As winters are getting colder and summers come with record high temperatures, we may think more and more about the comfort of a well-insulated and well-ventillated house.

Today, many companies are working on incorporating simple and easy techniques in order to achieve the best ventilation and insulation for more sustainable buildings.

As an example, cooling of spaces can consume a significant amount of energy and there are a number of innovations already available that can replace traditional air-conditioning systems.

Recent Ashden-Award-winner Monodraught has developed a low-energy cooling and ventilation system called COOLPHASE. It utilises the features of so-called Phase Change Materials (PCM), which can absorb thermal energy from their environment and hence enable the cooling of the room. Running costs of the system are said to be 90 per cent lower than traditional methods, and it’s very efficient as at night it re-charges the PCMs inside the equipment.

Natural ventilation is also a hot topic. The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers even has a special interest group focusing on this area. One of the companies working in this field is Breathing Buildings, offering a range of natural ventilation products, including the e-stack system that keeps air exchange between the interior and the outside to a minimum in cold conditions, while in warmer weather it increases the ventilation rate to avoice overheating.

A significant number of houses are not insulated, and in these about 45 per cent of heat loss is through the walls. Hence insulation could mean a serious tool in reducing wasted energy levels and lowering bills.

For some, home insulation is equal to mess and inconvenience due to the construction work, while sometimes internal insulation can’t be done at all because of planning restrictions. These issues have been addressed by the new insulation technology called WHISCERS, developed by United House and Sustainable Energy Academy for houses with solid walls. The process is simple: dimensions of walls are mapped with a laser scanner, then insulation boards are cut exactly to measure and delivered to the location. This can happen within only 24 hours. When the boards are there, these are installed quickly and with minimum mess, so the life of residents is hardly disrupted.

These are only a few of the solutions that are already available for making buildings more sustainable. With the exponentially growing number of new technologies and innovations it is only a question of the willingness of residents to improve their homes – and save money.

• Some vegetables can be refreshed quickly by putting them into ice water for up to thirty minutes
• Onions and potatoes like cool, dry places and shoud be kept separetely and avoid placing them in the fridge as they will turn bad quicker
• Bananas are best hung up at room temperature as they turn black inside the fridge
• Make sure that vegetables and fruits are not stored in a plastic bag

The latest novelty for keeping food fresh is FreshPaper, a piece of paper infused with herbs and spices. When vegetables and fruits are stored on top of these paper sheets, they can last two to four times longer than otherwise. They can be used anywhere, inside or outside the fridge, in a fruit bowl – the opportunities are countless. The papers work until you can no longer smell their unique maple scent, and they are biodegradable and recyclable, of course.

Another option is the so-called ‘produce saver’ by reuseit.com. This product can also extend the shelf life of a product three to ten times, by absorbing the humidity and ethylene gas that is released by the ripening vegetable or fruit.

Overall, besides many traditional methods and tips and tricks, novel technology can also help avoid wasting precious food in our kitchens. What’s more they can also support families in developing countries who may not be able to afford the luxury of a fridge . Other environmental aspects to kitchen activities can also be considered, such as the environmental benefit of bulk buying to save packaging, as well as money. Take a look at Energy Saving Warehouse’s range of kitchen supplies to help you consider the environment through your purchases.

A recent pilot project in the Netherlands for example is investigating the possibility to collect and store summer heat underground and release it in the winter months to keep the bicycle lanes ice-free. The benefits could mean less salt used and probably more cyclists on the roads. [1]

In Northern countries, like Norway or Iceland, heated pavements are already well-established – in the latter one mainly fuelled by geothermal energy.

The company ICAX [2] has developed its unique ‘Solar Road Systems’, which collect the heat in the summer for road heating and de-icing in the winter. Their technology utilises the fact that black tarmac used on the road surfaces can heat up significantly in the sunshine, and by storing this heat – it can be used in colder months – for free. Their first successful trial in the UK took place under an access road to the M1 motorway at Toddington, Bedfordshire. Furthermore, the firm also claims to provide a solution for de-icing runways and parking stands at airports, potentially lowering disruption at busy terminals in snowy conditions. [3]

Another company, Solar Roadways from Idaho, USA [4] has tested specially designed glass panels, with multiple features. These contain LED lights – which could display for instance road signs – , while the heating elements can help melt snow and ice, improving winter driving conditions.

