Recently, I have been reading various inspirational books on how a low-carbon, energy efficient planet can be achieved.  The important thing to realise is that change is already happening at a much faster rate than previously thought possible.

‘Plan B 4.0’ from Lester R. Brown’s ‘Plan B’ series of books quotes environmentalist Paul Hawken in a 2009 college commencement address.  In recognising the enormity of the challenge facing us, he said: “First we need to decide what needs to be done.  Then we do it.  And then we ask if it is possible.”  Download the book as a free e-book or click here to buy it

Globally, the Transition Towns network (which began in Ireland by the way) is growing rapidly.  It is not a ‘we are doomed’ movement but a brilliant concept of how groups and communities can get together to create change and work towards a greener, healthier future. The name is perhaps misleading because ‘towns’ is not what it is all about – communities in areas ranging from small rural areas to large cities are all involved. To read more on this exciting movement check out the followling links; http://transitionculture.org and http://www.transitionstowns.org.

If you ar more of a book worm Rob Hopkin’s book ‘The Transition Handbook’  takes an in-depth look at the concepts behind the network, or Richard Heinberg’s book ‘Peak Everything’ offers more insight in to the background of the initiative. You should be able to borrow them both from your library.

Finally, and probably most importantly you can get involved in your local network by checking out http://transitiontownsireland.ning.com

More will be found on this and similar subjects later in my GreenMe blogs and at www.landmarkdesigns.org.uk

Ever since William Morris founded the Society for Protection of Buildings in 1877, architects and engineers have worked to conserve our built heritage where it is possible and feasible. Over time, conservation has become embedded in government policy and influences work done by bodies such as the National Trust and other specialist organisations including church bodies and preservation trusts. Archaeologists, ecologists and historians are also consulted in order to produce Conservation Plans.

What Must be Saved?…  The decision to save a building is not always easy. For example, current planning policy in Northern Ireland dictates that any rural building which appears to possess characteristics typical of vernacular architecture must be preserved. As a structural engineer, I am frequently called upon to report on whether old buildings can be retained as dwellings. In some cases the stone walls are ready to collapse, and in one old house, I found trees growing out from the wall cores. Over time, many old dwellings were abandoned and re-used to shelter livestock, leading to pollution and deterioration of the building fabric. Generally, if an old dwelling has remained weather-tight throughout its life, it stands a better than average chance as a conservation project. The question of whether to retain, replace or rebuild is a complex one, even for simple structures.
More will be found on this and similar subjects later in GreenMe blogs and at www.landmarkdesigns.org.uk

I have recently seen a few campaigns which aim for a greener future, and which might interest you. OK, I know that this is a slight departure from green building topics, but some of the campaigns below should ultimately affect how we build and run our homes in the not too distant future. Follow the links in the remainder of this post to give you hours of green surfing fun, enjoy!

Copenhagen Climate Change Conference …  The obvious topic is of course the forthcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen. This provides everyone with a chance to have a say in limiting global carbon output. In the UK, http://www.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk/en/subscribe is one place to register your name, assuming you agree with governmental objectives.
The Friends of the Earth website can be used to link your voice to their views. In the UK, http://www.foe.co.uk/climatetalks/petition.html provides a place to give your opinion. In Ireland, go to http://www.foe.ie/takeaction/email-john-gormley-and-brian-cowen/s/ to send your message to the policy makers.

Alternatively, The World Wildlife Fund have their slightly more complicated (but fun) way of making your point at http://facetheg8.panda.org/ and Oxfam’s campaign is at http://www.oxfam.org/en/campaigns/climatechange/petition   There are many others which focus on specific forest areas from Alaska to Sumatra if you feel like surfing the web for a while.

Green Social Networks …  For those of you into online social networking to discuss the issues, useful sites include http://www.hugg.com , http://www.care2.com/ , http://www.zaadz.com/ , http://www.dianovo.com , http://www.commoncircle.net/ , http://www.2people.org/ , while http://dotherightthing.com/ allows you to vote on ethical and environmental standards, and http://www.worldcoolers.org/ is a desktop application which allows you to participate in online rallies.

