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Hi, Roz here, your Homeowners Club Secretary,
This latest newsletter is all about making your home and everyday life more eco-friendly. Not only will you be helping to save the planet for our children’s children, but could result in you enjoying a more comfortable and cheaper lifestyle. We hope you find something here of use and interest.
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| Gary Nevile finally gets permission to build his own eco-home |
Now that Gary Neville has retired from first class football with Manchester United, no doubt much of his time will be devoted to building his own eco-home. Much derided in the press as something more akin to where the Teletubbies live, his new eco-house certainly has some impressive eco-friendly credentials.
The four-bedroom, 8,000sq ft home will be divided into six petal sections. Each will have a theme - eat, relax, entertain, work, sleep and play. The property will include rain water-harvesting, solar photovoltaic panels to generate electricity and thermal mass insulation to help preserve heat. Ground and air-source heating will iron out temperature fluctuations. Construction work, using traditional building methods and locally sourced materials, will start next year.
More on this story can be seen at the Daily Mail article from May 2011
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| Rechargeable Batteries |
| Purchase rechargeable batteries and a battery recharger (some battery rechargers will also recharge regular alkaline batteries). Solar powered battery rechargers are available online. |
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Get inspired and see how you can reduce the amount of energy used in your home, save money and become more Eco Friendly with B&Q. Follow the Eco House project to see latest developments, watch videos, share stories and more!
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| It pays to be green |
The government is chipping in to make costs of improving home energy less of a burden. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said: "With energy prices ramping up people want to know how they can keep their bills down. As well as shopping around for the best energy deal, insulating your home can also save you money straight away.
"We've told energy companies to do far more to help consumers cut their bills and while these figures show a mixed picture across Britain, they also show that millions of homes are already benefitting.
"For those who haven't yet insulated their home, I'd really recommend them to pick up the phone, call the Energy Saving Trust and check out the help available to cut bills.
"To make energy efficiency far easier in the future, from next year we'll be launching a national energy home improvement programme called the Green Deal. It will make energy efficiency work more affordable, removing the upfront costs and allowing people to repay through savings on their bills."
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| Borrow From Friends |
| If you only need something temporarily, ask if a friend or neighbour would loan it to you. |
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Finishing touches - 26/07/11
We’re currently painting the home and its slowly coming back to life. The look and feel, including the furniture is being managed by our B&Q interior designer. We’re going for a modern spin on the country cottage look for the home.
Click here for more updates |
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| Slow down and be a greener driver |
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If you cut down on your speed and ease off the accelerator when on the motorway, you are not only probably driving safer but saving energy with improved fuel consumption. According to the experts, cars reach their best fuel efficiency at around 55 to 60 miles per hour. Because wind drag gets exponentially worse at higher speeds, going faster than 55 to 60 mph can significantly decrease your fuel efficiency. Car manufacturers will often quote this speed range when giving typical fuel consumption figures for their cars.
So reducing speed and you save money in better fuel efficiency and help reduce those pesky carbon emissions. (I'd like the opportunity to do 55 mph in the rush hour on the M25, ed.)
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| Kitchen Reuseables |
| Instead of buying these items new, save and reuse all: paper bags, rubber bands, twisties, boxes, and packaging material. Reuse your plastic bags with a handy bag dryer. |
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| Eco-homes from 1970's meet 2016 zero carbon targets |
Here's an interesting feature we found at the Building.co.uk web-site: "Pioneering council scheme in Salford uses a quarter of the heating energy of a typical UK home, study reveals. A low-energy council housing scheme built in the 1970s could meet 2016 zero carbon targets according to a study published today.
The homes were designed by Salford University for the local council in the late 1970s and were monitored last year by the university to see if energy performance had deteriorated over time. The research revealed the homes used a quarter of the heating energy of a typical UK home and 60% of the energy needed to heat a home built to 2010 building regulations.
The homes were commissioned by the council in the 1970s in a bid to reduce fuel poverty. A pair of semi-detached houses and a terrace of six homes were built. A further 200 homes were subsequently built in the 1980's. According to the research these homes were built within government cost guidelines for social housing at the time.
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| Frugal Printing |
| Use both sides of each piece of paper -- for note taking or printing documents from your computer (at home or work). Create note pads by stapling together once-used paper. |
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| Festival of eco-gardening at Southport Flower Show |
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On the eco theme of this newsletter one of our Gardeners Club team spotted this news item from Southport Visitor.co.uk: This year's Southport Flower show promises to be the greenest yet.
The event, which takes place from August 18-21 is minimising its carbon footprint, and celebrating the best of eco-gardening. This year's show is a chance to stroll down memory lane, through gardens of the past.
It seems in the last few years there's been an increase in the number of people who are growing their own fruit and vegetables. This is a very 'greenfingered' thing to do.
Find out more at www.southportflowershow.co.uk. |
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Cheers,
Roz, your Homeowners Club secretary |
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| B&Q Eco House details correct at time of broadcast |
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