GBRC

Well, things looked promising as sat down for our movie shortlisting session.

Last July, we published Tina’s blog on her eco-refurb project and on some trouble she had with getting planning permission. Now that this is all over, she is back to tell us about her project’s progress.

Next year – after the UK Energy Bill is granted Royal Assent– there should be a finance mechanism by which homeowners could get energy efficiency measures – like insulation and heating systems – installed in their homes without paying any upfront costs. They will make repayments through the resultant savings to their energy bill savings. This mechanism is called Pay as You Save (PAYS) and is the central tenet of the Green Deal.

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!

Start is an initiative inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales which aims to reach out to as many people as possible with the message that sustainability is something that everyone can be part of and - like every great journey - can 'start' with a single step.

When filling out an application form recently I felt somewhat discombobulated when it came to the 'occupation' entry. Property developer or environmental campaigner? Environmental campaigner or property developer? They don't at first glance seem to marry particularly well. But they do, thankfully. Absolutely and utterly.

Aside from wanting to carry out a low energy refurbishment for environmental reasons, we also wanted the benefits of living in a comfortable and healthy house with low heating bills.