Wood can be considered a fairly green construction material. However, there can also be significant environmental and social impacts associated with logging. With the help of Greenpeace’s ‘Good Wood’ guide it is easier to see the wood for the trees so to speak. Whilst it advocates using wood sourced from certified schemes such as the Forestry Stewardship Council, there is a load more advice in relation to which wood is good, the five best and worst imported timbers in Australia and questions to ask before buying timber products. An essential read for any eco-conscious renovator.

The Good Wood guide has implemented a green, amber and red coding scheme. According to the Good Wood guide, the best timber to buy is:

Green-Good Wood

• From FSC-certified forests

• Verified Pacific ecotimber and community forest operations

• Verified recycled, reused and urban salvage

Amber-Second choice

Includes sources that are in transition to Good Wood or from non-controversial or neutral source. Question the supplier, if they can prove the wood comes from one of the following sources it is OK to buy. Amber wood status is:

• Verified from a forest or plantation in transition to FSC certification (e.g via stepwise schemes such as Tropical Forest Trust (TFT) or SmartStep)

• Certified by standards other than FSC. CSA standards are okay but MTCC, PEFC, AFS and ISO are not.

• Verified legal by the credible third-party Smart Wood VLC (verification of legal compliance).

• Verified community small-scale sawn timber or Community Timber

• Plantation wood (not preservative treated) verified as not coming from an area where the forest was cleared to make the plantation after 1994, including rubberwood, eucalyps, cypresses and acacia

• Non-verified recycled, reused and urban salvage

• Bamboo, coconut wood and recovered orchard trees like mango wood.

Red-Bad Wood

Timber species to be avoided.

Generally timber from Papua New Guinea or Indonesia is not Good Wood as it is logged destructively and/or illegally. 70% of Indonesian timber and up to 90% of PNG timber is illegally logged. Timber products imported from China are likely to be made from these timbers as well.

It’s a jungle out there in terms of working out what you should and shouldn’t avoid. There is a lot more advice and frequently asked questions available on Greenpeace’s Goodwood website.

The Solar Bonus Scheme was to be reviewed when it reached 50 megawatts (MW) or 2012, whichever came first. NSW reached 52 MW by mid-2010. The review shows that the take-up rate of the scheme has been faster than expected, and demonstrates that, to date, the scheme has created more than 100MW of renewable energy capacity. More than 50,000 customers have joined the scheme. Due to the rate subscription in the first 10 months of the Solar Bonus Scheme, NSW Government have closed the current program and introduced a ‘more sustainable’ tariff rate of 20 cents/kWH (from 27 October 2010). However, this will not affect customers already participating in the scheme.

The review of the scheme showed that a range of factors, including the strong Australian dollar and renewable energy policies overseas, has seen prices of solar panels more than halve since the program first commenced. Since 2009, there has been a flood of cheaper panels from China and Spain.
The new program with the 20c tariff rate will be subject to review on 1 July 2012 and at the end of the program (31 December 2016).

With electricity prices set to rise by up to 64% over the next three years in NSW, lets hope the feed-in-tariff follows suit.

It all sounds very idealistic, but research recently conducted by Ikea has found that householders in UK and Ireland (where the research was done) not only ‘want a kitchen with built in energy efficiency, but they are looking for an inherently green space in which the garden and kitchen merge, allowing food to be grown in both areas’.

I love the idea of having a green kitchen, with fresh herbs, maybe even the odd strawberry or tomato on tap. But the reality for me is that I can’t keep plants alive. It seems I am not alone. Rigging up a system of hydroponics could be the answer, with inventions like the nano-garden taking low maintenance to a new level. However, I get the feeling the low tech option will require much less energy and material and will also do positive things for our internal air quality. So to incorporate living features into our green kitchen we need to consider a few things:

• close to the sink so that water used to wash vegetables can be reused to water plants

• easy access to a surface or outside for potting activities/or to put them outside to enjoy the sunshine/rain

• over an easy wipe area to mop up overenthusiastic watering

• may need to place the pots in a plate of water to prevent ants

• direct access to sunlight

• in an area that is easy to get to, but out of reach of toddlers

With the kitchen capable of generating up to a quarter of domestic greenhouse gases through cooking and refrigeration, I’ve already got the energy efficient appliances. I’ve got my waste separation area in my future kitchen all I’ve got to do now is persuade the bank manager, oh and get someone to design it for me.

