Eco Blog, Eco News and Updates from Oliver Heath

January 25, 2013

Eco Homes – Detoxing for 2013

It’s a New year and time for a fresh start. I’m sure many of us have made resolutions to ‘detox’, but how about detoxing our homes? Or even better, Smart technology that will do it for us?

Chinese based Ecovacs have created the Famibot. It’s main aim is to roam your floor and purify the air. However it can also act as a telepresence robot, providing you with a video of your home while you are away, alerting you if it detects an unexpected person, play music and give you remote control of connected household appliances such as lighting.

Smart toilets are also becoming a new luxury. This one from Toto allows for you to “go” in comfort with a heated seat, but not only that, it will also record and analyse important data such as weight, blood pressure, BMI and blood sugar levels. The data is then transported to your computer via Wifi allowing for you to monitor your health and detect early signs of some medical conditions.

Or how about this Urinal from designer Royce Zhang, again it measures your sugar levels along with PH balance, red and white blood cells. However, with a simple touch screen it makes it fast and easy to monitor your health.

So much for the SciFi gadgets but here are some of our top tips for a more down to earth way to help cleanse your home;

As the harsh winter months approach and windows stay closed in a bid to keep warm, it is important to have a good level of ventilation to help ensure the air within your home stays clean. The Lo Carbon Tempra fan from Ventaxia is a heat recovery fan designed to be used on a room by room basis. It extracts warm moist air then uses the warmth from that to pre heat air coming back in. It ventilates the room quietly but continuously, extracting the moisture which reduces the build up of damp and so helps prevent mould growth.

Plants can also play a vital role in cleaning your air at home, the Rubber Plant contains properties that help it to remove Formaldehyde which can be found in paints, MDF, cleaning agents, and fibreglass insulation to name but a few. The plant is a great friend to first time gardeners . . . Other plants such as the Peace Lily, which removes Benzene found in nail polish, solvents and adhesives, the English Ivy, which also removes Formaldehyde, and the Golden Pothos, which is renowned for removing all indoor chemicals, will all make great additions to your home.

Or how about taking it to the next level and purchasing one of these great Andrea air purifiers. Andrea turns any household plant into an effective air cleaner for your home whilst removing any harmful chemicals. I love this combination of nature and technology- natural futures.

In any home it’s important to ensure that the environment is safe and clean, but even more so with children. As everybody knows, children love to crawl and play on the floor, opting for a 100% natural pure wool carpet in their room will guarantee a toxin free surface, it is also the easiest natural-fibre carpet to clean. Take a look at Alternative floors for a great range.

Or you could install solid wood flooring, avoiding laminate and engineered floors, materials such as solid timer, natural cork, and rubber make for a safe and healthy covering.

By ensuring you buy only solid wood furniture it will not only promise a longer life-cycle but will also be free of any toxins. Cheaper furniture manufactured from particleboard with a laminated surface will most likely use a toxic formaldehyde glue. Over time, the formaldehyde will off-gas into your child’s sleeping area creating unseen hazards. Also remember to avoid varnishes containing VOC’s, try finishing your furniture with oil instead.

Children’s PVC toys can also be damaging to your home environment. Chemicals known as plasticisers are added to the materials to make it flexible. These plasticisers have been shown to harm the liver, kidney, lungs and blood pressure, as well as the reproductive tract of boys. Toys are often chewed, meaning the toxins can quite often be ingested. Instead buy solid wood toys which are safe as well as being biodegradable.

We may all search for pieces of furniture which have guaranteed fire retardancy, but Recent studies have discovered the potentially harmful health effects of halogenated or brominated flame retardants which are found in everything ranging from baby blankets to carpets. Levels of the chemicals found in North Americans have been doubling every two to five years for several decades. These chemicals have been known to accumulate in humans, interfering with hormones, thyroid, reproductive systems and neurological development in infants and children. Environmentally friendly alternatives such as a Nanotechnology coating are proving to be a much less harmful and safer alternative. Unfortunately it may be some time before this is made compulsory due to ongoing research and development.

