Ecovate Your
Home and Reduce Your Fuel Bills
WITH some details of the Government's Green
Deal still to be unveiled, The National Home Improvement Show
spokesperson,
Michael Holmes explains how taking sustainability and
energy-efficiency into account when renovating or extending can make
an immediate and significant difference to your energy bills and
reduce your home's carbon footprint.
He told us:- "With the green deal set for a review in Autumn,
home owners are becoming increasingly aware that improving energy
efficiency and investing in renewable energies in the home will save
them money now and in the future, particularly at trigger points
when people are already undertaking building work on their property.
It can also enhance the appearance of the home and this is likely to
be a big driver. There are a number of ways in which a house can be
made more ecologically sustainable including the installation of renewables such as thermalolar panels or a heat pump in place of a
conventional boiler, micro generation such as photovoltaic panels or
a wind turbine, and rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling.
However, renovators must understand that whilst investing in
renewables is a good ideas, the starting point should be limiting
the amount of energy we consume in the first place by looking at our
own lifestyles, and the energy efficiency of our homes' building
fabric. The house should be highly insulated, free of draughts, and
have low energy appliances and lighting. These improvements are
relatively inexpensive, often very simple, and will result in a big
saving on your total energy bill."
Michael told us these 10 ways to make your home greener and make
both short and long term savings:-
1. Insulation - Believe it or not, insulating your home is about
the most cost-effective ecological improvement you can make.
Renovators can save up to £135 a year on energy bills with effective
roof, floor and wall insulation. Good and effective insulation keeps
heat from escaping while still allowing the house to breathe and
will cut CO2 emissions; the greenhouse gases that are thought to
contribute towards global warming. For those renovating their
existing home, houses in the UK from the 1920's on were built with a
cavity; twin skinned external walls with a clear space in between.
Cavity wall insulation costs as low as £100 to £350 and will save up
to £135, paying for itself in around three years. Loft insulation is
even more cost-effective, taking on around 2 years to repay the
installation cost of £100 to £350.
2. Solar Water Heating - 30% of the average household
heating bill is spent on heating water. Installing thermal solar
panels to preheat domestic hot water can provide up to half the
annual hot water requirement of the average family. Typical savings
from a well-installed and properly used system are £55per year when
replacing gas heating and £80 per year when replacing electric
immersion heating. Installation costs range from £3,000 to £5,000.
Once installed there is little maintenance required; just an annual
service to ensure the controls and glycol levels are sufficient. To
get the most out of your panels the ideal orientation is due south
at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees, and failing that, a west-facing
panel is preferred over east.
3. Water recycling - Water recycling methods can save
between 30% to 50% of a home's water requirements. There are 2 types
of water recycling methods: greywater recycling systems and
rainwater harvesting. Greywater recycling systems can cost up to
£3,000 and rainwater harvesting systems from £1,800. Greywater
recycling collects used water from showers, baths and washbasins and
once treated can be used for purposes that do not require
drinking-water quality; such as flushing toilets and watering
gardens. Whereas rainwater harvesting gathers rainwater from the
roof and can be used again for purposes that do not require
drinking-water quality, such as washing clothes, or the car. Both
options will reduce your water bills significantly.
4. Heat pumps - A heat pump is an ecological alternative to a
conventional boiler for providing space heating and in some
instances, domestic hot water. A heat pump works best when combined
with low temperature heat emitters such as underfloor heating. Heat
pumps work by extracting heat from 1 place and moving it to another,
in the same way that a refrigerator cools the air inside the fridge,
and expels it via metal elements at the back. The 2 most popular
forms of heat pump for domestic use are air source; which extracts
energy from the air, and ground source which extracts energy from
the ground (heated by the sun). Their efficiency is measured by the
coefficient of performance (CoP); this is the ratio of units of heat
output for each unit of electricity used. Average performance rates
range from 2.5 to 3.5, so you save 2.5 to 3.5 units of fossil fuels
for every 1 unit of electricity consumed by the heat pump.
