We’ve had new windows installed. The ones I mentioned on this blog several months back. They look good but it made a bit of a mess having them put in. Which means we now need to redecorate. So I’ve been looking into paint. In the UK we use 83 million litres of paint every year. [...]
Archive for the ‘Home’ Category
Washing with Ecoballs
Posted in Home, tagged ecoballs, ecover, laundry, washing on 5 October 2008 | 2 Comments »
We’ve got another eco gadget. Ecoballs. They are plastic spheres with what looks like gravel in them and a spongy disc around the outside. And you can use them instead of conventional washing powder. If you use normal washing powder, all of that frothy detergent gets washed down the drain. And ends up doing nasty [...]
Smart meter
Posted in Home, tagged energy, energy saving, power, smart meter on 2 September 2008 | 5 Comments »
I’ve just bought a new toy. It’s a smart meter. It tells us exactly how much power we are currently using. In pounds, watts or, if you so desire, CO2 emissions. And it’s surprisingly fascinating. Honestly. It was dead easy to install. There’s a sensor which clips around the cable that goes into you electricity [...]
Green electricity tariffs
Posted in Home, tagged Eco, ecotricity, electricity, good energy, Green, green energy, power, renewable energy, Renewable obligation certificate, sustainable, wind farm on 31 August 2008 | 3 Comments »
Pretty much every electricity supplier offers a green electricity tariff. So are they all as green as each other? If not, which is most green? If I switch, am I really using renewable energy? And will they invest my money into building more wind farms and other new sources of renewable energy? I wanted to [...]
Sustainable shelves, furniture and flooring
Posted in Home, tagged china, Eco, fsc, furniture, ikea, rainforest, scandanavian, sustainable, Timber, tropical hardwood on 26 July 2008 | 1 Comment »
I’m intending to put up some kitchen shelves this weekend. What are the environmental issues I should be considering before buying shelves or indeed, other items of furniture? Here’s what I’ve discovered. Buy natural For exactly the same reasons that I talked about in my post about eco windows, natural materials are the only eco [...]
Are wooden windows more eco?
Posted in Home, tagged Add new tag, Eco, Glazing, Green, PVC, Timber, Windows, Wood on 24 May 2008 | 6 Comments »
Our flat was very cold this winter, so we’re buying new windows. New, double-glazed windows – as pretty much everyone knows – are better for the environment than old single glazed ones. They make your house better insulated and therefore you use less energy keeping it warm. All good. So we had a man come [...]
