Lets be Green!

News Source: manchestereveningnews

THE credit crunch appears to have convinced people that continuing to be green is going to cost them the earth.Last October, according to a Mintel survey, a quarter of people said that they would like to be more environmentally friendly, but couldn't afford to be.

However, Which?

Money research proves that now is the perfect time to take action, as many changes could save you hundreds of pounds.There are a great deal of simple things you can do, many free of charge, which can make a big difference to both your wallet and the environment.

Over the next four pages, we look at ways to make your life more environmentally friendly and save money in three areas – your home, your transport and your lifestyle. We've also included a useful guide to how much the project will cost and the potential payback.

Your home
If you concentrate on running your heating efficiently, fully insulating your home and conserving energy and water, you could save as much as £950 a year.

Your car
If you can't afford a hybrid car, don't worry. Converting to greener fuel such as LPG, more fuel-efficient driving and alternative transport will save you money and cut your carbon footprint.(More details further down this page...)

Your life
Most changes you can make to your lifestyle are free – such as recycling more often or composting your waste, and can make a difference to your pocket and the environment.Don't let tough financial times put a stop to your efforts to be environmentally friendly. Lots of changes we've suggested cost less than £25 and some are even free.

Boiler switch
Old boilers work at around 55 to 75 per cent efficiency, whereas modern condensing boilers work at around 90 per cent, using less fuel and costing less to run. Replacing your old boiler with a condensing one could save you between £160 and £360 on your heating bills each year, depending on the size of your house.But new boilers cost from around £800 to £2,000 – so it could be several years before you get a return on your investment.

Heating controls
A programmer, room thermostats and thermostatic radiator valves will let you take control of your heating. It costs around £200 to buy all those. But you'll save around £105 a year on your heating bills, so payback is quick. Also, turn your thermostat down by 10C. It costs nothing and could save you £40 a year.

DIY draught proofing
This is cheap, easy and cost-effective. Stop cold draughts, for example, by fitting brushes to letterboxes or the bottom of doors, and filling gaps between the skirting boards and the floor with wood moulding or flexible silicon sealant. It might cost you up to £90 for materials, but you'll save £30 a year on your heating bills.

Loft insulation
In our survey, 97 per cent of members with a loft had loft insulation, although it tends to be less than the recommended 270mm thick. Insulating your roof – or topping up existing insulation – could save you up to £205 per year.

Cavity wall insulation
Two thirds of members we surveyed with cavity walls have them insulated. But it's a worthwhile investment and could save you around £160 a year on your heating bills. You need a professional to do this job. Contact the Energy Saving Trust for details on grants. Low-flow shower Fitting a low-flow shower head is one of the most effective ways to save water in your home as it uses up to 70 per cent less water than a standard one. And if you have a water meter, it will also save you money.To find out if a low-flow shower will benefit you, put a two-litre container on the shower floor. With the water on full, count how many seconds it takes to fill up. If it takes fewer than 12 seconds, a low-flow shower will save you money. They are not compatible with electric showers.

Toilet tips
Flushing an old loo uses up to 13 litres of water. Fitting a cistern displacement device – such as a *hippo' or *save-a-flush' – will save about one litre per flush. If you are buying a new loo, get one with a dual flush – these are very efficient, using only up to six litres per flush. Many water companies offer free cistern displacement devices. Contact your water company for more details.

Energy-saving light bulbs
We found that 93 per cent of members have energy-saving bulbs at home but only 21 per cent use them in all their lights. They use far less electricity than standard bulbs and last up to 10 times as long. Fit all the lights in your house with energy-saving bulbs, and you could save around £50 a year. Contact your electricity supplier to ask about free energy saving light bulbs – many have free samples to give away.

YOUR CAR
There are numerous ways to cut your travel costs and your carbon emissions at the same time. Some, such as buying an eco-friendly car, will only be worthwhile if you were looking for something new in the first place. However, simple changes to the way you drive cost you nothing and could save you money.

