Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Advice for Gordon- save the world by bribing the voters
I don't have any particular interest in Gordon Brown staying on as Prime Minister, he's possibly worse than Blair because he's too much of a coward to actually do anything radical. If he were, however, to suddenly develop a spine and display some of the savvy he claims to have there are ways he could get re-elected, boost the economy and start taking big steps towards hitting carbon dioxide reduction targets.
All he has to do is bribe the electorate.
A small number of people choose to ignore the evidence on global warming and will shout about any environmental initiatives no matter that they often have benefits beyond the green. Let's just ignore them. Others are determined to cut their footprint no matter what. These converts deserve rewarding, and will be as a bonus of what I'm suggesting. The largest number of people, across a range of scepticism to understanding, aren't going green because of the initial expense. Also for many of them when Gordon says "Green" they hear the word "Tax".
Give these people the money to go green.
The recent announcement of a £100billion green initiative by Brown did mention solar power and other grants. What's needed is for these to be big enough to cover most of the cost of installing panels, insulation or whatever is needed, because at present the payback in reduced bills isn't enough. Most people would be better off leaving their money in the bank and earning interest. It would also help the uptake if the rates to sell electricity back to the suppliers were better. Let's say that power companies should write off one unit of power consumed for every unit generated- in summer or on a windy day the house could pay for the electricity it used when it was cloudy or still. After the bill balances then the microgenerator can still sell to the power company at, say, half the price per unit they were being charged.
As important as increasing the grants and improving buy back is selling them properly. Emphasis should be put on giving money back to the consumer and making them independent of big suppliers. Gordon's too dull to do this well, so he'd have to hope he could find a minister who could do it for him. The Tories have already figured out that this is a good sell, with proposals for feeding landfill savings back to households that recycle more. Their ideas about modifying the tax on petrol are based on a similar idea but seem half baked at best.
Of course, per kilowatt generated and ton of CO2 saved an increase in the scope and size of grants for microgeneration will be far more expensive than offshore wind or any other scheme. But no-one ever seems to think about where this money will go. The workers who install photovoltaics, groundsource pipes etc. will all be based in Britain. With a bit of encouragement the companies creating the equipment could all be British as well. They'll all pay tax on their increased income, and boost the economy with their spending, as will the households now with extra cash from the electricity they're saving and generating.
Of course the main reason a scheme like this won't go ahead is because it will do the one thing all politicians are terrified of- it will allow the electorate to become less dependent on the state and the big businesses that pay for all the lobbying.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Opinion, Gordon Brown
posted by Ian at 10:10 AM
I don't have any particular interest in Gordon Brown staying on as Prime Minister, he's possibly worse than Blair because he's too much of a coward to actually do anything radical. If he were, however, to suddenly develop a spine and display some of the savvy he claims to have there are ways he could get re-elected, boost the economy and start taking big steps towards hitting carbon dioxide reduction targets.
All he has to do is bribe the electorate.
A small number of people choose to ignore the evidence on global warming and will shout about any environmental initiatives no matter that they often have benefits beyond the green. Let's just ignore them. Others are determined to cut their footprint no matter what. These converts deserve rewarding, and will be as a bonus of what I'm suggesting. The largest number of people, across a range of scepticism to understanding, aren't going green because of the initial expense. Also for many of them when Gordon says "Green" they hear the word "Tax".
Give these people the money to go green.
The recent announcement of a £100billion green initiative by Brown did mention solar power and other grants. What's needed is for these to be big enough to cover most of the cost of installing panels, insulation or whatever is needed, because at present the payback in reduced bills isn't enough. Most people would be better off leaving their money in the bank and earning interest. It would also help the uptake if the rates to sell electricity back to the suppliers were better. Let's say that power companies should write off one unit of power consumed for every unit generated- in summer or on a windy day the house could pay for the electricity it used when it was cloudy or still. After the bill balances then the microgenerator can still sell to the power company at, say, half the price per unit they were being charged.
As important as increasing the grants and improving buy back is selling them properly. Emphasis should be put on giving money back to the consumer and making them independent of big suppliers. Gordon's too dull to do this well, so he'd have to hope he could find a minister who could do it for him. The Tories have already figured out that this is a good sell, with proposals for feeding landfill savings back to households that recycle more. Their ideas about modifying the tax on petrol are based on a similar idea but seem half baked at best.
