Phew! Down here in the South it's getting hot, which can make for uncomfortable conditions, both indoors and out.
You can't really influence outdoor conditions very much, but before you run for the cooling fans indoors, here's a couple of things to think about.
Unless you have the luxury of full aircon, everything else is about creating the illusion of cooling and that means movement of air. A fan is just moving air about, but that movement makes you feel a little bit cooler.
Fans today are very low powered, so you don't have to pay too much to achieve a little comfort, however it is still using power, so are there alternatives?
I recently attended a seminar, where they talked about natural ventilation, this is air movement along a corridor, so if you create that corridor, you will get some air movement and achieve the fan effect for free. Ideally you will have a room with a double aspect, open windows at both ends and, depending on prevailing weather you will get an air pull through the room.
Convection (hot air rising) can also help this effect. especially in the evening, when the outdoor temperature begins to cool, open ground floor windows, leave internal doors open and upstairs windows open, this should allow the hot air, built up in the building through the day to gradually escape through the upstairs, sucking cooler air into the lower floor.
I saw this in America many years ago, where they had something called an 'attic fan' installed. This was a large propeller like device, installed in the roofspace and vented to outside through the gable end of the house. all doors had air gaps deliberately left to allow air movement and downstairs windows were fitted with trickle vents. when the fan was on it pushed out the hotter air, creating a vacuum to suck cooler outside air into the house - quite effective too.
I wouldn't go as far as such an installation, but letting the air move about can make a big difference to the comfort inside the house - and it doesn't cost you anything, so open up the internal space and allow the house to breathe.
Tuesday 29 June 2010
Friday 18 June 2010
EPC Results
Seems like the housing market is beginning to move a little again, so I have been out and about assessing some properties. It's worth pointing out a couple, just to highlight some things.
Let's think about a relatively new flat, in a purpose built block. Good double glazing, flat's abouve and below. Not much room to do anything here, recent building regulations will mean that the structure of the block is well insulated already. As expected this returns a good rating of Band C, with some option to move up to Band B, by uprating the CH boiler - probably not worth it until the boiler needs changing.
The second property is an older chalet bungalow, where the owner is passionate about energy saving - very refreshing - here there is plenty scope, increase loft insulation, upgrade to double glazing, possibly cavity wall insulation (although this should always be subject to a full survey to ensure no likely problems with damp). But if this property is up for sale, why would / should the current owner make that investment?
That's the conundrum. I don't believe a significant number of buyers are reading IN DETAIL the EPC reports provided by the seller, they may see the graphs in the estate agent's particulars, but won't dig deeper. If there is a big gap between the two sets of arrows on the graph, then that means there is big potential to improve things, and if you are a buyer, looking at this content MIGHT give you leverage in your negotiations.
My professional responsibility is to the seller of the property, they pay the bills, but the people who stand to gain most from my survey are the potential buyer. So any buyers out there, if you need help to interpret an EPC report or want some advice on it's content, please get in touch, I'd be delighted to offer some consultancy to help - the great thing about the EPC report is that it is very formulaic, so even if I don't produce a specific report, it's very easy for me to interpret any report.
With the recent demise of HIPs, of course more change to get more buyer engagement in the EPC process is highly unlikely in the near future. I guess I'm just happy to see a bit of movement in the market again.
Surrey Energy Consultants is a small independant consultancy working in Surrey and SW London, if you think we can help, please give us a call.
Let's think about a relatively new flat, in a purpose built block. Good double glazing, flat's abouve and below. Not much room to do anything here, recent building regulations will mean that the structure of the block is well insulated already. As expected this returns a good rating of Band C, with some option to move up to Band B, by uprating the CH boiler - probably not worth it until the boiler needs changing.
The second property is an older chalet bungalow, where the owner is passionate about energy saving - very refreshing - here there is plenty scope, increase loft insulation, upgrade to double glazing, possibly cavity wall insulation (although this should always be subject to a full survey to ensure no likely problems with damp). But if this property is up for sale, why would / should the current owner make that investment?