The small vertical access turbine ‘eddy’ which has been created for home or office use, starts turning in 8 mile per hour winds. It is 4′6” wide by 5′3” tall. Unlike horizontal axis wind turbines no mechanism is needed to turn the wind turbine towards the wind meaning better performance in areas where a tall tower isn’t feasible, obstacles are nearby or the wind is more turbulent. Therefore they are better suited for harvesting air flow found around buildings and other obstacles, situations more common in areas where people live. They are also quiet.

Urban Green Energy are expanding into Australia and will be installing vertical axis wind turbines in Australia in the coming months. We’ll be heading over to check them out when they are up and running.

For more information check out the Urban Green Energy website.

A key concern is the cost of going green. Everyone knows that creating a sustainable home will lead to long term cost savings (we are talking pocket here as well as environment). But this has to be weighed up against how long you will live in the house and how much the bank manager will lend you. I’ve been doodling some ideas for weeks now, and its time to get serious. So I took myself off to the Sydney Home Show for some eco-renovation inspiration.

Skipping past the spas and saunas I headed for the Green Building section. I’ve got a vague idea of what I need to be thinking about so after an initial sweep I honed in on the double glazing, solar hot water, photovoltaics, water tanks and heating.

I had been keen to find out more about eco-friendly flooring. There were a few stalls with bamboo and jute carpets, but no cork tiles. Everything you read says cork tiles are a very eco friendly flooring option, but I wanted to see them first hand, not least to see whether they have moved on from the shiny 80s style bathroom floors I remember from my childhood.

The home show was certainly a good way to see lots of different green building ideas in one place. I had a chat to someone about insulated awnings. I worked out the size of the water tank I need and got some great advice in relation to energy efficiency in the home. It also got me thinking about ‘future proofing’ the home by incorporating ’smart wiring’, particularly as I will be working a fair bit from home.

However, one of the most important things that wasn’t covered a great deal in the home show was passive design to make the most of the environment for heating, cooling and shading. The Australian government’s passive design technical manual provides an excellent resource, but as we are going to be extending an existing building we are going to be a bit constrained by what’s already there.

So, the next stage is to take my ideas to an architect who knows a thing or two about environmental design, and thats what we’ll be doing in the coming months.

If you have any advice, you know of some eco friendly products/services you just can’t do without or if you have tales of your own eco renovation efforts we’d love to hear them. We found a great blog http://greentasreno.wordpress.com/ written by a couple doing an eco renovation in Tasmania, and there are a few case studies on the government site listed above that we’ll be studying for ideas.

It looks like its going to be an interesting journey. Any advice welcomed!!

We’ll keep you posted.

]]> http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/index.php/2010/05/21/eco-renovation-tentative-first-steps/feed/ 0 http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/index.php/2010/05/01/eco-friendly-heating/ http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/index.php/2010/05/01/eco-friendly-heating/#comments Sat, 01 May 2010 10:11:49 +0000 admin http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/?p=562 As winter sets in, the topic of eco-friendly heating comes up again. Gas is the most efficient of the conventional heating methods, but there are new heaters and new fuels to choose from. We've summarised the different ways to warm up your house this winter without warming up the globe.]]>

Heating options, like installing reverse cycle air conditioning and underfloor heating require significant investment and might not be appropriate if you are renting or strapped for cash. We have researched  your heating options to help you keep warm and maximize the efficiency of your heater.

Air conditioning

Reverse cycle air conditioning (or heat pumps) are electric heating systems that can also provide cooling. To heat these systems extract heat from the outside air, which is then released into the home. The cost of running reverse cycle air conditioning for heating can be as low as a third of the cost of direct element heaters. This is considered a medium efficiency system.

