GBRC

Undeterred by overcast and showery skies, I joined the GBR expert panel at Start@Kew and I have to say, I really enjoyed the day!

It is common knowledge these days that our homes produce over a quarter of the UK's carbon emissions and for the past 15 years Government, industry and local authorities have struggled to enthuse people to reduce those emissions. Why? Because the key to reducing emissions is to reduce the amount of energy a home needs to stay warm and well lit and let's face it; that is just not that exciting. Unfortunately, with the impacts of climate change and higher energy prices knocking on our door the urgency has never been greater to reduce our energy use and emissions.

With World Environment Day having gotten us all thinking last weekend, Lydia Sharples of energy saving advice website Thinkinsulation.com discusses why consumers must act now to future-proof their homes. Here she offers her own expert hints and tips about how to get your property brimming with energy efficiency features and maximise the savings made on your household energy bills long after you’ve made energy efficiency improvements to your home.

As household fuel bills continue to rise, home energy efficiency is an increasingly popular talking point.   The average home can save about £300 a year by being energy efficient, according to the Energy Saving Trust and measures such as mending broken boilers, closing curtains at night and fitting energy saving light bulbs will all help save energy.  However, before you do any of this, installing insulation is an essential first step.  It is one of the most effective ways of reducing heat loss and helping to make energy bills more affordable.

In my first blogpost, I described the work we had done in our Bristol Victorian Semi and our experience of Refit West and Bristol Green Doors. This time, I'm looking at what its like to live there, and what we learnt through the whole process.

I've long wanted to improve the carbon performance of our family's home, but never had either the money or the expertise to tackle it seriously.

I talk about insulation a lot. Perhaps I'm just getting older, or geekier or sadder. Perhaps all those are true but its also true that low carbon homes are the hottest environmental topic of the moment, and while insulation is far from the whole picture it is a massive part of it.

We, in the Huntingdonshire District Council have teamed up with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) as part of their ‘Rethinking Refurbishment’ campaign to demonstrate how typical family homes can be refurbished affordably and easily, not only to reduce carbon emissions but to be cheaper, comfortable and more efficient to run.