That's the conundrum. I don't believe a significant number of buyers are reading IN DETAIL the EPC reports provided by the seller, they may see the graphs in the estate agent's particulars, but won't dig deeper. If there is a big gap between the two sets of arrows on the graph, then that means there is big potential to improve things, and if you are a buyer, looking at this content MIGHT give you leverage in your negotiations.
My professional responsibility is to the seller of the property, they pay the bills, but the people who stand to gain most from my survey are the potential buyer. So any buyers out there, if you need help to interpret an EPC report or want some advice on it's content, please get in touch, I'd be delighted to offer some consultancy to help - the great thing about the EPC report is that it is very formulaic, so even if I don't produce a specific report, it's very easy for me to interpret any report.
With the recent demise of HIPs, of course more change to get more buyer engagement in the EPC process is highly unlikely in the near future. I guess I'm just happy to see a bit of movement in the market again.
Surrey Energy Consultants is a small independant consultancy working in Surrey and SW London, if you think we can help, please give us a call.
Wednesday 16 June 2010
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Read an interesting article about Ground Source heat pumps the other day which got me thinking....
The basic premise of a ground source heat pump is that the below surface temperature in the earth is fairly constant, and by tapping into this you can use the ambient heat to heat domestic water for your home heating system (or conversly, use it as a cooler in the summer months). I won't go into the mechanics of it all, but at least in terms of carbon footprint it could be a partial solution for a lot of homes.
I guess people are put off the concept by the thought of large tranches of their gardens being dug up, which is fair enough - although one could argue that green stuff grows back pretty quickly - probably one for consideration if you were about to undergo a bit of serious landscaping.
Anyway, if we take this thought process laterally, then there are other areas where we are maybe missing a trick. As summer approaches we are closing in onto the major music festival season too. In places where there are effectively permanent showgrounds or even fields that need complete attention after each festival event, why don't the organisers think about burying the pipework for ground source heating. All the other componenture can be brought in as mobile equipment, hook it up, flush the pipework and you have on-site eco friendly warm water for all manner of uses on site.
Same logic could apply to camp sites or caravan parks. bury the pipework in the off season, and you have ready made eco-heating ahead of the next season.
If more organisers started to think laterally and go the extra mile, then it would make a difference to UK reaching it's carbon targets in 2016.
Now, I'm off into London this afternoon, so maybe transport is the next area for a bit of rumination.....
The basic premise of a ground source heat pump is that the below surface temperature in the earth is fairly constant, and by tapping into this you can use the ambient heat to heat domestic water for your home heating system (or conversly, use it as a cooler in the summer months). I won't go into the mechanics of it all, but at least in terms of carbon footprint it could be a partial solution for a lot of homes.
I guess people are put off the concept by the thought of large tranches of their gardens being dug up, which is fair enough - although one could argue that green stuff grows back pretty quickly - probably one for consideration if you were about to undergo a bit of serious landscaping.
Anyway, if we take this thought process laterally, then there are other areas where we are maybe missing a trick. As summer approaches we are closing in onto the major music festival season too. In places where there are effectively permanent showgrounds or even fields that need complete attention after each festival event, why don't the organisers think about burying the pipework for ground source heating. All the other componenture can be brought in as mobile equipment, hook it up, flush the pipework and you have on-site eco friendly warm water for all manner of uses on site.
Same logic could apply to camp sites or caravan parks. bury the pipework in the off season, and you have ready made eco-heating ahead of the next season.
If more organisers started to think laterally and go the extra mile, then it would make a difference to UK reaching it's carbon targets in 2016.
Now, I'm off into London this afternoon, so maybe transport is the next area for a bit of rumination.....
Thursday 10 June 2010
WOOD you believe it
Our local sawmill (Norbury Wood products - www.norburywood.org.uk) had it's annual open day last weekend, so I went along to see what they were up to. This is a spin-off from Surrey Council, now part of Surrey Wildlife Trust, that is sustainably managing some local woodland and working as a small cash generator for the charity by producing high quality signage and garden furniture, lot's of information on their website, so I won't dwell on it here.
However, from an energy / efficiency point of view it is a well thought out setup.
The nature of their business, where they are processing raw felled trees into meaningful product means that there is a lot of wood wastage on site,but they deal with this intelligently.
