To promote trying to make homes eco-friendly, more than 50 homes in Bristol will open their doors for members of the public to visit in order to demonstrate how to reduce domestic energy consumption and eco-retrofit older properties. The open houses will be part of the UK’s Open House Month and will take place on 11–12th of September 2010.
Bristol Leads The Way With Green Property Renovation
DIY Becoming Big Hit For Women
A survey by DIY chain giant B&Q showed that ¾ of women are now downing kitchen utensils and picking up the tool box to tackle DIY problems around their homes from decorating the house, putting up shelves, fitting laminate floors and even tackling small plumbing jobs. They report that the sudden change of heart is down to the recession, with the need to save pennies becoming a hell of a lot greater. Read more…
UK Government Needs to Act to Increase Energy Storage Capacity
The government face major plans to increase its gas storage capacity over the next decade as the population is growing and the reliance on gas and nuclear power is getting greater by the day. They will need to invest billions of pounds into their new energy policy to steer away from depending on imported gas. The engineering employers’ federation (EEF) have accepted public money will not be able to cover the most costly plans in the world. They are now urging minsters to act up on this now to make sure planning permissions are adhered to.
Home Improvements are not a Waste
Construction Excellence director of the waste project Paul Jennings has stated that Welsh homes are to be incorporated into the district’s waste management project. The ongoing commitment for creating a world class housing stock in Wales is sustaining its movement forward, at the same time; George Osborne is putting housing bodies under a lot of ongoing pressure, throughout England.
Energy efficiency is a major drive throughout Wales, with the Welsh government are announcing a £30 million scheme aimed at improving homes in the region. These are just a handful of projects created to hit the low carbon footprint targets and along with other similar projects, will meet Welsh Housing Quality Standards. Also throughout Wales, the (EST) Energy Saving Trust are well on the way to meeting their targets in teaching people the benefits and above all important values of wasting energy – or not wasting energy in this instance., and how a few simple instructions can make a great deal of difference to everyone. Read more…
Green Funding Scheme Launched By Northern Gas Networks
Northern England will hopefully be a greener place following the announcement of a fourth year of funding for environmental projects by gas suppliers Northern Gas Networks. The energy company launched their scheme this week and are appealing for applicants who feel they can really make a difference in their local area. Funding will be awarded to schools, colleges, charities and community groups with a real focus on making a difference to their local areas and the planet on a whole. Funding totalling £60,000 will be handed out in grants of £5000 to successful applicants and the group with the most novel and effective ideas.
Home Insulation Pushes Light Subsidies to be Scrapped
The Government is to switch their focus to the subsidy of all types of insulation- roof insulation, cavity wall insulation, under floor insulation – and are stopping the subsidy of energy saving light bulbs from next March. Chris Huhne, the Climate Change Secretary, is insistent that energy suppliers stop their promoting of energy saving bulbs such as compact fluorescent bulbs in DIY stores and supermarkets and start to instead promote more efficient methods of energy-saving, especially insulation. Read more…
Community Fight Against Climate Change
As the fight against climate change heats up, green-fingered volunteers in Cheshire have taken matters into their own hands. A public kitchen has been constructed in the grounds of Mickle Trafford Mill just outside Chester as part of the Carbon Army campaign, giving a modern take on the traditional allotment.
The campaign, which has been devised and supported by the British Trust Conservation Volunteers, is hoped to encourage people in the area to grow their own fruit and vegetables and provide a practical approach to solving the problem of Climate Change. The BTCV supports communities across the UK to grow their own food and learn how to become more sustainable.
Old Trafford Installing Rainwater Harvesting Technology
One of lifes most precious and needed resources is water and it is our responsibility to ensure that we preserve it, especially with the effects of climate change and the effect it will have on reduced levels of rainfall, it is important that we act now.
Every year that goes by, the available drinking water reduces and the planet’s population is growing, causing urban development to increase, and this makes it harder for the rain water to filter into the ground and join watercourses.
We can all help reduce the risk with simple water storage and filter devices which can also reduce costs associated with treated mains water that we use for all types of things such as flushing toilets and watering the garden. Harvesting our own water could also reduce the cost of household bills by half if homes are fitted with a water meter. Mains water only really needs to be used for all hygienic duties like cleaning, drinking and cooking.
Bee Friendly Gardens
Well the sun is finally out and the time has come for us to start thinking about our overgrown gardens. When sprucing up your garden this year consider the materials that you are using garden think about what flowers you are using. Are they bee friendly?
Bees play an important role along with many other insects in pollinating flowering plants and are crucial to our environment. They carry pollen from flower to flower causing the plants to pollinate. However they are also important for pollination of vegetable plants and fruit trees, as varieties that are not self vertile require flying insects to pollinate them in order to produce crops for us to harvest.
Save Money With Energy Efficient Windows
In an economy where everybody wants to save money and in a world where people are talking about CO2 emissions and being green one of the best ways to save money is to install energy efficient windows. People seem to overlook windows as a good way to save money and energy and focus on insulating lofts and walls, which is important but an average household can lose 30 % of its energy through its windows alone.