Ceiling fans can improve the efficiency of your heating system by recirculating warm air. Fans use as much power as a 10 watt light bulb. Energy Star ceiling fans are the best as they can circulate an average of 15% more air than other fans.

Portable  heaters.

There are two types of portable heater:

• Radiant which emits heat from a hot surface (e.g. glowing red bars in a radiator), most appropriate in rooms with large open spaces, high ceilings or draughty areas, or;
• Convection heaters which best heat small to medium draught free rooms by filling them with warm air.

Portable heaters range in size from about 1KW up to 2.4KW and gas heaters up to the equivalent of 6KW.

Electric heaters are cheap buy (compared to permanent fixed heaters) but expensive to run. Gas heaters are available with much larger heat outputs, are more expensive to buy but the running costs are lower.

Electric heaters emit 3-4 times more greenhouse gases than gas (although the impacts are less if you are using Green Power). Compare the energy ratings of gas heaters here.

The efficiency of all portable electric heaters is about the same. The impacts and costs of operating portable heaters can be reduced if only used for short periods of time

In bar heaters the in-built surface reflects the heat towards you, ensuring this is kept clean maximizes the efficiency.

Oil heaters

Oil filled columns use electricity to heat oil within an upright radiator. These take a while to heat up, but they emit heat for some time after they are turned off. LPG heaters area also available and the running costs are similar to that of portable electric heaters.

Fireplace

Wood fired heaters and stove are considered to be carbon neutral as they release the carbon dioxide absorbed by the tree when burnt.

The most eco-friendly and energy efficient type of wood heaters used pellets made from waste materials. Check out our article for more info.

Hot water radiators

Not used much here, but a regular feature of homes in the UK and Europe are wall mounted hot water radiators. Water is heated with gas (most efficient) or electric boilers and piped around the house. Using solar hot water heating for these would increase the efficiency further, however, hot water from a standard solar hot water tank will not be enough to heat the whole house.

Ground source heat pumps

Again not used much in Australia these systems pump air or water from underground where temperatures remain pretty constant, either into your home or into a heat pump to heat it further.

Increase your heating efficiency

Reduce the amount of time you need to keep the heater running by:

• Insulating the roof, walls and using double glazing to reduce overall heat loss.
• Passive design to maximise heat from winter sun.
• Close internal doors and only heat a room or two at a time
• Seal draughts. Put snakes under doors.
• Heavy curtains can be closed to keep in the warmth.
• Consider the materials used. Cork floor tiles feel warmer under foot than ceramic.
• Only heat the rooms you are using.
• Invest in a hot water bottle or an electric blanket and switch on just before you go to bed.
• Buy a heater that best suits the conditions of your home/room. If immediate heat is required a bar heater may be a better choice, or if you are using for long periods a thermostatically controlled heater would have lower emissions overall.
• Choose a heater with a range of heat settings.

Choosing the right heater

The following table outlines the advantages and disadvantages of the different heaters discussed.

Adapted from information provided by Sustainable Energy Authority Victoria 2004

The fuel pellets can be created from various biomass sources, including compacted sawdust, agricultural waste, in particular sugar cane, but also wood chips, waste paper and other organic materials.  The pelletising process involves breaking up the source material, drying it so the final product has a moisture content below 10%, then applying pressure to force it through a screen. This produces uniform pellets with a much higher density than the original materials. The final pellets have a density four times greater than traditional wood products and due to their small uniform size, can be more efficiently transported in bulk.

According to the Water, Materials, Energy, Strategy magazine (February 2010) there is a rapidly growing customer base. The president of Global NRG, a private company specialising in waste to energy projects, has even considered the use of the Northern Territory’s woody weeds as a fuel source. The government spends millions trying to eradicate and control these, and harvesting them for commercial purposes would reduce the environmental damage and fire risks they pose, and the pellets could be exported or used to fire power plants for remote mine sites.