If you are going all out and redecorating your house why not try Claypaint from Eartborn. It is completely VOC, acrylic and oil free. The properties of the clay allow for it to minimise condensation, deter mildew and reduce dust and allergen build up. The paint also has an ultra matte finish that will both soften and enhance the light in your room.

With the New Year now firmly in place, lets think not only about detoxing our bodies but our homes as well, removing those harmful toxins can make for a healthier, happier environment all around.

By oliver | Filed in Furniture, General, Healthy spaces, Materials | Comments (2)

January 23, 2013

Upcycled Homes – the Norwegian way

Last September I was asked by Norway’s TV 2 to take part in their prime time interiors show Tid For Hjim (Time For Home)- it’s a popular makeover show where designers are asked to refurbish the interiors of viewers homes. Nice and simple – just good design, a good build . . . no jeopardy. The show was recently aired so I thought I’d share my designs and approach with you.

It turned out to be my dream job – re designing the interior of a log cabin set beside a beautiful Fjord . . . heaven!

It seems that that lots of people own cabins like this across Norway, left to them by family during the migration from countryside to city dwellings. As a result many of them are filled with old hand me down furniture pieces and an assortment of fixtures and fittings. What could be beautiful ends up feeling a little lost and unloved.

My approach was to create a Modern Norwegian Rustic style – a combination of upcycled old furniture, weathered materials and traditional Norwegian patterns and design. The team were fantastic – really talented carpenters, painters and electricians – they really got on board with the ideas to create the open plan space comprising of the new kitchen, dining area and lounge.

This table was made from a section of the old wooden kitchen wall. I sanded then scorched the table top before wire brushing it to create a lovely natural texture. The base was sourced from a local second hand shop and painted up. The chairs were simply painted and reupholstered.

I love these traditional Norwegian tiles – simple organic geometric shapes with a lovely matt finish.

The timber for the cabinet fronts was sourced from a delapidated boat house. The leather handles feel just right- simple yet elegant.

What surprised me most was that upcycling and the use of recycled materials was an unusual activity in Norway so I was delighted to show them the benefits that it could bring to design in the home – imagine that – me showing the Norwegians a thing or two about design! Brought a little smile to my face.

We upcycled this classic mid century sofa and arm chair in an ethnic Norwegian pattern fabric by Zoffany- Orissan Wedgewood Red. The display cabinet table in the foreground was made from an old upcycled window – which adds a sense of delight!

These super tactile cushions are made from traditional Norwegian wool jumpers which i sourced for almost nothing in local junk shops. They were boiled, then sewn into really soft cushion covers – perfect for cuddling up to at night

I brought out the history of the cabin by sanding back a small section of the timber walls and highlighting it with an ornate vintage frame – very tactile.

These vintage plates bought for almost nothing highlighted the beauty and simplicity of traditional Norwegian pattern design

It wouldn’t be a log cabin without a wood burning stove – how could i resist.

The end result I feel created a contemporary yet comfortable rustic space- offering a sense of Norwegian culture, combined with the calmness of natural materials but with a modern approach.

Oh and if you thought it was all work and no play, don’t forget that Norway IS the land of the open sandwich – I may have put on a pound or two……. Entirely worth it though!

By oliver | Filed in Fabrics, Furniture, General, Materials, Recycling / upcycling, Vintage | Comments (0)

January 8, 2013

Seen our article in the Argus? Find out more about YooLocal and Lyndhurst Stores

If you’ve seen our article in the Argus newspaper all about our new social enterprise – YooLocal, and want to know more, please just e mail us on info@yoolocal.com.

Thank you!

Oliver

By oliver | Filed in General | Comments (0)

December 20, 2012

Eco Homes future trends – predictions for 2013

With 2012 over and 2013 about to kick off, our thoughts here are turning to what’s going to be happening in the year ahead. So here are our Eco homes future predictions for 2013.

The Green Deal – green shoots

The Green Deal scheme becomes available to customers as of the 28th January 2013. But do you know what it entails?

The Green Deal is the government initiative designed to help business and home owners introduce more green technologies within their properties. Property owners are able to install these systems with no upfront fees, paying back costs through energy bills over a period of time. However the scheme is different from any other loan repayment plan because if you decide to move then the bills stay with the property where the savings are occurring, not with the bill payer.