Previously I wrote about green’ walls. We can now have a closer look at some options. For those of us following the green house-building path, the particular choice of what to use to build external walls can require some thought on how costs balance with thermal efficiency. Natural materials from renewable or recycled sources are the obvious first choice for an eco-building. A possible design solution for a home that sits lightly on the planet would maybe include a slate or timber shingle roof on lime or clay rendered straw bale walls, all sitting on shallow stone foundations.

Material Properties …   An external wall need not be a cavity wall. We only need cavities where the materials are not very good at keeping out water or keeping in heat. The material must be structurally stable, should insulate thermally, be reasonably fire resistant and prevent moisture ingress. There are not many suitable natural materials for our climate which spring immediately to mind except perhaps logs however other materials can also be used if they are built and protected efficiently.

Straw Bale Walls …   These have gained much support in recent years, even in our own damp climate. They have been built in Ireland since 1996 and in the UK since 1994 and it is feasible to build two-storey load-bearing walls. Straw bale homes can potentially last for over 100 years, the bales lock up around 12 tonnes of CO2 in an average 3-bedroom house, they provide a low ‘U’ value of about 0.13 and are sourced from cheap excess agricultural produce. Not much wrong there then.

The key to success with the technique of course is good design and workmanship. There are a number of ways to build these walls but most nowadays will use some sort of framework (usually timber), make use of roof overhangs to protect the external face of the walls and will sit above ground level to avoid soaking up moisture. Natural renders will create warm, softly curved walls and will also provide an element of fire protection and deter the little critturs which might like to burrow in and create nests. (Compressed bales will minimise both of the above risks.)

Eco-Extensions …  External and internal straw bale walls can be built to extend your home too. Some factors need to be considered, such as differential settlement between the different structures and the thickness of the walls but these can be easily sorted out at the design stage. In the US, there are straw bale houses which are reckoned to have been standing for about 130 years. Have a look at these websites:

http://www.strawbale.com  (Excellent website with good information)
http://www.amazonails.org.uk  (Experienced straw bale builders)
http://www.strawbale-building.co.uk   (Good image gallery – UK and Ireland)

Whatever the outcome of the UK government’s strategy for the various proposed eco-town projects (it will probably be late summer before the final shortlist is announced) the eco-town initiative has generated some good ideas that may become standard solutions for future buildings. The principal message (as we all know by now) is that lifestyle

European Initiatives …  Architects, engineers, planners and sustainability experts are looking progressively more to the eco-towns on the continent as models of what could be achieved in Ireland or the UK . Projects in Germany (Freiberg), Denmark (Copenhagen) and Sweden (Malmö and Hammarby Sjöstad – suburbs of Stockholm) all demonstrate how lifestyle changes lead to reduced environmental impact. Check out architecture week for Tango Housing in Malmö by Moore Ruble Yudell Architects.

Green Lifestyle … People have changed the way they travel and the way they live domestically and they have managed to cut their energy use and carbon footprint without affecting their quality of life. This has persuaded the British government to cite them as inspiration for the UK’s own eco-town initiative.  In Ireland and the UK, we use power stations, import our fuel from outside the country and then throw all the heat away. In Holland and Germany, they are not afraid of being accused of taking the sensible approach and try to keep their energy within the community. In Sweden, historical ownership is not allowed to impede rational measures for sustainable development. We have much to learn from these approaches.

In Europe, there is also a major difference in the approach to solving national issues such as the one of reducing carbon output from housing. There, the initiatives tend to be directed by local authorities, with much greater emphasis on collaboration between the private developers and the local authorities. Here, our local authorities mostly do not possess the resources or funding and developers are not given the same encouragement, back-up or indeed, incentives. The big house-building firms in Ireland and the UK  do not believe that large scale development using the Passivhaus standards is commercially viable here at present, and so use this as an argument for aiming towards lower standards than can actually be achieved. I would have thought that the main objective when designing an eco-town would be to achieve the best possible standards of energy efficiency.

Transition Towns Initiative …  For those of you not already aware of this movement, have a look at the question posed on the Transition Towns site  for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)?”

Big question – but change will be achieved if enough people want it.