You can buy pellet heaters for the home. Although these look the same as wood stoves, pellet stoves have a hopper full of extra fuel that sits above the flames.  The pellets are gravity fed into the stove at a constant rate. Most have a feeding mechanism that ensures the right amount of fuels is added to the fire. Pellets burn more efficiently than wood and pellet stoves are credited with providing even heat that spreads from the stove. You can apparently burn pellets in a traditional wood stove by getting a wood stove insert.

So this is another thing to think about when planning the eco renovation.

Of course increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy demands in the home through solar hot water and insulation and investing in energy efficient appliances are the first steps to take, but here’s what you can do to generate power:

Photovoltaics

There are several different types of panel available and photovoltaic panels can either be grid connected or off-grid. Most connect into the grid as you get credited for any excess electricity produced, and when not producing electricity, for example, at night, the electricity is supplied by the usual mains power grid.

As there are no moving parts the solar panel modules can be expected to last several decades. As well as the solar panel, other components of a household solar power system include an inverter, which converts the direct current from the cells to alternating current used in homes. Also a two way electricity meter is required to allow surplus power from the solar cells to be directed to the electricity grid. Solar panels should face north in Australia to take full advantage of the sun. The systems come in various sizes. We found the Energy Matters site extremely useful. It suggests a 4kW system will cover 100% of the energy consumption of a medium energy use household. A 1kW system is currently the ‘entry point’ for grid connect and attracts the most rebate per watt, and will cover up to 25% of the energy consumption of a medium household.

The time it takes to pay back the costs of the PV system depends on the size of system installed. Many countries have a feed-in tariff (premium rate paid for electricity fed back into the electricity grid from designated renewable electricity generation source). Unfortunately Australia currently has no nationalised feed in tariff and the rates paid vary from state to state (click here for more info).

Wind

To find out if installing a wind turbine is going to be worthwhile you need to know whether your average wind speed is above 5m/s.  Ideal places are in the country, on farms or on the coast and away from built up areas. So this is not as suitable for urban areas as solar. If you want to find out more, again Energy Matters has some great information on their site to help work out if windpower is suitable for you.  

Natural gas

Australia homeowners will shortly be able to product their own electricity on site from natural gas. BlueGen is a gas to electric generation unit about the size of a small dishwasher, which contains a stack of ceramic fuel cells. It is currently being trialled at a sustainable home in the Melbourne suburb of Epping. According to the literature producing electricity on site through this means can reduce a home’s carbon footprint by five times as much as is possible from a solar PV system. In the home the BlueGen unit connects to the existing gas inlet and the hot water system. Air and gas is fed into the unit and a chemical reaction takes place, producing both electricity and heat, which can produce 200 litres of hot water each day. Over the course of a year each BlueGen unit can produce about 17,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, more than twice the power needed for an average Australian home. Surplus electricity can be sold back to the power grid. It is claimed electricity created through BlueGen can save more than $1,000 off the annual energy bill of the average Australian home. Through the combined production of electricity and heat gives an efficiency of 85% making it the most efficient power generation system of its kind in the world. In contrast electricity derived from brown coal is about 25% efficient, with 75% of the energy produced is lost as heat at the power station or in the transmission and distribution of electricity.

BlueGen units will be available to Australian consumers in the next few months, via green retailer Neco.

The Newspoll survey of 1,062 home-owners aged 18 to 64¹, commissioned by Solahart, showed that 55% of home owners were likely to consider installing solar water heating over the next two years, which is a significant increase on the 8% of households currently enjoying hot water free from the sun.

Environmental expert Tim Flannery said the results were exciting.

“Australians are among the highest greenhouse polluters on a per capita basis in the developed world, caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels for energy. All Australians have a role to play in reducing carbon emissions and it’s promising to see that people are keen to take action,” said Mr Flannery.

“Electric water heaters are a major contributor to the problem, accounting for roughly a quarter of household energy consumption. By comparison, using a solar water heater saves about 3 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year,” he added.

Solahart’s National Manager, Stephen Cranch agrees that solar water heating will increase significantly over the next two years.