Some of the energy saving improvements include insulation, heating, double glazing, draft proofing, solar panels and wind turbines.

Despite the scheme being a positive idea to help home owners make their properties energy efficient, the government aren’t exactly adopting a proactive technique to promote it. Did you know the green deal was launched back in October 2012 allowing 3 months for trades people to become Green Deal certified? £2.9million has been allowed for advertising until April 2013. That may sound like quite a lot but compare that to the total amount spent on promoting the digital switchover, a whopping £126.5million, and you can see it’s not very much at all!!

Marketing budgets aside, the Green deal is likely to spark interest in the benefit of home improvements to the comfort and cost of homes across the UK- which can only be a good thing, a start to creating Homes Fit for the Future.

Green it is – in colour schemes at least ……….

Materials and colours are always important to customers, those who wish to stay on trend will be keen to know that Pantone have released their predictions for the colour of the year 2013. As of the 1st January 2013 the ‘must have’ colour is Pantone 17-5641 Emerald Green. In 2012 the colour of the year was Tangerine Tango, a ‘inspiring colour to help give us a needed energy boost’. Next year the Emerald green will ‘enhance your sense of well-being by inspiring insight as well as promoting balance and harmony’, just what you need for a fresh start in the New Year, even if it isnt really going to turn your world upside down!

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is a term we have been familiar with for a while now, and it’s soon to be something we are aware of in our everyday lives. Nanotechnology is being applied to construction materials, helping us to build a safer, cleaner and more efficient world to live in. By mixing the Nanotechnology particles with materials such as glass, concrete, wood, steel and finishings, a huge amount of beneficial effects are achieved. Wood and steel can be strengthened at much lower densities, glass and cement is becoming self-cleaning and can be fire-protective.

Some paints are also seeing the introduction of Nanotechnology to their make-up as a way of adding insulation and moisture repellence in the home. Nutshell Natural Paints are a great example, their Thermo Emulsion ‘blocks thermal transfer and protects agasint moisture making the paint water repelling.’

It’s going to be exciting to see what incredible new Nanotechnologies start to work their way into our spaces in 2013.

Connected homes

As some of you may be aware from previous articles, smart technologies are starting to have ever greater control on our homes. As we enter 2013 and are all trying to save some money after the Christmas hit, why not consider installing a Smart Meter into your home. British Gas have already installed over 500,000 smart meters in UK homes and businesses. Their meter works on a traffic light system making them really simple to understand, red means lots of energy is being used and green means your use is low. You can also view past energy use and your tariff information, putting you in control of exactly how and when you use your energy be it gas or electricity.

Smart Homes

As technologies develop, our homes are becoming increasingly more interactive. Whereas before we saw certain products as inanimate, such as thermostats, radiators and lights, we are now building closer relationships with them. Thanks to the help of smart technology development we can now control a large percentage of our home without even being there. Smart phone apps such as those from British Gas , Honeywell and LightwaveRF allow you to control your lighting and central heating via your phone wherever you are.

Climate Weirding

‘Climate weirding’ is taking over from ‘Global Warming’ as extreme weather conditions are changing the ways in which we live. As we are all aware the weather is changing drastically, having seen the driest spring in over a century followed closely by both summer and autumn under water. Future predictions from the Met Office show that weather is likely to consist of more frequent, colder, drier winters and wetter summers for 10 – 20 years, but in contrast to that, ‘longer term we will see a trend to drier summers. . . ‘

The following graph shows just how extreme the weather conditions in the UK have been throughout 2012. The first 3 months show a possible drought giving way to huge levels of rainfall almost monthly after that with the likelihood of the continuing trend into 2013.

We are becoming more aware of global weirding as increasing amounts of people are preparing to storm proof their homes over the following months. Is 2013 the year to adapt our homes preparing for the climate of the future?

Share and Share alike

In a world where things are becoming more expensive and natural produce stocks are decreasing why not make 2013 a year to try sharing more – be it products, skills, car journeys or even knowledge. Why spend money if you can share goods with others? There are some great sites out there to help you link with your community and share items, some of these are; Ecomodo, The People Who Share and Freegle among many others.