Of course, per kilowatt generated and ton of CO2 saved an increase in the scope and size of grants for microgeneration will be far more expensive than offshore wind or any other scheme. But no-one ever seems to think about where this money will go. The workers who install photovoltaics, groundsource pipes etc. will all be based in Britain. With a bit of encouragement the companies creating the equipment could all be British as well. They'll all pay tax on their increased income, and boost the economy with their spending, as will the households now with extra cash from the electricity they're saving and generating.
Of course the main reason a scheme like this won't go ahead is because it will do the one thing all politicians are terrified of- it will allow the electorate to become less dependent on the state and the big businesses that pay for all the lobbying.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Opinion, Gordon Brown
Labels: carbon footprint, carbon neutral, climate change, eco-building, energy saving, Gordon Brown, Green Building, Household, MP, Opinion, politics, renewable energy, Solar Power, Zero Energy homes
posted by Ian at 10:10 AM
Sunday, March 16, 2008
The Virtual Forest
The Virtual Forest is a Spanish endeavour to get people cutting their greenhouse gas emissions by appealing to their wallets. The energy saving questionnaire it offers stresses the financial benefits of saving energy as much as the environmental. They also promise to plant trees for you, in Second Life and real life.
The site is bilingual and there are phrases that seem imperfectly translated, but not as badly as I've seen elsewhere. The questions on your energy consumption are also formed from a Spanish perspective. For example, here in Manchester I find I never have need for any form of sun shade to keep the house cool. The cultural differences don't minimise the message however, and I'd really like a Second Life tree.
This review was paid for through ReviewMe.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 7:58 PM
The Virtual Forest is a Spanish endeavour to get people cutting their greenhouse gas emissions by appealing to their wallets. The energy saving questionnaire it offers stresses the financial benefits of saving energy as much as the environmental. They also promise to plant trees for you, in Second Life and real life.
The site is bilingual and there are phrases that seem imperfectly translated, but not as badly as I've seen elsewhere. The questions on your energy consumption are also formed from a Spanish perspective. For example, here in Manchester I find I never have need for any form of sun shade to keep the house cool. The cultural differences don't minimise the message however, and I'd really like a Second Life tree.
This review was paid for through ReviewMe.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: eco-building, energy saving, Europe
posted by Ian at 7:58 PM
Friday, February 29, 2008
The Rural ZED house- affordable eco-homes
ZEDFactory, a design and build consortium, have announced the RuralZED house. It's timber framed modular design and incorporation of recycled materials make it an affordable net-zero energy home that they hope will lead the way for future developments.
chnorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 1:50 PM
ZEDFactory, a design and build consortium, have announced the RuralZED house. It's timber framed modular design and incorporation of recycled materials make it an affordable net-zero energy home that they hope will lead the way for future developments.
chnorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: eco-building, self build, Zero Energy homes
posted by Ian at 1:50 PM
Friday, February 15, 2008
One solution for city centres
Science fiction blog io9 has concept sketches for a possible repurposing of a mundane and moribund city centre.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 5:37 PM
Science fiction blog io9 has concept sketches for a possible repurposing of a mundane and moribund city centre.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: cities, eco-building, redevelopment
posted by Ian at 5:37 PM
Monday, February 11, 2008
Green home blues
The Prince of Wales plans to build a low carbon house out of natural materials, even if that means it won't attain the highest possible green building rating.
Some people are becoming convinced that the Government's stamp duty rebate for zero carbon homes is actually a con. It's possible the scheme will take off slowly, but I would be unsurprised, though a little disappointed, if the requirements for eligibility have been set too narrow deliberately.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 3:38 PM
The Prince of Wales plans to build a low carbon house out of natural materials, even if that means it won't attain the highest possible green building rating.