Installing a typical heat pump system costs between £9,000 to
£17,000. The amount save on fuel bills will depend on the type of
fossil fuel being replaced and the unit cost. Energy saving trust
estimate the energy savings at £130 per year when replacing gas,
£620 per year when replacing electricity, £310 per year when
replacing oil and £330 when replacing solid fuel. The savings are
based on a CoP of 3.
5. Biomass - For those living away from the mains gas supply and
relying on off mains fuel, such as heating oil, lpg or electricity,
biomass is a fuel choice that is both green and inexpensive. 5 years
ago fuel oil was less than 20p per litre. It is now more than 63p;
that is a rise of 175%. Using biomass fuel can be cheaper either by
installing a biomass boiler in place of a conventional boiler, or
simply by substituting some existing space heating with solid fuel
stoves. A standalone stove can cost around £5,800 and fuel can cost
as little as £35 per tonne of logs bought locally. Using a biomass
system can improve your CO2 emissions by up to 9.5 tonnes per year
compared to a solid coal fired system or electric storage heating.
Biomass is a carbon neutral fuel burning plant material, the CO2 it
emits when burnt is the same amount as when it grew therefore the
effect to the planet is neutral.
6. Low-energy lighting - Energy saving light bulbs can last up
to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs. They cost as little as £3
each and can save around £55 per year. High wattage incandescent
lighting is soon to be a thing of the past and is slowly being
phased out. 100w and 60w lamps are no longer available as of last
year because they are considered to be a waste of electricity as
only around 5% of the energy consumed is turned into light. Lighting
that is more energy efficient is being promoted such as LEDs (light
emitting diodes) and CFLs (compact fluorescent lights).
7. Energy Efficient Boilers - Replacing an old boiler with a
modern energy efficient boiler will reduce fuel bills significantly.
Typical installation cost for a gas boiler is £2,300 according to
The Energy Savings Trust, which estimates the saving to be £105 to
£300 depending on how old and inefficient your existing boiler is.
Savings on a modern oil fired boiler will be even greater.
8. Secondary glazing - Giving period windows a makeover by
ensuring they fit the frames correctly, adding draught seals and
replacing any missing or cracked panes of glass will make a very
significant difference to their energy performance. It is also worth
considering adding secondary glazing; which can bring the
performance of original period windows up to the standards of modern
double glazing. A whole house costs can cost from as little as £700
with savings of around £100 per year.
9. Under floor heating - Running costs for under floor
heating tend to be between 10% to 30% cheaper than a radiator based
system. The reason being, the emitter (the floor) has a larger
surface area then the standard radiator, and so it requires the
water to be heated to a lower temperature to achieve the same
output. It's also very comfortable and space efficient, making it
very popular with self-builders and extenders. Installing under
floor heating can cost around £2,000 more than conventional
radiators. However, many DIYers lay the piping themselves which
helps to keep the cost down.
10. Green finishes - Natural finishes are the next step in
continuing the eco theme throughout the home. There is little point
in installing eco friendly and efficient systems and contradicting
your good work by using conventional paints high in toxins and
chemicals. Natural or organic paints are non-toxic and are made from
natural ingredients such as water, vegetable oils, plant dyes and
natural minerals. Conventional paints are based on solvents
containing VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which are emitted when
the solvent evaporates. This has been linked to health problems such
as allergies and respiratory problems. Eco paints are non-toxic are
considered 'low-VOC' (low volatile organic compounds) and are
therefore a good eco alternative. A 5lt tin of eco paint will cost
around £35. Although this may be around £10 more than conventional
paints.
For more information on a greener approach to home improvement,
visit the National Home Improvement Show, from 28 September to 30
September 2012, at Olympia, London. See:-
improveyourhomeshow.co.uk
for more information and ticket prices. |
|
Rail
electrification work sparks new car park
A hospice close to
Eccleston Park Railway Station has benefitted from a multi-million
pound project to electrify railway lines in the North West.