So there we go. It seems as if our homes are going to become better connected – better connected to the things we use, the resources we use, the weather outside and even the neighbours and communities that live beyond our front door. The impact? That we start to live smarter – using less, saving more, getting more in touch with things and people, and to me that certainly seems like a better way to be for 2013.

By oliver | Filed in Environmental events, General, Materials, Technology/ Energy Saving, The Green Deal | Comments (0)

December 13, 2012

I’m dreaming of…..well a Green Christmas of course

It’s that time of year again when decorations start going up and houses become all twinkly. There’s certainly plenty of magic around, but does that really mean it’s ok to give up on our aspirations for a better home and world to live in? And more than that is there a way to still really enjoy the festive season without cutting out the fun?

Well of course there is, and here are some of my favourite festive finds …….

Firstly by switching your tree lights to LED bulbs you can save yourself an impressive amount on your electricity bill. Did you know that general lighting contributes approximately 15% towards your bills? A string of 100 Christmas tree lights left on for around 10 hours per day over the duration of the 12 days of Christmas will produce enough Carbon Dioxide to inflate 60 balloons!! Wow!

So if you’re buying fairy lights make sure they are warm white or coloured LEDs. For the outside why not change your lights to a solar powered version such as these from Nigels Eco Store, they will add that Christmassy sparkle without costs to your Christmas spirit (oh ok and increasing your carbon footprint!). In fact its worth remembering that fairy lights aren’t just for Christmas, and ive these led lights like these in my garden trees all year round.

If you’re having a real tree this Christmas, ensure that you purchase it from a sustainable grower and that it has Forest Stewardship Council accreditation, when purchasing make sure you check that they are locally grown. Or how about trying something different this year and having an alternative tree, there are some great choices out there including wooden, cardboard and recycled aluminium versions. Take a look at this totally ingenious selection!

Christmas is a time well known for lots of food, and lots of food can generally mean lots of waste. Instead of throwing your food scraps in the bin, try recycling them. www.lovefoodhatewaste.com have some great recipes to help you use the leftover Turkey and vegetables. You can also find a guide on there to help you plan your meals and portion sizes too! Another alternative to throwing away food is to compost it producing organic ‘Christmas’ soil for your garden.

Recycling is important at Christmas time, we all send and receive lots of cards and just think about all that wrapping paper! Approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste is produced at Christmas time and if we recycled just half of this then around 25,000 trees could be saved. Not On The High Street has a large selection of recycled and environmentally friendly wrapping paper in stock, grab yours in time and remember to recycle it after the big day.

There’s no denying it, we all dread receiving those unwanted presents and more often than not we are guilty of sending them. This year instead of buying the first thing you see why not give a charity gift, organisations such as goodgifts allow you to pay for an actual gift for another person or community- that really makes a difference. Whether it’s little things like farming tools to help communities to become self-sufficient or funding village libraries in India there is something great in there which will reflect the person you could be donating on behalf of. Despite this we will all most likely receive an unwanted gift during the Christmas period, instead of wasting it why not donate it to charity or find someone to swap with.

Instead of buying new decorations why not make your own, instead of buying faux greenery to decorate your house why not use real Holly and Ivy, once you have finished just simply compost it and finally instead of buying a Wreath why not make your own out of scraps of old fabric, it can look really effective. There’s a really cool selection here even one made of vintage ties!

With just a little extra thought this year you can ensure that your Christmas will not only be merry but also won’t have such an impact on the world you’re looking forward to enjoying next year. Enjoy!

By oliver | Filed in General, Materials, Natural stuff, Recycling / upcycling | Comments (0)

December 12, 2012

Is it really all just going down the pan? Sustainable Water Saving Toilets

Water is one of those resources that i’m really passionate about, and it seems that its rising up the agenda – be it floods, drought massive rainfalls and tidal surges. its getting more and more difficult to escape its impact and I would hope our complacency in the way we use it. None more pressing is just how much we all flush down the pan, every day.

Did you know that there are around 45 million toilets in UK homes using an estimated 2 billion litres of fresh water every day? Over seven million of these are the old style single flush cisterns which use around 13 litres of water per flush. That’s 13 litres of drinking quality water everyday, which to me seems just criminal. This isn’t just me being an eco warrior but impressing that good design can help us save money, prevent wastefulness everyday and even drought.