Greener driving
The way that you drive can affect how much fuel you use. Eco-driving can save you money on your fuel bills and reduce carbon emissions too.
1) Cut your speed. At 70mph, a car consumes 30% more fuel than at 50mph.
2) Be window-wise. Air con uses fuel, so turn it off at lower speeds and open the windows instead. At higher speeds, open windows cause drag, so close them up again.
3) No sudden braking (unless you're in an emergency, of course). If you need to stop, lift your foot off the accelerator early and let the engine slow the car.
4) Lower revs. Try not to rev the engine above 2,500rpm (petrol) or 2,000rpm (diesel). The higher the revs, the more fuel you use.
5) Steady speed. The steadier your speed, the lower your fuel consumption. So avoid varying your speed continuously.
6) Accelerate gently Quick getaways from the lights use up lots of fuel. Taking a few seconds longer to accelerate will save you money.

New car
If you'relooking for new wheels, consider buying a *green' car: a hybrid like the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic Hybrid, a diesel, such as Volkswagen's Blue Motion range, or even an electric car.You'll spend less on fuel, pay less for your car tax and reduce your impact on the environment. In a recent Which? Money survey, 46% of members said that they were more likely to buy cars with green claims.

Don't use standby
Some appliances use almost as much electricity on standby as they do when switched on.Only 23% of Which? members always switch appliances off at the power button or the plug when they have finished using them. But this simple step could cut an average £32 off your annual electricity bill.

Clothes washing
If you normally wash at 40oC, lower the temperature to 30oC.Only 37% of our members say that they usually wash clothes at lower temperatures. But washing at 30oC instead of 40oC will save you between £8 and £18 a year on your energy bills.

Loft conversion 'the number one home improvement' for Brits at the moment

An expert has observed that loft conversions are the "number one home improvement" for Brits at the moment.While considering converting a loft, homeowners should consider improving their loft insulation to maximise the efficiency of their home and save money on energy bills.

Jason Orme, editor of Homebuilding and Renovating Magazine, is not surprised that Brits have shifted their attention away from moving and towards improving, given the current economic downturn.Regarding space requirements for new parents, he commented that "people's circumstances don't just stop because of the recession".
Mr Orme said: "Loft conversions are slightly easier to do now due to planning regulations."When people look to maximise or even add space they look to add bedrooms and a loft conversion is much easier and cheaper than building an extension."

According to Sainsbury's, an estimated 425,000 loans were taken out for home improvements last year.There was a 53 per cent increase in the number of loans taken out partially or wholly for home improvements from 2007 to 2008.

Earthwool Installation Guide - Step by step

Step 1
Ensure that the first layer of Earthwool is the same thickness as the ceiling joists and roll out from the roof tiles to the centre of the loft. More



Step 2
When space along the joists is filled, the end of the roll be turned back to start an extra layer of insulation or may be cut to size.More



Step 3
Layer insulation to the required thickness
ensuring the ceiling beneath is completely
covered except directly under the water tank.More




Step 4
The Second Layer of Earthwool is laid at right angles
to the ceiling joists, with all the edges
butted togetherMore

PayBack Statistics for Loft Insulation

	With no existing Insulation	With 50-270mm Insulation already
Cost to DIY	From £205	Around £60
Payback to DIY	From 2 years	Around 4 years
CO2 Savings	Around 1 tonne	Around 300kg

Remember that installing loft insulation is as important in the summer months as in the winter. A well insulated loft works to keep the house cool in the summer as so cuts down on any bills by taking away the need for fans and air conditioning.

Please note that statistics are correct as of January 2009.

HIPs assessors !

Question:

I'm selling my house and have got someone coming round to do a HIPs assessment next week - what should I expect?

Answer:

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are a crucial part of the Home Information Pack assessment, which all houses on the market are now legally required to have. They tell you how energy efficient a home is on a scale of A-G, similar to white goods, with the most energy efficient homes (which in turn should have the lowest fuel bills) in band A.

The Assessor will inspect all your heating appliances and will assess how much installed insulation you have in your home, which means for instance that they'll have to look in the loft and take a measurement of the insulation up there. The inspection can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.

The EPC will include recommendations on ways to improve a property's energy efficiency, saving you money and helping the environment. You may not realise it, but installing loft insulation, for example, is the quickest and easiest way to improve a home's energy efficiency, and can save an impressive £155 a year on energy bills. Insulating the walls and roof of the average home can improve a property's score on the Energy Performance Certificate by up to 19 points. If the loft already has a basic level of 100mm of insulation then the improvement could still be as high as 10 points.

Check out www.thinkinsulation.com for more information.

INSULATION MYTHS AND FACTS

IS YOUR HOME WRAPPED UP WARM?

