the goods?
Recently, there has been a revolution in plumbing techniques and
requirements. Water supplies are under constantly increasing demand, and
care and economy has become essential.

Having a carefully planned plumbing system, every household can enjoy the
many convinces it offers and at the same time can keep its water consumption
down.

-Repairing a dripping tap while it is still in the drop-by-drop stage saves
an amazing quantity of water- a slow trickle wastes a bathful of water a
day, and a steady stream wastes enough water to meet all the family's daily
needs.

-Repairing a faulty float valve in a W.C cisterns will prevent an incessant
overflow that can be irritating to hear as well as extremely wasteful of
water.

-Replacing an old W.C cistern with a new pan and a cistern designated to
save water can reduce water consumption by many litres a day. The double
flushing type makes it possible to choose whet ever to use all or only half
of the water in the cistern.

-If you have a shower fitted, you can use a fraction of the hot water
required for a bath, giving savings both in water consumption and in fuel
required for heating

-During winter, turn down the heating just a few degrees and just put a
jumper on, happy in the knowledge that you have done the right thing.

Please be aware that information found in any article is the opinion of it's author. Before embarking on any project, it is your responsibility and in your own interest to check the viability of any advice given. Diytips4u.co.uk are not responsible for any consequences of what you may read on this website.

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