And i’m not the only one…….

In 1994 Bill Gates and his wife established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in order to help global health and community needs in the Pacific Northwest area. Earlier this year the foundation approached the California Institute of Technology with a competition to reinvent the toilet and produce one which can create useable energy.

The winning team From California Insitutue of Technology won $100,000 with their design becoming the focus of the foundations efforts to provide sanitation to developing countries. The winning design uses solar panels to help break down waste, creating Hydrogen gas. The gas is then stored in cells and will provide back-up electricity for low light weather conditions or at night. Water which has been sanitised throughout the process is then recycled and reused to flush the WC. All of the mechanisms have been designed to be hidden beneath a standard urinal structure.

Loughborough University came second for designing a toilet which produces biological charcoal, minerals and clean water. The University of Toronto came in third with a design which sanitises human waste and recovers resources and clean water.

Here in the UK around 5 million toilets are the more modern low-flush cisterns with a dual-flush method. These are more water efficient using 6 litres for a full flush or 4 litres for a reduced flush.

However, despite dual-cisterns using less water they are liable to leaks. Washers and joints seem susceptible to corrosion and end up allowing water to escape, quite often going unnoticed. A key tip to checking whether you have a leak is to add a few drops of food colouring to your cistern, don’t flush for at least one hour. If the food colouring becomes visible in the bowl after this then you are likely to have a leak. No colour – No leak!

Varyflush have created a range of products, suitable for a variety of toilets. Firstly the ‘saver siphon’ device is a fully interruptible replacement siphon for toilets with a flush pipe, not ones where the cistern sits directly on the pan. The product flushes only what is needed, not the whole cistern. This works by holding down the flush handle for as long as required and then releasing stopping the water flow – simple!

They have also created the Interflush kit. This is a DIY retrofit device which converts standard, single flushing toilets into water efficient devices. The kit is designed to be attached on top of existing plastic WC siphons, connecting to a front mounted handle. It works by creating an ‘air brake’ on top of the siphon which is closed when the handle is down and open when released. Therefore the toilet will only flush when the handle is engaged. There cost effective and easy to fit – i’ve used them in my own homes in the past.

IF youre looking for a new toilet The Green Building Store are a great company to check out, they produce high quality products and are always keen to give good, reliable advice. They have a range of products available such as the ‘leak free’ 4 litre Siphon flush WC and the Ifö Sign Universal WC with a 4 or 2 litre flush option.

Roca have also created an ultra cool concept toilet – The W+W is a toilet and hand basin combined which, in turn, recycles water from the basin into reusable water for the connected flushing toilet. The W+W combines the processes of washing and flushing to help save water and protect the planet.

Its time to get smart and make sure we don’t flush one of our most precious resources down the drain. even small savings every day end up as real savings every day, not just for you, but the planet as well.

By oliver | Filed in General, Technology/ Energy Saving, Water saving | Comments (0)

November 20, 2012

Driving the Future

As an eco designer it won’t come as a surprise that I’m no petrol head motoring journalist but I have had the chance to drive a number of pure electric cars over the years – many with varying degrees of success and just a little anxiety.
Why the anxiety?
Whilst I do believe electric cars are the future, their range can often be limited and if for any reason they aren’t charged properly there is a real possibility of not ‘quite’ making it to your destination. Range anxiety for many electric cars feels all too similar to driving the vintage cars of my student days.

Well the Ampera changes all that. Whilst the batteries drive the motor for 98% of all our journeys on those over the 40 mile range the petrol motor silently steps in, to charge the batteries making range anxiety a thing of the past, and putting our driving needs into the future.

The Ampera is something of a dream to drive- ultra quiet, and smooth, it seemingly glides around town – so much so that we found we needed to take a little extra care to look out for unwitting pedestrians stepping out to cross the road. Luckily it’s equipped with warbling warning horn to alert day dreamers and head phone wearers without offending.