Some people are becoming convinced that the Government's stamp duty rebate for zero carbon homes is actually a con. It's possible the scheme will take off slowly, but I would be unsurprised, though a little disappointed, if the requirements for eligibility have been set too narrow deliberately.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: eco-building, Prince Charles, Zero Energy homes
posted by Ian at 3:38 PM
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
The useful + agreeable house
The u + a house is a pre-designed (not pre-fab) pod with a skin of aircraft grade aluminium, minimal footprint and built in solar and other energy saving features.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 10:53 AM
The u + a house is a pre-designed (not pre-fab) pod with a skin of aircraft grade aluminium, minimal footprint and built in solar and other energy saving features.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: eco-building, Prefab
posted by Ian at 10:53 AM
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Comparative Planetology
Kim Stanley Robinson has some interesting things to say about mankinds effect on the environment and the badly thought out assumptions behind some ideas of sustainability.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 10:27 AM
Kim Stanley Robinson has some interesting things to say about mankinds effect on the environment and the badly thought out assumptions behind some ideas of sustainability.
It’s easy to imagine people who are bored in the modern techno-surround, as I call it, and they’re bored because they have not fully comprehended that they’re still primates, that their brains grew over a million-year period doing a certain suite of activities, and those activities are still available. Anyone can do them; they’re simple. They have to do with basic life support and basic social activities unboosted by technological means.
And there’s an addictive side to this. People try to do stupid technological replacements for natural primate actions, but it doesn’t quite give them the buzz that they hoped it would. Even though it looks quite magical, the sense of accomplishment is not there. So they do it again, hoping that the activity, like a drug, will somehow satisfy the urge that it’s supposedly meant to satisfy. But it doesn’t. So they do it more and more – and they fall down a rabbit hole, pursuing a destructive and high carbon-burn activity, when they could just go out for a walk, or plant a garden, or sit down at a table with a friend and drink some coffee and talk for an hour. All of these unboosted, straight-forward primate activities are actually intensely satisfying to the totality of the mind-body that we are.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: Celebrity, climate change, eco-building
posted by Ian at 10:27 AM
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Living Space 21
Living Space 21 aims to provide cheap, low impact housing for the UK. If you have 40 square metres of land with access you can have one of their Studios on Stilts for £60,000. What's more, they've teamed up with the Co-operative bank who will provide a 95% mortgage, with stages if you choose to go the self build route.
If you do go the self build route they will supply the frame with doors, patio and stilts, if necessary, for less than £20,000. Plotsearch is recommended if you need to find the land for your build.
via TreeHugger
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 5:34 PM
Living Space 21 aims to provide cheap, low impact housing for the UK. If you have 40 square metres of land with access you can have one of their Studios on Stilts for £60,000. What's more, they've teamed up with the Co-operative bank who will provide a 95% mortgage, with stages if you choose to go the self build route.
If you do go the self build route they will supply the frame with doors, patio and stilts, if necessary, for less than £20,000. Plotsearch is recommended if you need to find the land for your build.
via TreeHugger
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: Architecture, eco-building, Mortgage, Prefab
posted by Ian at 5:34 PM
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Hard Rain
Greenhouse gasses are causing shifts in rainfall patterns, leading to summers like this one (so far the wettest since records began). Just to make things more complicated, this heavier precipitation is going to alternate with hot summers like last year, but in entirely unpredictable ways.
Aside from focussing on the root cause of all of this I think it's time to do some better planning around water use. Perhaps every new build should have mandatory rainwater storage for grey use (toilets etc.) All of those tanks would provide a buffer during heavy rain fall that would lessen run off and thus flooding and save water in dry spells. Whilst we're about it, how about fines for the fools who concrete over their gardens and/or rewards for anyone who rips the paving up and plants a lawn.
Neither of these measures woudl stop flooding, particularly with water volume such as that seen in the last week, but they could soak up overflow in lesser events, and cut the burden on reservoirs.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 11:13 AM
Greenhouse gasses are causing shifts in rainfall patterns, leading to summers like this one (so far the wettest since records began). Just to make things more complicated, this heavier precipitation is going to alternate with hot summers like last year, but in entirely unpredictable ways.
Aside from focussing on the root cause of all of this I think it's time to do some better planning around water use. Perhaps every new build should have mandatory rainwater storage for grey use (toilets etc.) All of those tanks would provide a buffer during heavy rain fall that would lessen run off and thus flooding and save water in dry spells. Whilst we're about it, how about fines for the fools who concrete over their gardens and/or rewards for anyone who rips the paving up and plants a lawn.