“We expect the uptake will rival the huge spike in growth experienced by both the internet and mobile phones, with solar water heating becoming a part of everyday life for most Australian households,” said Mr Cranch. “It’s also good news for Australian workers as it will create hundreds of new jobs in the industry,” said Mr Cranch.

“Generous Government rebates are enticing droves of people to choose solar hot water systems, with most of the home-owners looking to change living in states that offer higher incentives, such as News South Wales and Victoria,” said Mr Cranch.

“The combination of State and Federal rebates provides eligible home-owners with between $1,600 and $2,800 back on solar hot water systems when replacing an electric water heater. These rebates are on top of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) worth around $1,000 (depending on system selected and the market price of the RECs) and in some cases a fully installed solar hot water system is around the same price as an electric water heater,” he added.

Electricity and gas price hikes are also driving the shift and this is only set to escalate.

“Seventy five per cent of homeowners believe electricity prices will rise by 20% or less over the next two years, but as we know many states have already been given the green light for increases above this,” said Mr Cranch.

“Choosing solar water heating is the best answer for consumers looking to reduce their energy consumption and there has never been a better or more affordable time to make the change.”

¹Newspoll Omnibus Survey, 30 April-3 May and 14-17 May 2009, 1,062 Australian home owners aged 18-64

1. replace lightbulbs with energy efficient ones
2. seal up drafts to reduce heating in winter
3. repair leaks and place flow restrictors on taps and showers
4. install awnings over windows or use curtains to keep the house cooler in summer (curtains will come in handy for insulating in winter)
5. take advantage of government grants at the moment and consider installing solar hot water or voltaics and ceiling insulation
6. dual flush toilet (or put a brick or full water bottle in the cistern to reduce water volume each flush). Sydney water are currently offering a toilet replacement service
7. get a bathroom timer and limit showers to three minutes
8. separate waste, place containers under the sink to separate organic food for the worm farm, recyclables and landfill waste
9. get a worm farm
10. reduce energy use of appliances by ensuring there is adequate ventilation to the back of the fridge or putting in extension leads on hard to reach plugs so appliances can be easily turned off such as microwaves, DVD players etc
11. make more use of your microwave, it is more energy efficient than other cooking methods
12. moderate indoor climate by installing house plants or even better make up a living wall
13. get digging and create a veggie patch
14. beg, borrow, steal or swap plant cuttings and cultivate plants for your garden or indoors
15. if you are looking to redecorate go for low VOC paints and reuse/recycle – check out eBay or local antique or charity shops to avoid buying something from new.

If you are on a roll and want to take things further, we have collated an array of tips for eco-living, so check out our tips section.

We have come up with some ideas for how to get the most out of your tax refund, er, we mean stimulus package windfall to help stimulate the local economy and protect the environment.

• Why not spend the cash supporting local businesses by doing a little renovation? You may be staying in a bit more if you are tightening your belt, so might as well have a cosy home.
• Treat yourself to a little trip away. Holiday within Australia and you are putting money back into the economy. Stayz is a great place to find accommodation.
• Replace electric water heaters with solar hot water – there’s a $1600 rebate available which is no longer means tested. While you are at it take advantages of the Government’s free insulation package available from 1st July.
• Get ongoing savings by investing in an Electric bike conversion kit. This Aussie designed piece of kit turns a standard push bike into an electric bike which means you can go completely electric for up to 40km on a single charge. Use cycle lanes and dodge the traffic and the petrol pumps.
• If you are buying stuff for the kids or gifts, go for hemp or bamboo. The hemp products are hard wearing and are made in Australia.
• Instead of buying new, see what’s on offer in the local charity shops. It’ll also make that cash bonus stretch further.

Or of course you can always save it for a rainy day.

My first significant moment in making an effort to join the environmental brigade involved a shower curtain, a bucket, some hot soapy water and a bit of bleach. Very glamorous. However, the feeling I got from hanging up a good as new shower curtain, instead of rushing down to Ikea to buy a new one, was a totally alien. What a fantastic sensation of pride. It’s very simple.