This system is currently quite expensive due to the materials used, but there are also some cheaper alternative methods being investigated. One of these is using photovoltaic panels and cells on the roads, with embedded pipes for storing energy until colder times. [4]

For a small town in Michigan, USA, this idea is nothing new. Here, waste heat from the local power station has been used in the underground pipes to melt the ice on the pavements since the installation of this system in 1988. [5]

Also, there are already many commercially available personal under-driveway and under-pavement melting systems and mats, but these are costly and may not be very environmentally-friendly.

Hence, if cold winters continue to be harsh, heated pavements could be seriously considered as one of the long-term solutions for easing winter problems.

[1] http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/winter-cyclists-heated-bike-lanes-would-be-true-bliss.html

[2] http://www.icax.co.uk/Solar_Roads.html

[3] http://www.icax.co.uk/Solar_Runways.html

[4] http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20030231-48.html

[5] http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/are-holland-michigans-heated-sidewalks-intelligent-infrastructure.html

Collaborative consumption means that people share or exchange their items, clothes, vehicles or even flats for the benefit of both parties, instead of buying them,. Although the term is not new, it has become more meaningful in recent years and in 2010 Time magazine named it as one of the 10 ideas that would change the world. [1] There is even a special day of the year celebrating it – the Global Sharing Day, which falls on 14^th November. [2]

Well-known services include Netflix, which is used for sharing video content,Zipcar for sharing cars or Airbnb – a platform, enabling search for privately rented properties. But one can participate in exchanging luxury homes in different parts of the world with Lovehomeswap, just sleep on someone’s couch with Couchsurfing, or share a taxi ride with Taxifortwo, or use the some else’s parking spot with Parkatmyhouse, and even nearby storage space can be found with Sharemystorage. Another new emerging service is Zopa, offering social lending by avoiding middlemen. Even eBay and Craigslist can be considered as part of the collaborative consumption movement.

Collaborative consumption allows a more sustainable lifestyle as it promotes the re-use and sharing of things instead of buying them. If it is necessary to purchase a new item then make sure you purchase as sustainable and energy efficient product as possible. In a world of finite resources and a growing population, this could help avoiding the mountains of unused stuff, and remind adults that sharing is important as we teach it to our children.

[1] http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2059521_2059717_2059710,00.html

[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/global-sharing-day-collaborative-consumption

Islands and coastlines are in a controversial position regarding climate change.

On one side, as we expect today ocean levels will rise significantly and coastal cities and regions, as well as islands, are threatened the most.

On the other hand, climate change also makes us more aware of the downsides of traditional fossil fuels and renewable energy are becoming more and more significant. Besides wind and solar, there is a further medium that can offer significant amount of energy: water. And islands and coastal areas are the best sites to take advantage of wave and tidal power, being surrounded by seas and oceans.

According to the World Energy Council the potential amount of energy that can be sourced from just waves is between 8-80,000 TWh globally, and up to 2000 TWh per year seems to be economically feasible today but technological innovations in the future could increase this figure. [1]

The waters around the UK have been identified as one of the best locations for both tidal and wave energy, with a potential of up to 60 GW of electricity – which is approximately 75 per cent of the total electricity needs in the UK currently. [2]

There are already a number of large-scale devices being tested and installed in the surrounding seas, with the two key areas being the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Park in Scotland and the South West Marine Energy Park between Bristol and Cornwall, which have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding about future co-operation.

Collaboration however can also extend across borders. The Marine Energy in Far Peripheral and Island Communities (MERiFIC) is a great example of international co-operation between the British and the French, involving members from Cornwall, Finistere, le Parc Naturel Marin d’Iroise and the Isles of Scilly. [3]

The MERiFIC initiative aims to investigate opportunities and threats, the economical and technical feasibility of marine energy utilisation in the area, besides a number of joint tests and research projects. Members, including the University of Exeter and University of Plymouth, have been working on developing a framework for other international partnerships that can be used by similar communities on other parts of the world.

International alliances like MERiFIC hence may mean a successful way of looking into the future in the renewable energy sector.