Willowbrook Hospice, which cares for people over 18 years of age,
living in the St Helens and Knowsley area who have life-limiting
illnesses, now has a brand new car park. This will allow the hospice
to push ahead with expansion plans for the vital services they
provide. The electrification project includes the line between
Huyton and Wigan, and involves suspending 25,000 volt power lines
above the railway tracks for future electric train services. 2
bridges that carry Portico Lane and Old Lane over the railway line
have had to be rebuilt because there was insufficient headroom to
accommodate the power lines. Now the 6 month project is complete,
the 2 bridges have been reconstructed and the hospice has a new 39
space Tarmac-covered car park with kerbs, white lines and provision
for lighting. Bethan Burnett, project management assistant with
Network Rail, explained:- "We would prefer to lower the track
to give us enough room for the power lines, because that causes
virtually no disruption to the local community. However, in some
cases that is simply not possible and we have to rebuild the
bridges, as we did in Eccleston Park." Network Rail and its
contractor J Murphy & Son needed somewhere they could set up a site
compound close to Portico Lane and the hospice had spare land, which
it agreed could be used in return for building the car park. Neil
Wright, chief executive of the hospice, said:- "The hospice
celebrates the 15th anniversary of its opening this year. When it
was opened in 1997, the local community was very generous in raising
funds to provide a building and facilities to meet the requirements
at that time. Since then, the demand for our services has increased
and we now care for over 1000 patients a year. Over the last three
years, we have built 2 extensions, improving our outpatient and day
therapy facilities, but there is now a desperate need to consider
increasing the number of beds we provide in order to support local
people. The increasing demand for our services has meant more
patients, more visitors, more healthcare workers and more volunteers
which has, in turn, put a lot of pressure on car parking on site.
The new car park provided by Network Rail and Murphy, with a
contribution from the hospice, was an unexpected boost and is a
great example of the socially responsible manner in which Network
Rail and Murphy conduct their business. Many local people will
benefit from the improvement to the rail service. The very generous
donation of our car park from Network Rail and Murphy will be a
long-lasting legacy for years to come and may just be the catalyst
needed to help expand the number of beds at the hospice."
Network Rail took the opportunity to thank local residents for their
patience during the work and road closures that were necessary over
the last 6 months.
SYNEXUS OFFERING WOMEN OVER 60 IN
MERSEYSIDE A COMPLIMENTARY SCAN TO DETECT OSTEOPOROSIS
SYNEXUS is said to be the world's largest
multinational company, dedicated to the successful recruitment and
running of
clinical studies and it is currently recruiting patients for a new
Osteoporosis study. Part of its new campaign is offering women on
Merseyside who are age of 60 and have not already been diagnosed
with Osteoporosis or taking medication for it, a complimentary scan
to detect whether they have the condition. Osteoporosis is a
condition that affects the bones, causing them to become weak and
fragile and more likely to break (fracture). These fractures most
commonly occur in the spine, wrist and hip. Approximately 3 million
people in the UK are thought to have osteoporosis, and there are
over 230,000 fractures every year as a result. DXA scans, which are
a special type of X-ray that measure bone density, are most commonly
used to diagnose osteoporosis. They can also be used to assess the
risk of osteoporosis developing[2]. Synexus has extensive experience
in conducting clinical studies for Osteoporosis and has performed
DXA scans on over 7000 patients in the last year alone. As part of
Synexus' recruitment campaign for a new Osteoporosis study that it
is undertaking, it is offering complimentary DXA scans to women over
the age of 60, who have not already been diagnosed with the
condition or taking medication for it, at it's Dedicated Research
Centre in Merseyside, between now and the end of October (2012). The DXA scans take about 10 to 20 minutes and involve lying on a couch
whilst the arm of the machine passes over the body; it does not
involve being enclosed in a mechanical tunnel and the scan is simple
and painless.