If you are planning any eco-building scheme, then you will place green energy somewhere near the top of your list. It is very easy to simply look at the descriptions issued by the manufacturers of renewable energy production systems, but how do you equate the figures with what you actually need? This is a question that I am frequently asked and there is no other way to answer it than to use …

…Simple Mathematics …  The following is simply an exercise in statistics and does not address the ethical issues of choosing energy supply, but all the same it is a task which must be tackled before any sustainable building can be successfully designed. For those of you who grow pale at the sight of calculations – then accept my apologies; but the concept is an essential element in good eco-design, and if need be, you ought to obtain balanced professional guidance.

Energy Units … You should calculate energy requirements by using units of energy – kilowatt hours in terms of time (kWh/day) – in other words the amount of power used over 24 hours. In the UK, the total amount of energy consumed * by each person is reckoned to average about 125 kWh/day, but this figure obviously covers all power usage. Depending on the source of information, it is estimated that the average UK home uses electrical power of between 3300 kWh/year (or just over 9 kWh/day) and 4700 kWh/year (about 13kWh/day). Northern Ireland’s domestic consumption for 2007 averaged 4400 kWh/year (12 kWh/day). Ireland’s consumption per capita is roughly equal to the UK. Check your electricity bills to see how you compare.

To give an example of how appliances measure up, if your home uses an average of 500 W (0.5 kW) then it will consume 12 kWh/day. If left switched on all day, an energy-efficient (11W) light bulb uses (0.011 x 24) = 0.264 kWh/day and a desktop computer using an average of 125W will consume (0.125 x 24) 3 kWh/day. It is not so simple to calculate the power consumption of some appliances just by checking out the wattage since power demands can fluctuate, e.g. fridges use power according to their ‘chill’ setting in relation to the ambient room temperature. Don’t forget that other non-electrical appliances such as stoves or oil burners also need to be included.

Renewable Energy … Renewable-power generating appliances need to be compared to see what they can achieve for you. Roof-mounted micro-wind turbines are probably not very effective in providing for your overall electrical needs. It has been estimated that a “600 W” micro-turbine mounted on a typical roof in England generates only 0.04 kWh per day – about 7 per cent of the power used by an 11 W light bulb.
In contrast, roof-mounted solar water heaters make good sense. Even where the sunlight levels achieve only about 30 per cent, a 3-square-metre panel can supply on average about 3.8 kWh per day (i.e. perhaps half of a typical family’s hot water).

Other technologies are often viewed as ‘less green’, such as heat pumps; but if they drew power solely from renewable sources (i.e. wind farms, etc) then they would be a logical environmental choice. Some of the newer ones can deliver as much as 4.9 kWh of heat in the form of hot air or hot water, using 1kWh of electricity to do so.
A final thought… before paying out money to provide energy, first put into action ways of reducing your power requirements.

I’ve just been reading an article on asthma – Asthma, the Environment and Yoga by fellow GreenMe blogger Cait McCarthy and this got me thinking about one of the main reasons for building a genuinely eco-friendly home. I wrote a bit about this last year, on Healthy Buildings  which offered some ideas on things to avoid in a new build, but what about the things which are beneficial to our health?

Allergies …   Some people see natural building as a personal act of global citizenship, a way of doing their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion; for others it is part of a private search for an alternative lifestyle. Not everyone considers natural building to be a matter of choice – for those with extreme chemical sensitivity it can be an absolute necessity. Some people are so sensitive to the toxins found in many modern building materials that they simply need to create a place where they can achieve a greater sense of wellbeing.

Natural Materials… Resources like stone, wood, straw and earth, are not only non-toxic, they are life-enhancing. Clay, one of the most useful natural building materials, is also prized for its ability to absorb toxins and restore health. Natural healing traditions rely on it heavily, for both internal and external applications.  Also, don’t forget about the clean-air benefits of passive solar heating and ventilation compared to the systems which typically rely on combustion.

Healthy Work …  The natural building process is healthy too, in lots of ways. When you build with straw bales, cob, adobe, or rammed earth, the whole family can get involved. A building site free of power tools is a safe and supportive environment for children to learn valuable skills. Or invite your friends and neighbours to experience the old-fashioned ways of building a home. Offer them food and lessons in natural building skills in exchange for their time and energy. Everyone will learn something to use on their own project, and have a lot of fun into the bargain.