Neither of these measures woudl stop flooding, particularly with water volume such as that seen in the last week, but they could soak up overflow in lesser events, and cut the burden on reservoirs.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: eco-building, flood, Water
posted by Ian at 11:13 AM
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Heywood Gardens low energy homes
Seddon Homes have put some serious thought into this new development, turning cookie cutter looking homes into energy efficient buildings. The designs have been thought through from first principles, with well planned insulation and energy saving measures so that the houses require less (solar and wind) power in the first place. I'm not in the market, so I don't know if the £245,000 asking price is comparable to similar mundane homes, but Manchester Confidential seem convinced.
Seddon Group's case study on Heywood Gardens
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 9:54 AM
Seddon Homes have put some serious thought into this new development, turning cookie cutter looking homes into energy efficient buildings. The designs have been thought through from first principles, with well planned insulation and energy saving measures so that the houses require less (solar and wind) power in the first place. I'm not in the market, so I don't know if the £245,000 asking price is comparable to similar mundane homes, but Manchester Confidential seem convinced.
Most of us are still ignorant to the fact that energy efficiency doesn't mean compromising standard of living. Yes you can give up your car and wash the dishes as oppose to using a dishwasher, but where eco-homes are concerned there really aren't any sacrifices because the changes are already in place and finely tuned to provide maximum comfort.
Seddon Group's case study on Heywood Gardens
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: eco-building, energy saving, Manchester
posted by Ian at 9:54 AM
Friday, May 18, 2007
Dojo Ecoshop
Tucked away in Manchester's old textile district is a wonderful souinding source of ethical and eco beds and furnishing.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Ethical Business
posted by Ian at 11:17 AM
Tucked away in Manchester's old textile district is a wonderful souinding source of ethical and eco beds and furnishing.
We are a small, independent company with strong roots in the textile heart of Manchester, we’ve been making tough, beautiful furniture here since 1990. We left our jobs in scientific research to set up a sustainable business where we could be responsible for the ethical and environmental impact of every aspect of our actions. We wanted to extend our holistic outlook on living to the way we worked too, as a positive and practical force for fairness, healthy living and a sound environment.
Our approach has always been simple and down to earth, we use the best organic and natural materials to produce well designed, functional eco goods that are made to be used, to be enjoyed and to last. We are committed to fair trade from start to finish, from sourcing ethically produced fabrics and fillings to honest pricing of our products.
Our journey has been challenging, exciting and creative and would mean nothing without the support and inspiration of family, friends, producers, suppliers and of course our customers. We look forward to developing more of our plans for new products and meeting new people along the Way.
Sarah and Jonathan
Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Ethical Business
Labels: eco-building, ethical business, Household, Manchester
posted by Ian at 11:17 AM
Monday, May 14, 2007
Gordon Brown's eco-towns
Gordon Brown is getting on teh home ownership bandwagon, hoping to outdo Thatcher's grand vision. The promising part of his pronouncement is a call for "eco-towns", to be powered locally from sustainable sources.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Gordon Brown
posted by Ian at 9:51 AM
Gordon Brown is getting on teh home ownership bandwagon, hoping to outdo Thatcher's grand vision. The promising part of his pronouncement is a call for "eco-towns", to be powered locally from sustainable sources.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Gordon Brown
Labels: eco-building, Gordon Brown
posted by Ian at 9:51 AM
Monday, April 30, 2007
The Ecopod
Looking like the the rocket ship from Georges Méliès Voyage dans la Lune, ecopodhomes are prefabricated 4 metre diameter structures (6 metre diameter coming soon) that are built off site and can be erected in 2 hours. They can be connected to mains water and electricity or built "off-the-grid".
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 4:13 PM
Looking like the the rocket ship from Georges Méliès Voyage dans la Lune, ecopodhomes are prefabricated 4 metre diameter structures (6 metre diameter coming soon) that are built off site and can be erected in 2 hours. They can be connected to mains water and electricity or built "off-the-grid".
We have set out to produce a modern comfortable home, which will have the minimum impact on the environment by cutting energy requirements and costs by up to 90% and producing virtually no CO2 emissions.