The Ampera’s exterior outline feels sporty and sleek – optimised for aerodynamic efficiency (right down to the hub caps!) and seems to be a real head turner.
It’s driving style feels solid and well built, whilst acceleration is noticeably more instantaneous than conventional petrol or diesel cars. But with a 0 to 60 of just under 10 seconds there’s nothing alternative or lacking in its performance.

Not that the Ampera encourages you to hammer it – it’s a car that relishes in good driving style – the dash board bristles with dials, data and controls to help you maximise the efficiency of your driving technique and the internal temperature controls. And who wouldn’t want to make the most of petrol free mileage if possible?

The Ampera will give you around 40 miles of driving on the battery power alone, depending on your driving style, internal heating controls and exterior temperature, before the petrol engine almost imperceptibly hums into action to give you a further 310 miles of range. Over the 6 weeks that we’ve used the Ampera it’s given us an impressive 150 miles per gallon across 600 miles of driving. At this rate we may only need to visit the petrol station 4 times a year.

Charging the Ampera up is simple and once plugged in takes around 6 hours from a standard 3 pin plug, 4 hours from a dedicated charging point. On a standard domestic system this would cost around £2 per charge, but using by my home’s solar photovoltaic panels and charged on a sunny day, we’re able to charge for free….. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me feel – my home really is our very own power station!

It is incredibly satisfying to be free from petrol stations for so much our transport needs, and deals so neatly with my carbon footprint guilty secret. Added to which it makes the return on investment (the payback period) for our PV panels even smaller and the advantage of having them even greater. All this means that driving an electric car like the Ampera is more than just about getting from A to B but a lifestyle choice that fits in with my home and my low carbon aspirations.

On the down side all this optimization means that aerodynamics have taken precedent to allowing roof racks to be fitted – a shame as I imagine many who have a passion for sustainable lifestyles may well also have a passion for the outdoors, so this negates the possibility of strapping a bike or a surfboard to the roof. My only other gripe is that the interior seats 4, as the raised battery compartment running down the centre space cuts out a 5^th seat. But let’s face it, if it suits 98% of my driving needs so cleanly then perhaps for the other 2% we find an alternative option like renting a car for the day.

Of course the cost at around £30,000 (after the governments £5000 grant) will be a problem for many, the only answer being that compared to a conventional car the Ampera will save you a considerable sum each year. So depending on how far and how much you drive every week, it could save you thousands every year in fuel bills. And just to put a seed into your mind – perhaps in the future we’ll find an alternative to buying and owning cars – leasing all or even just some part of them such as the batteries?

For many, the idea of being environmental means having to make do without the usual comforts in order to do your bit, but the Ampera bucks that tired adage, adding more than a little style, performance and luxury to eco lifestyles. And if the future sees us gliding silently around town, charging directly from the pv panels on our roof and getting 200 mpg – it’s not surprising that our friends are ribbing us about being “the future family”- but you know what, I’m pretty happy with that.

By oliver | Filed in General, Technology/ Energy Saving | Comments (0)

November 9, 2012

Eco Homes – The Smart Home Revolution – saving you money and energy

New research by British Gas tells us that we are being needlesaly wasteful with our heating and electrical controls – wasting on average £150 by simply leaving the boiler running when were not at home and £35 per household on items left charging or on standby. Whilst smart meters are set to be rolled out across the UK over the next few years, shedding some light on our energy use, technology is at hand to do just that, right now. And as you may know i love technology, especially when it save me money and energy!

Were noticing a sharp rise in remote control and smart systems that react to your requests or learn the way you live to make your home work more efficiently for you. Not surprisingly the all essential smart phones are beginning to play a key role in changing the way we run our homes.

British Gas has recently created an app for your phone which now allows for you to turn on and off your central heating system any time, anywhere. It all works around a hub-based wireless platform, which allows for you to connect your smart phone to your boiler and digital thermostat (which is kindly provided) all via the internet. If you haven’t got a smart phone that doesn’t matter, the app can be controlled via a PC or even a simple text message, allowing for you to be in control no matter where you are.

The Energy Saving Trust states that you can save money by using your controls more effectively. Turning down your thermostat by just one degree can save you around £55 a year! Various products already exist which allow for you to clearly see the energy usage while you’re home, Efergy are just one example and have a great range of products readily available. However these won’t save you money as a standalone product, but the technology is advancing and will help you to bring those bills down.