Properly insulating a building can save energy, money and the environment - and yet many homes are under-insulated, meaning that heat and money are literally disappearing into thin air! But, for those who need more convincing, thinkinsulation.com clarifies some of the common myths surrounding home insulation.

Myth 1: Loft insulation of 4-5 inches thick is sufficient

Fact: Loft insulation is widely regarded as one of the most effective ways to save energy in the home. The Government recommends a depth of 270mm (10 inches) of insulation in order to get the maximum benefit. Installing the insulation yourself is easy and can be done in two to three hours. It will cost around £250 for an average house and can be purchased from local DIY stores. Products such as Earthwool and Space Combi-Roll are made from recycled glass bottles, so are both environmentally friendly and Earth Blanket and Space Blanket are encapsulated to make them easy to handle. There is an ideal insulation solution for every home - visit www.thinkinsulation.com for help and advice in choosing the perfect product.

Myth 2: Businesses produce most of the carbon emissions so there is little that homeowners can do

Fact: According to thinkinsulation.com, our homes are one of the biggest culprits for increasing our carbon footprints. If every home in the UK installed the recommended amount of cavity wall and loft insulation CO2 emissions would be cut by 10.8 million tonnes. Nearly half of all the heat lost in an average home is through the roof and walls and is enough to heat around 2.2 million homes a year. If every house in the UK simply had the recommended amount of loft insulation installed, they could each save £155 every year on energy bills - or £3.2 billion as a nation!

Myth 3: Cavity wall insulation is expensive

Fact: Installing cavity wall insulation will save energy, money and help the environment. It's actually one of the most cost-effective measures that can be taken. For an average house, installing cavity wall insulation will cost around £500, but there are many grants available that can help reduce this - for further information visit www.thinkinsulation.com. Once the walls have been filled, a saving of about £120 can be made each year on heating bills alone.

Myth 4: Cavity wall insulation involves major building work

Fact: Getting walls insulated couldn't be easier. It can normally be injected from the outside through small holes drilled in the wall by approved installers. The material is then piped through these holes, filling the cavity to make a perfect match with the existing wall. It's a simple process and is normally completed within three hours, without damage or mess to the house or garden.

For more great energy saving tips, visit www.thinkinsulation.com.

Energy Efficiency is the answer to the Global Warming

Using less energy is the easiest and quickest way of reducing global warming in the future.

We have put together some simple tips to show how you can cut the amount of energy you use without it costing you a penny, as well as some, low cost actions you can take which will pay for themselves in little or no time.

For instance, did you know that the quickest and most cost effective way of improving your energy efficiency is by installing insulation? Insulation made with recycled glass (glasswool) is particularly environmentally friendly - and insulation requires no maintenance and will provide year after year, performing as good as the day it was installed. That’s why so much of this site is dedicated to different ways to improve your home’s insulation.

How to improve Energy Efficiency?

1. Turn down your central heating by 1°C

It could cut your heating bills by up to 10%. If you feel it’s too cold, just pop on an extra layer of clothing like a T shirt under a shirt or a jumper or cardigan.

2. Don’t leave appliances on standby.

How often do you leave the TV on standby when you go to bed? That TV, DVD player, HiFi, video recorder are all munching electricity - so turn them off.

3. Unplug mobile phone chargers.

It’s handy to leave your mobile phone charger plugged into the wall, but if its switched on even without the phone attached it will be using electricity.

4. Set your hot water to 60°C.

For most people, setting the cylinder thermostat at 60°C/140°F is fine for bathing and washing.

5. Don’t overfill your kettle.

It’s easy to over fill a kettle, but try and only boil the amount of water you need (Always remember to ensure you boil the minimum amount for the safe use of the kettle - see your kettle’s user guide if in doubt).

6. Turn off lights when you leave the room.

Always turn lights off when you leave a room and adjust your curtains or blinds to let in as much light as possible during the day.

7. Use economy mode on the dishwasher and 30°C to wash your clothes.

Try and use low temperature programmes, and ensure you wash full loads.

8. Draw the curtains.

Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows - even in rooms you’re not using.

9. Take a shower not a bath.

Water requires a lot of energy to heat it up, and a typical shower uses just 20% of the hot water a bath uses.

10. Put a plug in it!.

Always put the plug in your basin or sink. Leaving hot water taps running with it removed is akin to washing money down the plughole.