We want to demonstrate the savings that can be achieved through this pioneering design and innovative off site construction methods
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: eco-building, Prefab
posted by Ian at 4:13 PM
Friday, April 27, 2007
The Micro Compact Home
The Micro Compact Home, or m-ch, is an effort to create a tiny space that is still liveable in. It would fit in a large parking bay, future versions will come with solar panels and a wind turbine to make it energy independent. I'd need to get rid of a lot of my possessions before I could live in one, and I don't yet know where I'd want to put it.
Each cube costs $96,000, including delivery anywhere in Europe. So if I start saving now I might know where I want to put it by the time I can afford it.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 12:25 PM
The Micro Compact Home, or m-ch, is an effort to create a tiny space that is still liveable in. It would fit in a large parking bay, future versions will come with solar panels and a wind turbine to make it energy independent. I'd need to get rid of a lot of my possessions before I could live in one, and I don't yet know where I'd want to put it.
Each cube costs $96,000, including delivery anywhere in Europe. So if I start saving now I might know where I want to put it by the time I can afford it.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: eco-building, Zero Energy homes
posted by Ian at 12:25 PM
Monday, April 16, 2007
I'm the only green MP
Alan Simpson MP details his ecohouse project. An odd aspect of this report is that it appears in the Daily Mail, one of the last newspapers still in denial and desparately trying to find fault with the few things the Government is doing. For example- the assessors for the energy consumption section of Home Information Packs won't have criminal record checks and will therefore all be burglars, apparently. They'll also be able to make a lot of money if they work hard (how dare they!).
Alan Simpson's website
Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Government
posted by Ian at 11:38 AM
Alan Simpson MP details his ecohouse project. An odd aspect of this report is that it appears in the Daily Mail, one of the last newspapers still in denial and desparately trying to find fault with the few things the Government is doing. For example- the assessors for the energy consumption section of Home Information Packs won't have criminal record checks and will therefore all be burglars, apparently. They'll also be able to make a lot of money if they work hard (how dare they!).
Alan Simpson's website
Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Government
Labels: eco-building, MP, Zero Energy homes
posted by Ian at 11:38 AM
Monday, April 02, 2007
Eco-houses for the rich and famous
A development of £4.5million houses in Kensington are set to have £50,000 of energy saving devices installed, including geothermal heating that will produce enough excess to keep the drive ice free.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
posted by Ian at 10:01 PM
A development of £4.5million houses in Kensington are set to have £50,000 of energy saving devices installed, including geothermal heating that will produce enough excess to keep the drive ice free.
Technorati tag: EcoHouse
Labels: eco-building, Zero Energy homes
posted by Ian at 10:01 PM
Monday, March 05, 2007
How Green should Gore be?
Do Green campaigners have to be absolutely pure? The question arises from the fuss caused by snide naysayers who are attacking Al Gore's lifestyle to turn attention away from his message.
By all accounts Gore and his family have gone beyond carbon neutral. No matter how much energy his mansions consume he's planting the trees or making the investments to write that off and then spending a bit more. Of course, the antis know this but don't bother to mention it because that would destroy their argument.
It's time for Gore to slap solar panels and windmills on his properties and ask what the rumour mongers are doing to reduce their carbon footprints.
Technorati tag: Al Gore
posted by Ian at 10:20 PM
Do Green campaigners have to be absolutely pure? The question arises from the fuss caused by snide naysayers who are attacking Al Gore's lifestyle to turn attention away from his message.
By all accounts Gore and his family have gone beyond carbon neutral. No matter how much energy his mansions consume he's planting the trees or making the investments to write that off and then spending a bit more. Of course, the antis know this but don't bother to mention it because that would destroy their argument.
It's time for Gore to slap solar panels and windmills on his properties and ask what the rumour mongers are doing to reduce their carbon footprints.
Technorati tag: Al Gore
Labels: Al Gore, eco-building, Solar Power
posted by Ian at 10:20 PM
Monday, February 19, 2007
The 2010 Imperative
posted by Ian at 11:34 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brian_wilson/2007/02/building_a_green_future.html
http://www.2010imperative.org/
The Global Emergency Teach In, next Tuesday. Share ideas and plans for reducing the eco-impact of the built environment.
Labels: climate change, eco-building
posted by Ian at 11:34 PM