A great product is the thermostat by Nest, unfortunately it’s only available in America at the moment but fingers crossed it will come to the UK soon. According to Nest, thermostats control half of your energy bill! When used in the same way as your old thermostat, the Nest will program itself, learning and remembering every time you change the setting so that it will adjust to your requirements automatically, helping you to save money. The thermostat also has the function to be controlled by your Smartphone so while you are away you are able to control the settings and temperature of your home. By teaching it well, the nest can save up to 20% on your heating bills!

Honeywell have a similar system, this time controlling your lighting and security systems. Once again by downloading an app to your Smart Phone you can control your home lighting either to ensure you don’t return home to darkness or to make it appear as if someone is home while you are away. You can also incorporate a home security system into the same process.

Sticking with lighting, GreenWave Reality have just launched a WiFi enabled LED lighting system which allows for the user to control their lights (individually) through either a remote control or via a smart phone. The bonus fact about this system is that it is ready to use straight away, with no need for the electrician to come and rewire your home. Quick, easy and ready to go, simple!

For something a little more luxurious why not try Lutron. The Homeworks QS system from Lutron allows for you to have total control via a single remote control, as well of course via your smart phone, of all of your lighting, heating and electrical products such as Televisions and music stations, and even those automated blinds. . .

Also, how about an iRobot fully automated ‘hover’, which actively responds to the state of the surrounding environment, allowing for it to make ‘intelligent cleaning decisions’? just think, no more hovering!

Although a little extravagant to some of us, this seems to be the way we are heading, controlling everything via a single remote control or our smart phones. It can make our lives easier and can reduce those pesky energy bills.

By oliver | Filed in General, Technology/ Energy Saving | Comments (0)

November 7, 2012

Eco Homes need new ways to dry clothes – new research shows

New research by the Mackintosh School of Architecture showed that 75% of the homes visited had moisture levels that would promote dust mite growth and the risk of breathing difficulties. This was largely caused by home owners drying their washing indoors in the winter months. In fact one washing load being laid out across a home to dry may introduce 2 litres of airbourne moisture – to homes that generally had inadequate levels of ventilation. Out of 100 houses surveyed 87% dried their clothes indoors.

So just how are we to dry our washing at home without spending a fortune in energy and drying machines? Well as ever good design has the answers………

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 the UK, 54% own a tumble dryer. Those are some serious numbers. At a conservative estimate, if we say that about 40% of those households use the tumble dryer frequently, that’s nearly ten million households using machines regularly. If each household used their dryer just once less often a year, it could save over eighteen million kilograms (18,000 tons) of C02. Enough to power 90,000 street lights.

So, there are clearly massive amounts of energy being used here, but most people would swear they couldn’t do without their tumble dryer, right? Well, I believe differently, and if we were just to think harder about utilising the untapped energy and warmth in our homes, we could approach clothes drying differently and realise we could do without the dryer altogether.

In my own home we use a clothes drying rack, which utilises warm air (created by the south facing window, and an ultra small radiator) which is drawn up and out via the heat recovery system vent in the ceiling. This allows warm air to circulate around the damp clothes creating warm moist air, helping to heat the rest of the house.

For those of you interested in internal drying racks with a bit of style, these Usethings racks are made of timber and suspended from the ceiling, so you can hoist your clothes up to where the warm air collects. Plus, it means your wet clothes are up and out of your way.

But, if you aren’t able to fit a full heat recovery system to your home, don’t despair, as Vent-Axia have recently launched the Lo-Carbon^TMTempra heat recovery fan, which could allow you to do the same thing on a room-by-room basis. It’s the first single room heat recovery unit on the market, which allows us all to quickly and easily replace existing, inefficient fans with a discrete, low energy and continuously running alternative. Although continuos running the fans use very little energy costing around Â£4 a year to run, making them perfect for the rental and social housing market.

The Heat Recovery Ventilation System by Villavent is designed to completely change the air in a property every two hours. Good news, especially when you learn that centrally heated homes have air pollution on average ten times worse than the air outside. The system recovers 60-70% of the heat normally lost through trickle vents and other weak points in the building’s structure.