[1] http://www.worldenergy.org/documents/ser_2010_report_1.pdf

[2] http://www.renewableuk.com/en/renewable-energy/wave-and-tidal/index.cfm

[3] http://www.merific.eu/

This standard sets maximum values for energy consumption of space heating, cooling, primary energy usage, as well as the highest temperature inside and the level of air tightness – allowing virtually no air to leak from the house. These requirements can however vary in different countries due to different circumstances, for instance the age of existing buildings. [1]

Passive houses have to be designed and built precisely to the specifications – for maximum gain. The most important features include the specific positioning of walls in order to capture the most sunlight, or the super air tightness. Despite some myths windows on these houses can be opened but, due to excellent indoor air quality, the air ventilation system and other factors, it’s usually not needed.

Various materials are used for the construction and even the colour of the outside wall is suggested to improve efficiency through either absorption or reflection. Insulation has to be of highest standard and very thick, both at the walls and the roof.

Meanwhile, heating is hardly required as a Passivhaus also utilises the heat energy generated inside the building, for instance by various appliances. Thanks to the careful design interior temperature does not go below 15C [4] and due to the air tightness there are no cold spots or mould growth inside these buildings.

Lighting solutions are also energy-efficient, thanks to the use of solar-powered lights outside or LED lamps inside – amongst others. [1] [2]

Another great advantage is that such houses can be built in any climate, and there are now over 30,000 such homes all over the world. [2] [5]

Also, the main criticism of being very expensive is addressed by the continuously decreasing construction costs, while savings could be enormous. In the case of a UK office building, the company Interserve in Leicester managed to save GBP 26,000 at their annual energy costs after moving into a Passivhaus. [1]

Thus, passive houses may mean homes of the future for us or our companies, offering significant energy savings, which is also important for our wallets.

[1] Energy World, March 2012, “Passivhaus in the UK – an alternative to zero carbon”, page 32-34

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house

[3] http://www.passivhaus.org.uk/

[4] http://passipedia.passiv.de/passipedia_en/basics/building_physics_-_basics/thermal_comfort

[5] http://passipedia.passiv.de/passipedia_en/basics/building_physics_-_basics/thermal_comfort

3D printing  is essentially layers of specific materials – mainly plastic -, printed on top of each other with a special device, enabling the creation of virtually any kind of object. [1] For years it has been used for developing prototypes, for example by architects, but now it’s becoming more mainstream. One of the world’s largest consumer printer manufacturers, HP has already launched 3D printers [2], and MIT’s researchers have been conducting trials by printing food and working clocks with every little detail included. [4]

A key market player today is MakerBot Industries, offering 3D printers for personal use, including the latest Replicator, and the Thing-O-Magic models. These can print shoes, jewellery, toys, everyday items for the kitchen or the bathroom or anything you can think of. [3] It’s also very handy if small parts or components break or go missing, which would be very expensive or even impossible to replace.

Schematics and blueprints are already freely available for everyone to download, thanks to a whole community that has been developed around MakerBot, sharing the designs of toys or art pieces. [6]

3D printing also offers several environmental benefits. It could reduce or virtually eliminate local and inter-continental shipping and packaging costs. Also, MakerBot’s community is already working on further developments, for instance how to re-cycle or use leftover plastic in order to reduce waste. It has even been claimed that 3D printing can stop over-production as only items that are actually needed are ‘manufactured’ [5] avoiding stock remaining in warehouses. In the meantime, you can reduce the environmental impact of your conventional printing by using recycled paper and greener ink cartridges.

3D printing thus could really change our shopping habits and our life in the very near future.

[1] http://www.forumforthefuture.org/greenfutures/articles/will-3d-printers-see-end-consumerism

[2] http://www.3dprinting.co.uk/

[3] http://store.makerbot.com/

[4] http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/3d-printing-0914.html

[5] http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/nov/17/3d-printing-throwaway-culture

[6] http://www.thingiverse.com/

Kilowatts, kilojoules, litres, gallons, Celsius and Fahrenheit – have you ever got confused on how much energy you actually save by living greener? Do you understand what these metrics mean at all or are they just numbers with no real meanings?

An already well-established ‘universal calculation’ is carbon footprinting – offered by many organisations. The basis is adding up the carbon-dioxide emissions from various activities, including those by eating meat, driving a car, travelling or just turning the heating up at home. This calculation also helps companies to see their ‘footprint’ in their environment, and so help them at making sustainable decisions.

A new company now wants to make an even simpler and easier system that should be more understandable for everyone.