10 hopeful finalists storm into
the Street Dancer Final at The Printworks
THE auditions were very tough, the judges were
ruthless and the acts were stronger than ever! This weekend Street
Dancer came back with a bang, with 10 finalists have making it
through the tough audition and will now battle it out for the £1000
prize.
The acts all from Greater Manchester ranged from age 9 to age 30,
all with one thing on their mind; to win. What they would do with
the prize differed from buying new clothes to taking their family to
Disneyland. The 10 finalists that made it through were; Artifex, Lil
Miss Cait, Kids of Future, Avenue, Callum Harrison, Show Ghost, Ben
McGealey, Ella Bowness, Dancerboy and John McAttee.
The 10 finalists are now reliant on public voting via the Printworks
website as well as the judges' vote on the day. The public online
vote will count 25% towards of their score in the final on Saturday,
18 August 2012. Fans can register their vote at:-
theprintworks.com
The atmosphere was electric in The Printworks pump yard as 17 acts
battled it out to secure their place in the final. The esteemed
judging panel made up three of the dance industries finest were on
hand to give all contestants the best advice to help them on their
way. Rebbie Rosie who has danced with JLS, Jessie J, Rihanna and
been an X Factor Dancer; Nader Musharbash who has danced with Pink,
Pixie Lott and Cheryl Cole; and Chuck Denton, UK Hip Hop Dance
Champion and Semi Finalist of 2012's Got To Dance made up the
impressive and experienced panel.
In the final the acts will be judged by Isaac 'TURBO'
Baptiste. TURBO made it to the semi-finals of Got to Dance in 2011
but since then has soured in popularity in the dance world with his
own unique dance style. TURBO will be in the hot seat dishing out
his wise words to the finalists. TURBO has previously danced for
Madonna, Will Smith and Whitney Houston so brings a wealth of
experience to the competition.
Fred Booth, The Printworks Centre Director enthused:- "Street
Dancer is a real highlight in The Printworks calendar. The crowds
were fantastic, getting behind all of the acts and yet again the
level of talent was outstanding. I can't wait for the 18th to see
the stage light up again in the final. We can't wait to see who will
win 2012's Street Dancer final and watch them walk away with £1000
to put towards achieving their dreams."
The public can now vote for their favourite act on the Printworks
website and these votes will count 25% towards the final result on
18 August 2012. The finale is set to be one of highlights of
Manchester's entertainment calendar with the crème de la crème of UK
dance talent on the judging panel. The final will be held at 2pm on
Saturday, 18 August 2012, in the Pump Yard of The Printworks.
WITNESS APPEAL: MAN STABBED -
KIRKSTONE ROAD NORTH, LITHERLAND
MERSEYSIDE Police who are investigating a
stabbing after a man was found with stab injuries in Litherland, on
Monday, 6 August 2012 are asking for help. The Officers were called
to Bradley Road in Litherland, shortly before 10pm, following
reports that a 21 year old man had been found injured in the street.
On arrival officers found the victim with stab wounds to his upper
body. It is believed he may have been attacked in Kirkstone Road
North near the shops in Anderson Way before walking along Bark Road
onto Bradley Road, where he was seen by a member of the public, who
called Police. The victim was taken to hospital by paramedics in a
serious but stable condition. His injuries are not believed to be
life-threatening. During a search of the area officers found a 2nd
person; a 16 year old male; in Church Road with minor injuries. He
was taken to hospital but discharged himself in the early hours of
the morning. It is believed that both victims had been drinking
together with friends at a house party in the area in the hours
before they were attacked. The motive for the attack is not clear at
this stage and officers are carrying out house to house enquiries in
the area to try and trace witnesses. Crime scene investigators have
attended and detectives are viewing CCTV footage from the
surrounding area. A 17 year old man has been arrested on suspicion
of affray by officers investigating the incident. Anyone who
witnesses the incident or has any information that could help the
Police catch the people responsible is asked to call Sefton CID on:-
101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on:- 0800 555 111. |