But, for those of you stuck on your tumble dryer, these clever little balls of joy can do something to help. The Dryerballs lift and separate laundry, reducing both creasing and drying times.

I’ve also found this interesting competition, launched by Levi’s, looking at drying clothes (specifically jeans) at home. It’s good to see a big fashion company with a conscience considering the lifecycle of their products. The Care to Air Design Challenge asks entrants to find a way to eliminate the tumble dryer by improving the basic clothesline idea. And with $10,000 up for grabs for the winner, how’s that for an incentive?

And lastly, for an existing alternative to the tumble dryer, what about this BreezeDry cabinet that offers a gentle, eco-friendly alternative to your machine? Simply place your clothes inside and choose outdoor air, indoor air or gently warmed air for perfect drying every time.

So, next time you’re about to bung your wet laundry in the tumble dryer or hang it out to dry at home, have a think about alternative drying methods. There are plenty to choose from without welcoming those dangerous dust mites and affecting your health.

By oliver | Filed in Fabrics, Healthy spaces, Technology/ Energy Saving | Comments (0)

October 31, 2012

Bringing design and manufacture one step closer to Eco homes

One of my great pleasures as a designer is to get the chance to visit a factory. It’s the machinery, the materials and the magic of seeing a raw product become a finished thing of beauty that does it for me. Well, the idea of visiting a factory is set to change as we’re now seeing a trend for mini-mobile factories coming to you. Environmentally this is all good news â€“ materials can be transported more easily, costs are down and material wastage can be kept to a minimum. Oh, and of course, you get to see a little magic happening before your very eyes.

One of the brilliant exponent of mobile factories is Phil Cuttance. Phil has recently designed and manufactured the trophy for the first Icon Awards but primarily he’s known for his vases, light shades and side tables produced using his mobile factory. Phil’s factory can be taken apart and flat-packed (in a good way), so it can be transported anywhere in the world.

Using his mobile factory, Phil can produce bespoke and completely individually faceted vessels, shades and tables. He does this by manually manipulating the mould during casting and adding different resins during the process. It makes the revealing of each piece a surprise and retains the excitement of the manufacturing process that many factories have lost.

Markus Kayser set up his studio in London in 2011 aiming to explore the possibilities of combining technology and natural energy. He’s certainly done that, using a variety of new production methods, including his Sun Cutter. By focusing pure sunlight through lenses, shapes are cut from card, paper and plywood.

Developing the idea further, he created his Solar Sinter, which used two of the most readily available elements on the planet: sun and sand. The Solar Sinter was essentially a 3D extension of the Sun Cutter and could produce 3D objects by melting sand and producing glass. If you haven’t seen the video of this in action, it’s well worth checking out. It’s 3D printing like you have never seen before.

Another London-based studio, Unto This Last, seeks to â€œoffer the convenience of a local craftsmanâ€™s workshop at mass production pricesâ€. Itâ€™s an admirable, if challenging, goal. All the pieces are made on site using Birch-ply composite and with everything being made to order, you arenâ€™t limited in terms of choice.

Regular readers might be familiar with Facit Homes, a UK company that uses a mobile manufacturing unit to create entire houses. All the information about the schematics of your home (right down to the plug sockets) is inputted into the mobile factory, and it is then processed piece-by-piece until a final 3D model is produced. It’s great for keeping costs and wastage down to a minimum.

And lastly, but probably most exciting, how about owning your own mobile factory?Â There are a couple of options available, firstly the Dr Seuss inspired Â Thing-O-matic 3D printer, thisÂ allows you to move around and take your work with you. This desktop-size printer means you can have your very own factory at home. The printer does all the work for you. All you have to do is hit print and you just started your own production line.

Or better still, how about a Form1 3D printer? Formlabs have created this product to help make high quality 3D printing possible and affordable to a wider audience. The detailing it can produce is amazing, just think of all those high quality piecesÂ you could soon be manufacturing!

The printer is yet to be released, but we are all eagerly awaiting the date. I love it and I really, really want one. Now I can combine two of my favourite things: visiting a factory and being at home coming up with new ideas!

By oliver | Filed in General, Materials, Technology/ Energy Saving | Comments (0)