While building eco-homes in this way you’re also building a different kind of social structure where local communities depend on themselves to achieve their basic needs, instead of handing over their power to governments and big uncaring businesses. When those of us who are relatively affluent use a smaller share of the Earth’s resources, more becomes available to the less privileged and to future generations.

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Even in the current despondent house buying climate, a few people with some savings now believe that house prices might be as low as they are going to get and now is the time to buy property as an investment. Obviously no-one can predict what any market is likely to do (and I am certainly not trying to give financial advice here), but if you are considering buying an older property, its green credentials are very likely to carry added value in the long run. Here are some ideas for comparing the environmental merits of houses:

Top Ideas

    1. Ask for evidence of the home’s energy saving performance; i.e. have any documented assessments been carried out? Remember that a big house could well have a better rating than a small one but might still require much more energy to run – check the figures
2. Look for high levels of insulation
3. Check that there is double or triple glazing and try to find out what the exact specification is; e.g. look for a 16mm argon filled gap (2 x 16m gaps if triple glazing is used) & low ‘e’ glass, etc
4. Ask what the heating bills are and whether the oil or gas boiler is a high efficiency condensing type. If a heat pump system is used, the electricity bill will be of particular interest to you.
5. Appliances such as the washing machine, freezer or fridge should be ‘Energy Saving Recommended’ with a good rating (check the labels, and for guidance defra.gov.uk
6. Well positioned glazed areas will mean less energy use
7. Try to assess air leakage – storm porches and good fitting window openings are vital. A whole house ventilation unit should avoid the need for trickle ventilation and extraction fans, thus aiding air-tightness ( to read more on this check out  ‘Green Home Renovating – First Steps’
8. Are there any passive carbon-energy saving devices such as solar panels? Remember that bolt-on devices alone will not cure a leaky, poorly insulated building
9. Check what grants are still available for energy saving measures
10. Good local amenities and public transport will mean you use the car less

This list can be extended, but is a good starting point. Be meticulous about collecting the facts and figures and take time to assess them – or get a professional to evaluate them if you need help.

A recent email from my friend in New Zealand raised the old question of: What is the best wall for a building in terms of energy efficiency and environmental conservation?

Green Wall Types

Many solutions have been tried and many more are still being tested. People around the world have experimented with natural wall materials ranging from peat, sods, straw bales, logs, vegetation, rammed earth, hand-made bricks of various types (including dung), rubble & lime mortar, etc. Recycled man-made materials have also been used including tyres, bottles (plastic or glass), plastic crates, etc. You get the picture – for every ′solution′ there are dozens, if not hundreds, of variations.

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Everyone who has been involved in building a new home recently will be well aware of the radical changes to Building Regulations in 2006 which meant that all new houses are now assessed for their CO2 per m2 of floor area. We also know that the government aims of achieving zero-carbon output houses by 2016 are achievable now. What is not so well known however is the fact that the modelled (design) emissions are rarely achieved in practice, and that almost every renewable energy source saves less CO2 than is claimed by the manufacturers.

Occupant Behaviour

There are a number of reasons why a house will not always perform as efficiently as it should, and these are quite often related to how the house is used. Air tightness efficiency does not work so well if the occupants persistently leave doors open. Energy is wasted when the hot water runs for longer than necessary; and the benefits from low energy fittings and appliances are lost if a number of electrical gadgets are regularly left on stand-by.

Some Solutions

The suggestions below will remedy some of the absent-mindedness which wastes energy. Most would be easy to implement in an existing house and need not cost a lot to install.

• Fit door closers to those doors which will contribute most to preventing the loss of warm air. (Seal up the draughty spots too.)
• Put up a shelf where all mobile phones, handheld games, rechargeable batteries, etc can be recharged in a central position. Apart from keeping things tidy and safe, the chargers which are not in use can be easily switched off.
• Fit a central ′knock-off′ switch which switches off power to all sockets which don′t need to be on at night.
• Fit a timer switch to the immersion heater and showers, etc., and fit sensor switches to any lights which do not need to be left on for long periods.
• Fit hot water taps which turn off automatically.

You could also consider fitting a wireless home energy meter to monitor your energy use, check out solar powered chargers for hand-held rechargeable devices, make use of energy saving modes on computers, etc., and as an alternative to the ′knock-off′ switch idea check out remote controlled standby plugs such as those on windtrap.co.uk