They are working with a local woodsman who produces charcoal, so some of the waste naturally services his requirements for raw material to go into his charcoal burners - waste from one business becomes raw material for another.
The other, more interesting aspect of what they do is to use a lot of their wastage to fuel a wood burning boiler which services the kilns they use to treat and dry green timber before manufacturing from it. Naturally, green timber would need to sit for a number of years before it was dry enough to work as processed wood for furniture & the like, so to speed up this process to a number of months, the sawmill stores the wood they want to work in kilns, fed by this boiler, which accelerate the drying time. Again an example of their business gaining from intelligent usage of their waste product. The running costs for these kilns must be close to Nil, and compared to waste removal costs are certainly more carbon friendly.
They also process their sawdust wastage, which is used as bedding by a local farmer for his livestock.
So apart from being an interesting day seeing all the big machinery at work, it's nice to see a business thinking through it's processes to be as eco friendly as is reasonable. Very good.
However, from an energy / efficiency point of view it is a well thought out setup.
The nature of their business, where they are processing raw felled trees into meaningful product means that there is a lot of wood wastage on site,but they deal with this intelligently.
They are working with a local woodsman who produces charcoal, so some of the waste naturally services his requirements for raw material to go into his charcoal burners - waste from one business becomes raw material for another.
The other, more interesting aspect of what they do is to use a lot of their wastage to fuel a wood burning boiler which services the kilns they use to treat and dry green timber before manufacturing from it. Naturally, green timber would need to sit for a number of years before it was dry enough to work as processed wood for furniture & the like, so to speed up this process to a number of months, the sawmill stores the wood they want to work in kilns, fed by this boiler, which accelerate the drying time. Again an example of their business gaining from intelligent usage of their waste product. The running costs for these kilns must be close to Nil, and compared to waste removal costs are certainly more carbon friendly.
They also process their sawdust wastage, which is used as bedding by a local farmer for his livestock.
So apart from being an interesting day seeing all the big machinery at work, it's nice to see a business thinking through it's processes to be as eco friendly as is reasonable. Very good.
Tuesday 8 June 2010
Make the most of your kettle
Here is an interesting idea for you to consider - make the most out of your kettle.
So let's assume that you are already energy smart and only put as much water in the kettle as you need - that's the first thing to focus on if you don't do this already - you are therefore only using the energy you need to make your cup of tea or coffee.
BUT, think about going the extra step. Fill the kettle AFTER you've used it, ready for the next time, that way you are getting all the benefit of the heat in the element as it cools down, which will raise the temperature of the water you've just put in to the kettle. Say you have a cup of tea with your breakfast, then another one around 11 o'clock, by doing this you will certainly have water in the kettle that is warmer than fresh drawn from the tap - which means you will use even less energy the next time you make your cup of tea.
OK, we are only talking very small amounts, but every little helps.
As a practicing energy assessor, I primarily focus on the efficiency of buildings, but a little bit of thought means that we can all make savings along the way by changing our habits, as well as maximising the efficiencies in our home.
So let's assume that you are already energy smart and only put as much water in the kettle as you need - that's the first thing to focus on if you don't do this already - you are therefore only using the energy you need to make your cup of tea or coffee.
BUT, think about going the extra step. Fill the kettle AFTER you've used it, ready for the next time, that way you are getting all the benefit of the heat in the element as it cools down, which will raise the temperature of the water you've just put in to the kettle. Say you have a cup of tea with your breakfast, then another one around 11 o'clock, by doing this you will certainly have water in the kettle that is warmer than fresh drawn from the tap - which means you will use even less energy the next time you make your cup of tea.
OK, we are only talking very small amounts, but every little helps.
As a practicing energy assessor, I primarily focus on the efficiency of buildings, but a little bit of thought means that we can all make savings along the way by changing our habits, as well as maximising the efficiencies in our home.
Friday 4 June 2010
The Tide is turning
Spent a great day down on the south coast yesterday, soaking in the sunshine and fresh air. It did get me thinking however about tidal power.
