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Questions & Answers about Eco-friendly homes          

Solar panels 

solar panelsSolar panels are devices that capture the energy of the sun. They are often fitted to a building’s roof (usually facing south) and produce energy even on cloudy days. There are two types of solar panels: solar hot water panels and solar photovoltaic panels (which provide electricity).

Solar hot water panels 
Solar hot water panels heat water which passes behind the panels in tubes and is then transferred to a storage tank (e.g. a hot water cylinder). During the summer, solar panels can typically produce all the hot water your household needs.  

 

Solar photovoltaic panels
Solar photovoltaic panels contain solar cells that convert light to electricity. Photovoltaic panels can be mounted on a rooftop or they can replace other roofing materials such as tiles.


Making money
You can connect photovoltaic panels to the national grid and sell unused electricity. 

Remote areas
If you live in a remote area and are off the grid, you can store any unused electricity generated by solar photovoltaic panels in a battery bank. (As battery output is direct current and most household appliances are alternating current, you will need an inverter to convert the battery output to alternating current). During long periods of bad weather, however, the batteries may go flat so you may need a back-up diesel or petrol generator. 


What’s the cost?

Do I need planning permission?
You may need planning permission to install solar panels, especially if your property is a listed building or in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Contact your local planning department to make sure.

 

 

 

What is an eco or environmentally friendly home?

Environmentally friendly homes have some features in common, they could include for instance:

  • Higher than normal levels of insulation.
  • Natural materials used in the building, e.g., timber framed, wool insulation, straw bale walls, organic paints.
  • Solar thermal hot water heating systems on the roof.
  • Photovoltaic panels on the roof for generating electricity.
  • Wood fired central heating systems.
  • Rainwater harvesting for flushing the WC.
  • Greywater collection (from sinks and bath) for watering the garden.
  • Composting toilet.
  • Large amounts of glazing to allow lots of daylight.
  • Heat recovery systems for space heating.
  • Passive solar orientation - where the house benefits from a southerly orientation, gaining free light and heat,
  • this is normally allied to larger amounts of glazing facing south and smaller amounts to the north elevations.

 

 

Why are eco homes better than conventional ones?

Depending on the type of eco home they are cheaper to run; they should use less energy and therefore

have lower carbon emissions; they should hold their values longer; they should outlast conventional homes;

they are healthier to live in with more daylight and less off-gassing of chemicals in the building fabric,

such as VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in paint, and formaldehyde in MDF (medium-density fibreboard),

and better more controlled internal temperatures; they are less harmful to the environment.

 

Are eco homes more expensive to buy, and do they hold their resale value?

Not necessarily. Some have been constructed for less than the cost of a conventional home, some for more,

so in general the price should not be substantially different. The experiences of developers and homeowners

suggest that they will hold their resale value- especially because there are so few available on the market.

What simple things can I do to make my current house more environmentally friendly?

  • Switch to an energy supplier offering energy from renewable sources. Switching takes about five minutes,
  • we recommend Good Energy as they supply 100% green energy and not a mixture as some companies do.
  • Switch your light bulbs to low energy light bulbs.
  • Ensure that your home is well insulated in the loft and via cavity wall insulation, for more information go to
  • www.thinksulation.co.uk.
  • Upgrade your appliances to those with an ‘A’ Rating.
  • Install radiator reflector panels to minimise heat loss.

 

 

        

   UPGRADE  TODAY !

 

      Home insulation & glazing can make a huge difference to your fuel bills -

      and it needn't cost a lot

 

Because around half of heat loss in a typical home is through the walls and loft, it's worth checking whether your's are insulated.

Insulating your cavity walls and loft can significantly reduce your utility bills, especially when combined with draught proofing,

tank and pipe insulation and energy saving glazing. There may also be grants and offers available to help you get properly insulated.

 

Cavity wall insulation

 

 

 

Cavity wall insulation is a fantastic way to significantly reduce the amount  of energy

you need to heat your home. The average house could reduce  heating costs by over a third.

In fact, between 2002 and 2005 around 800,000  households installed cavity wall insulation.

It is estimated that this will have  saved nearly 400,000 tonnes of CO2, enough to fill the new Wembley Stadium  47 times.

 

Solid wall insulation

Dry wall diagram  

 

 

Solid walls lose even more heat than cavity walls; the only way to reduce  this heat loss is to

insulate them on the inside or the outside.

 

 

Floor Insulation

 

 

 

If you've ever stepped from your bed in the morning still half asleep only to leap back

in again as soon as your warm pinkies touch the icy cold floor you'll know how a draughty home feels.

Gaps and draughts around skirting boards and floors are simple to fix yourself with a tube of sealant

 bought from most DIY stores.

 

Loft insulation

 

 

 

Without loft insulation you could be losing as much as a third of your heating costs through your roof.

Insulating your loft is a simple and effective way to reduce

 

 

Draught proofing

Draught proofing

 

 

 

If you can feel cold air coming in around the windows in your home it means warm air is escaping.

Sitting in a draught doesn't just give you a pain in the neck, in a typical home 20 per cent of all heat

loss is through poor ventilation and draughts.

 

 

Tanks and pipes insulation

 

 

 

Insulating your hot water cylinder is one of the simplest and easiest ways to save energy and money.

Fitting a British Standard 'jacket' around your cylinder will cut heat loss by over 75%. If you already

have a jacket fitted, check that it's at least 75mm thick. If not, it's well worth treating your old cylinder

to a new winter coat.

 

 

       Glazing   

 

 

Installing double glazing can cut heat loss through windows by half, but can take 50 -100 years to pay

for itself from svings in fuel bills.    If you live in a period house (1930s or earlier) be sure not to damage

your home's architecture - secondary glazing may be a better option.  

 

 

  Heating and hot water

Heating and hot water

 

 

 

 

Using a high efficiency condensing boiler with heating controls could save you between £190 and £240 a year.

It'll also significantly cut your home's CO2 emissions as boilers account for around 60 per cent of all domestic CO2 emissions.

 

 

 

 

Useful Links

ECOstreet.com

Energyfuture.org

The Yellow House

Solar Home Energy

EcoFriendlyHouse

 

General Links

 

Loans

 

www.linkingbuziness.com/links.php 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

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