Energy Points [1] is a software company offering various products, mainly for companies, to be able to track and compare their savings in various areas (water, electricity, vehicles, renewable energy installations, waste, fuel) by introducing just one metric: Energy Points, which is the amount of energy embodied in a gallon of gasoline, equalling 3.9 litres. This unit is more graspable to most of us who owns and uses a car regularly, making us related better to the sustainable lifestyle.

Besides general areas of life, like driving, eating or heating, Energy Points could also stand for how much energy is needed for pumping, desalinating or treating water, as well as how much is necessary for treating waste or for the life cycle analysis of an item. Exact location and the method of generation are also taken into account.

The company then offers a whole platform and detailed analytics using these Energy Points to enable organisations to make comparable decisions regarding investments or even organisational changes.

There are also other energy and impact measuring methods. The Energy Saving Warehouse [2] offers the LeSTO Energy Saving Survey, which can help anyone at home or in the office at becoming more energy efficient. For this one only has to fill out a detailed survey on the site and then improve the lifestyle.

[1] http://www.energypoints.com/resources/faq/

[2] http://www.energysavingwarehouse.co.uk/energysurvey/

Urban heat islands develop in cities when due to human activities the temperature is much higher than that of the surrounding environment. This is mainly caused by the type of materials used for buildings, roads, pavements – especially concrete and asphalt. Water cannot filter into the ground easily, and dark materials absorb light and then later in the day emit it as heat. Cars, air conditioners, and other equipment also release heat while operating, further increasing the temperature – and pollution. [2]

This temperature difference can be quite high – up to 12C degrees in the night – and it has various effects.

According to the USA’s Environmental Protection Agency [1] heat island effect not only increases energy costs, but also air pollution grows, and in the summer heat-related illnesses and deaths are more frequent and also water quality can suffer.

Some of the solutions for easing the problem include adding more parks and green surfaces, as well as green roofs [rooftop gardens]. Buildings could be painted with lighter colours and pavements can also be built in a more efficient way, for example by using alternative materials [1].

Hence, there are ways to reduce the urban heat island effect but it cannot be totally eliminated. While many believe that it’s also driving climate change, it significantly affects the lives of the residents – both financially and personally.

[1] http://www.epa.gov/hiri/

[2] http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/urban-heat-island1.htm

Co-operatives are traditionally an efficient and successful way for communities that aim to live or work with certain benefits through co-operation. Co-operatives are usually created by people working, living together or by those consuming products or services as a group.

Utility co-operatives have been around in the US since the New Deal [1] but recently there are more and more such co-operatives set up all around the world, which focus on green and alternative energy usage.

These co-ops provide an opportunity for local people to invest into various projects, for example setting up new solar panels or a wind turbine. Then, the co-operative provides interest for these investors from feed-in-tariffs or by selling electricity.

In Germany, the number of energy co-operatives has tripled to more than 600 in two years, with over 80,000 active members. [2] The largest of these is EWS, where 99.2 per cent of the electricity comes from renewable sources and 0.8 per cent is from the co-generation of heat and power (CHP). [3]

But Germany is not alone. In the UK, there are also an increasing number of such community initiatives.

Brixton Energy [5] already has two existing solar projects in the Loughborough Estate with hundreds of square metres of solar panels, while Community Energy Warwick [6] raised enough money for solar panels to be placed on the roofs of the Stratford upon Avon and Warwick hospitals. Meanwhile, the Brighton Energy Co-op recently set up “the largest solar system in Sussex”, with installations in Shoreham-by-sea, Portslade and Brighton. [7]

But the list goes on: Leominster Community Solar, Ovesco, Bath & West Community Energy, Westmill Wind Farm, Baywind Energy, Hockerton Housing Project, Boyndie Wind Farm, and many others – with a total of 75 utility co-ops listed with Co-operatives UK [8].

Renewable energy co-operatives thus could mean the future for renewables with local communities joining forces to gain access to cheap (or free) energy sources by working together.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_cooperative

[2] European Energy Review, ‘A Christmas Energy Story’, http://www.europeanenergyreview.eu/site/pagina.php?id=4006

[3] http://www.ews-schoenau.de/sauberer-strom/stromherkunft.html

[4] http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-10/22/community-energy-initiatives

[5] https://brixtonenergy.co.uk/projects/

[6] http://www.cew.coop/?page_id=343

[7] http://www.brightonenergy.org.uk/

[8] http://www.uk.coop/directory/all?region=All&city=&category=Utilities&member_status_6=All&member_type_63=All&trading=&keywords=&industry_65=All