I don’t know why im quite so obsessed by water use, perhaps it’s because I grew up in Brighton, swimming in the sea from an early age, or even that I was even a windsurfing instructor for a few years – which teaches you to respect water and the sea, that’s for sure. Or perhaps [...]
Category Archives: Technology/ Energy Saving
Superhomes – energy efficient eco homes opening up in your neighbourhood soon!
March 7, 2012 – 10:31 am
Last summer I had the pleasure of giving Greg Barker MP Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, a tour of my home. And if you thought I only open my home for Royalty and the occasional passing MP well you’d be wrong. As it happens Greg was the 98th visitor to take a [...]
Eco homes need more sustainable heat and power. How decentralised heating systems and combined heat and power (CHP) systems could be the power stations for eco home of the future.
February 23, 2012 – 11:51 am
I have been asked to give a talk at the launch of a scheme delivering renewable heat and power to homes from a single local power plant, and not a coal-fired power station. So, what’s the benefit and is it really relevant for supplying the heat and power to today’s homes? The talk is [...]
Sustainable communities and The Big Switch
February 16, 2012 – 4:14 pm
This year, a quarter of all households in England and Wales have fallen into fuel poverty thanks to a high increase in energy bills this autumn. According to a report by Consumer Focus, there are just under 7m households in Britain living in fuel poverty, the highest figure on record. Apparently, four out of 10 people are [...]
Eco Cuppa Anyone? What Is The Best Way To Heat A Cup Of Water?
February 3, 2012 – 10:28 am
Sometimes changing tiny, seemingly insignificant actions can lead to larger changes in lifestyle. Small changes can add up to big differences for our carbon footprints and energy bills. Making a cup of tea is a great example. Now, we all know rule number seven in the eco guru handbook is that we should only [...]
Eco Drying At Home: Hang Your Tumble Dryer Out To Dry
January 25, 2012 – 1:57 pm
Statistics show that of all our domestic appliances, tumble dryers are the most energy hungry, with power consumption ranging from around 2 kWh to 5 kWh per cycle. This can result in CO2 emissions of around 330 kg to over 800 kg per year. According to statistics, out of nearly 25 million households in [...]
Eco Washing Machines: Cleaner Clothes, Brighter Future
January 17, 2012 – 12:51 pm
A study released by Cambridge University, titled ‘Well Dressed?‘, demonstrates that a shocking 60% of the greenhouse gases generated over the life of a T-shirt come from washing and drying machines. All of the energy and carbon emissions used to grow, manufacture, ship and sell clothes doesn’t even come close to the energy and emissions [...]
Nanotechnology – tiny solutions to big problems facing eco homes?
December 16, 2011 – 10:15 am
Most people have heard of nanotechnology but cant quite picture the benefits. That’s hardly surprising when you consider that nanotechnology refers to actions below a scale of 110 nm (where one nm is one-billionth of a metre). And to put that into perspective, a hazelnut is roughly one-billionth the size of Earth. That’s pretty [...]
Are You Flushing Money Down The Toilet? Eco homes need water management
December 13, 2011 – 3:45 pm
It’s shocking to think that the average toilet uses between six- and nine-litres per flush, with some older cisterns using up to thirteen-litres. Imagine that quantity of plastic mineral water bottles stacked up and it’s even more shocking. This is, after all, drinking quality water, and actually accounts for around 30% of the total water usage [...]
Water, water everywhere but…how eco homes can cut their water use
November 25, 2011 – 12:14 pm
A recent survey carried out by Unilever suggested that the amount of water used in showers is significantly more than had been imagined. The survey, which was carried out by data loggers, compiled information from 2600 showers from 100 families over a 10 day period, suggests that average shower times are in the region of [...]
