GBRC

I recently joined Kevin McCloud and Greg Barker – Minister of State for energy and climate change – for a live webinar in which we were discussing the Green Deal, with the debate fed by questions from you. It was an interesting and stimulating discussion as if the Government gets it right, the Green Deal will not only provide an affordable way to renovate the UK's housing stock and make our homes less energy intensive, but it could also improve their aesthetic appeal, and mitigate sky high energy bills.

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.

The grand unveiling of our house happened just four weeks after the start of the eco-refurbishments. Representatives of the press, campaign supporters, and competition sponsors joined in with the celebrations at our house, as Campaign Director Simon McWhirter handed us back the keys to our 75% more energy efficient home.

No sooner than Cat and I had spent our first weekend in perfect comfort, I had been whisked over to Earl's Court in London for the 2010 EcoBuild conference. Speaking on a panel with Great British Refurb Campaign representative, Simon McWhirter, and representatives from Campaign sponsors Keepmoat, and Knauf Insulation, Journalist and BBC Radio 4's presenter of the Today Programme, Justin Webb, chaired a packed theatre discussion about eco-home refurbishment. Our house, The Home of the Future, was presented as a real example of the energy savings, emissions reductions and improvements to the quality of living than can be achieved in a typical Victorian terrace.

It seems like yesterday that Keepmoat workers descended on our home in Bristol, packed up belongings and stripped out old doors and kitchen and bathroom fittings. It's incredible to think of the extent of the refurbishments that have been achieved in such a short time frame - hats off to Keepmoat, SolarCentury and Knauf Insulation for working together to pull it off in such good time!

We had a lot of fun on our first day back in the house, with sponsors, parents, film crews and reporters all admiring the changes. We've only spent a few days back in the house now, but we're in no doubt that the house is a lot warmer and more comfortable in each room than we could have achieved prior to the refurb - no matter how much heating we may have wanted to use.

The refurbishment is well underway at our house in Bristol, which will make it the 10:10 and Great British Refurb Campaign's Home of the Future. 

A notable change so far has been the arrival of vast quantities of Knauf Insulation.

It’s been a busy few days for the Grand Designs Great British Refurb Campaign.  We’ve been rushed off our feet.  First, there was the Manchester House refurbishment followed by Kevin McCloud appearing at the Tory Conference to tell them how important a programme of eco-refurbishment is for the UK’s existing house stock.  This was accompanied by the Great British Refurb Campaign’s very own Simon McWhirter appearing on the big screen as part of the Manchester House video

Then it was down to Birmingham and Grand Designs Live. On Friday afternoon Kevin appeared on stage with Colin Butfield from WWF and Marian Spain from the Energy Saving Trust as part of the Big Debate.  Both they and the audience were able to quiz Greg Clark MP, Conservative spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change (we quizzed Ed Miliband in London earlier this year). It was a lively debate with huge interest from the audience. A well informed bunch who were not going to let Greg Clark off the hook easily as they questioned him on exactly what the Tory policy was and where, in their opinion, its weaknesses lie.