Turn your house into an Eco-home

Just how easy is it to turn your house into an eco-home?

The recent hype surrounding climate change should have made us realise that we each need to do something to encourage “greener living”. Whatever we do, it can range from a massive lifestyle change, such as changing our home energy source, to a small one, like recycling our rubbish. And in some cases, you can get government grants to help you pay for it!

Here, Mark Cooper, Managing Director of Homeimprovementquotes.co.uk, explains how simple it can be to become eco-friendly and reduce that all- important carbon footprint.

In his latest government policy Gordon Brown stressed that “we have a compelling and ever-more-urgent duty of stewardship to take care of the natural environment and resources”, and there are loads of incentives for “going green” - not just the obvious one of saving the planet!

Start from the outside and work your way in
By far the best way to reduce carbon emissions from your home is to insulate it. Good quality insulation can significantly reduce your energy wastage, saving not only the o-zone layer, but also your cash! Loft insulation alone can cut your energy bills by 20 per cent. Add to that cavity wall insulation, underfloor heating and draught-proofing and your energy bill could be halved!

There is no need to worry about the cost either. New government initiatives will pay 30 to 70 per cent of the cost of insulation – up to a maximum of £2700 – as part of their bill to save energy. This could rise to 100 per cent for homes which currently have no insulation whatsoever.

Don’t think getting insulation is a massive upheaval. It can be done on a room-by-room basis as and when you are decorating, and the quickest installation takes just two hours per wall – the more complex systems take only two weeks in their entirety. In all honesty it will probably take you longer to choose the type of insulation you require than it will to install it!

There are loads available:
Thermal insulation: Made from 90 per cent recycled materials, this is eco-friendly from the start – all the packaging is also recyclable, so there are no excuses for wasting anything! Thermal insulation is extremely effective and is quick and easy to install – just two hours per wall.
Thermafleece: Made from sheep’s wool, this insulation is completely breathable and absorbs moisture, controlling condensation. It’s attached using a timber framework and installation is very quick. Thermafleece uses just 14 per cent energy in manufacture compared to other brands and pays for itself seven times faster.
Recycled newspaper insulation: This is sprayed into place, meaning cavities are completely filled to give maximum insulation. The lack of framework means no measuring up, fast installation and lower costs.
Multi-foil insulation: This is bought in rolls from DIY stores, so you can install it yourself. It is only 30 millimetres thick, but is as effective as 230 and of other insulators.
Expanded polystyrene insulation: Especially for underfloor heating, this is installed underneath and around the concrete slab which contains the heating system – the concrete then acts as a storage heater.

Most types of insulation can be used in lofts or walls and you can mix and match depending on the requirements of each room. It is well worth doing – every square metre of wall insulation saves more than a tonne of carbon dioxide over the life of the building. An average semi has an area of eighty metres squared, so that’s a saving of 80 tonnes or more of carbon emissions.

You don’t need permanent sunshine to use solar power
It may not seem like it now, but the sun is still out there somewhere! Its rays are strong enough to power your home – even through cloud – and you don’t need to install a giant panel on the roof either. A small panel lying totally flat to the roof is sufficient for the average family and can save 50 to 60 per cent of your energy bills. The panel collects sunlight into a metal absorber plate and converts this to energy for your heating or water system. The government estimates that installing systems like these costs between £3000 and £4500, but will pay a grant up to £400 towards the installation costs. This may not seem like much, but the savings on bills means it will pay for itself in roughly eight years. Our own monthly poll shows that 80 per cent of people would be willing to install solar panels in their homes – go for it!

Little things go a long long way
On a smaller scale, there’s loads you can do to save energy. One way is by getting a controller for your central heating system so that you only heat the rooms you need to. This could be through a programmer or individual radiator control valves. Another way to reduce waste is to switch to energy-saving light bulbs. They use a lower wattage to emit the same amount of light and although more expensive than regular bulbs – around £2 each – they last roughly 8000 hours, saving an estimated £35 a year.

If you’re on a water meter it’s easy to recycle your rainwater and it can save you 50 per cent on your bills. Rainwater is collected in a barrel and diverted to dedicated flow points – such as the laundry or toilet – providing up to 84 per cent of your supply. There are no current government grants for rainwater harvesting, but in terms of savings it’s worth looking into. Also try to always do a full load of laundry and lower to a 40 degree wash – with today’s washing powders there’s no need to use a hot wash all of the time. Never leave appliances on standby, regularly defrost your freezer so it runs to its full potential and try turning your heating down by one degree – chances are you won’t even notice, but it will save you £10 a year!

Recycle – it really does make a difference
A massive 60 per cent of the rubbish you throw away can be recycled! Just in case you think it doesn’t matter, remember – one recycled drinks can save enough energy to power your TV for three hours, a glass bottle enough to power your PC for 25 minutes and a plastic bottle enough to power a 60 watt bulb for three hours. It takes 70 per cent less energy to make recycled paper than to make it from scratch, and saves 24 trees. Plastic takes just six weeks to recycle, but if thrown away takes 500 years to decompose – thrown away glass will never decompose, but is 100 per cent recyclable. Printer cartridges are easy to recycle, but if thrown away take 1000 years to decompose. www.recyclingappeal.com will collect and recycle your printer cartridges and old mobile phones for free – all you have to do is pop them in a freepost envelope!

Currently only two percent of the UK’s electricity is supplied using renewable energy resources. By 2010 the government hopes this will rise to ten per cent and by 2050, to 50 per cent - you can help them reach this target and save yourself some money in the process!

For More information please visit www.Homeimprovementquotes.co.uk