Britain is an island nation so has ample access to the sea. I just think that maybe tidal power is a better bet than wind farms. Here's my logic.....
Wind farms are ugly and noisy, so if they are built inland they will be unpopular and undoubtedly have some sort of blight on their surroundings. We have just as much assurity on tide strength as we do on wind strength, and if tidal power is focussed on major river estuaries, then you have pretty much a guaranteed flow twice a day, regardless of climactic conditions at the time.
Take the proposed wind farm being built in the Thames estuary - why not use tidal units instead - they are primarily underwater, so have less visual impact on the eye and are probably just as efficient as the proposed wind turbine units.
The impact to shipping is no different, navigable channels will need to be maintained to avoid the turbines, or avoid the tide machines.
UK currently lead the way in tide power research, with serious trials underway in the North of scotland and Wales. Let's hope that these prove to be fruitful, as I for one think it is a much more attractive idea than other 'green' alternatives.
As a practicing Energy Assessor, we are focussed day to day on specific assessment on a small scale for individual houses or properties, but thinking 'big' occasionally is useful too. Now where did I leave that article on anerobic digesters.......
Britain is an island nation so has ample access to the sea. I just think that maybe tidal power is a better bet than wind farms. Here's my logic.....
Wind farms are ugly and noisy, so if they are built inland they will be unpopular and undoubtedly have some sort of blight on their surroundings. We have just as much assurity on tide strength as we do on wind strength, and if tidal power is focussed on major river estuaries, then you have pretty much a guaranteed flow twice a day, regardless of climactic conditions at the time.
Take the proposed wind farm being built in the Thames estuary - why not use tidal units instead - they are primarily underwater, so have less visual impact on the eye and are probably just as efficient as the proposed wind turbine units.
The impact to shipping is no different, navigable channels will need to be maintained to avoid the turbines, or avoid the tide machines.
UK currently lead the way in tide power research, with serious trials underway in the North of scotland and Wales. Let's hope that these prove to be fruitful, as I for one think it is a much more attractive idea than other 'green' alternatives.
As a practicing Energy Assessor, we are focussed day to day on specific assessment on a small scale for individual houses or properties, but thinking 'big' occasionally is useful too. Now where did I leave that article on anerobic digesters.......
Tuesday 1 June 2010
HIPs demise does NOT impact the market
The widely held view among the Estate Agent fraternity seems to be that the removal of HIPs would free up the market.
Early signs tend to suggest that this is not the case. Maybe the general recession and uncertainty about Capital Gains Tax (CGT) are now having an effect.
Certainly Energy Performance Certificates, priced in the very reasonable £50 - £100 range should not pose the same angst to the seller, this is an affordable price and with a bit of positive messaging, EPCs should be seen for what they are - a good vehicle for driving up energy awareness amongst the home owning community.
Any good Energy Assessor will have studied their subject matter enough to give advice or feedback on the content of the EPC, so don't be afraid to ask for help if you cannot understand some aspects of the report.
So back to the housing market - what do Estate Agents now think is the inhibitor - HIPs will inevitably become a red herring - the key driver will always be the cost of borrowing and availability of mortgage funds, especially to new buyers. Without new buyers coming into the market, there is no impetus to feed up the ladder, so the market stagnates - and that is the real challenge that the government needs to address.
Early signs tend to suggest that this is not the case. Maybe the general recession and uncertainty about Capital Gains Tax (CGT) are now having an effect.
Certainly Energy Performance Certificates, priced in the very reasonable £50 - £100 range should not pose the same angst to the seller, this is an affordable price and with a bit of positive messaging, EPCs should be seen for what they are - a good vehicle for driving up energy awareness amongst the home owning community.
Any good Energy Assessor will have studied their subject matter enough to give advice or feedback on the content of the EPC, so don't be afraid to ask for help if you cannot understand some aspects of the report.
So back to the housing market - what do Estate Agents now think is the inhibitor - HIPs will inevitably become a red herring - the key driver will always be the cost of borrowing and availability of mortgage funds, especially to new buyers. Without new buyers coming into the market, there is no impetus to feed up the ladder, so the market stagnates - and that is the real challenge that the government needs to address.
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