Not only had I managed to save money, and my old shower curtain – I had done something positive, resulting in me taking a small step away from consumerism. This trend in moving away from consumerism, being more aware of what we are wasting and how we can recycle and re-use has been growing rapidly over the past few years.

On 1^st January 2006 a group of ten San Franciscan friends made a pact with each other not to purchase anything new for one calendar year. This group of radicals had a mission - “to flee the consumer grid”. The rules were simple, barter, borrow, or buy second hand for one year – excluding food, drink and health and safety necessities. What they could buy did include toilet paper and underwear, but did not include any luxuries – even to do up the house. They called themselves “the Compact” after the Mayflower Compact, a social contract drawn up in 1620 by Pilgrims wanting to build their own city on a hill which would later become a beacon in society. They accidentally started what is known now as the Compacting Movement.

“We’re not out to be environmental martyrs. We’re just a group of folks looking to consciously reduce our consumption and keep trash out of the landfills” says Rachel Kesel, one of the ten in the original compact. Even 18 months after the day the deal was done – Rachel still finds it hard to buy things, and deliberates for hours over whether she really needs the item or not.

Since the start of the compact in 2006 – word has spread around the world and it now has over 9,000 in its community. It has even reached a 13 year old school girl from Toronto who even slated the mass amount of e-waste we produce, describing Facebook as “another man made weapon of mass destruction”.

How would I fare doing this I wondered ? Could I do without anything new either for myself or my home for a year? I am a self confessed lover of shoes, haute couture and interior design.

Being an interior stylist, I am always on the look out for gorgeous additions to my home, but in the last year I have begun to look at it very differently. I am by no means a full blown member of the “Compact”, but I have started to ask myself, could I do this for six months? A month even?

We take it for granted that we can buy whatever we want on a daily basis. I certainly do. Since the massive environmental and green living movement that has erupted over the past few years, there are several publications such as daily papers and weekend magazines urging us not to over consume, and not to waste as much as we have been…… things will eventually run out… land fills will eventually all be full.

Looking at the way we have treated the environment over the past decade in Australia shows substantial evidence of change. For example, between 1997 and 2003 the tonnes of waste to landfill decreased by 19% and the amount of waste that was recycled has increased by 825%.

However, even though these statistics show we are more aware or re-cycling and keeping waste out of landfills, surprisingly enough, waste generation per person is increasing by 0.3% pa - so even though we are recycling, we are still generating more waste.

We can begin to tackle this problem in very simple ways. Asking ourselves, do I really need this? Or, is this really not fixable? It really is a most rewarding way to live.

If you are still keen to buy things for your home and to suit your lifestyle, there are now more sustainable options such as BIRD in Surry Hills, a homewares and textiles shop whereby everything is designed and produced with sustainable living in mind.

There are tonnes of opportunities if you don’t want to go as far as “compacting” just yet. If you are keen to go down the second hand route – then markets in and around Sydney, and even all over NSW are a great option. Windsor, Surry Hills and Rozelle are particular favourites for a bit of bric a brac. Mitchell Road Auction House in Alexandria is an absolute haven for those who like to forage.

It has become a fun project for me to continue improving the interior style of my home – but by reinventing old pieces of furniture either from markets, garage sales or on the street. If you take a really long time to source something that has been pre-loved, and you consider how much you really need it, you will appreciate it all the more once you get it home. Believe me, my home is full of much loved, unique one off pieces.

So think of it like this, create some space around you, think about what you surround yourself with and in doing this, you are developing your own sense of sustainable style.

Ten Tips For The Home Compactor

• Re cover an old couch instead of buying a new one. Fabrics and throws tied in with tasteful cushions need not look like student accommodation. Think Morcoccan or Indian Chic!
• If your shower curtain is looking a little old and mouldy – take it down and scrub it with hot soapy water and bleach for more stubborn stains.
• Instead of buying plastic storage containers – use large glass juice jars with the tops tastefully painted to store nuts, grains pasta etc. They make a great impact on display.
• Keep a bucket in the shower so you can re-use excess water – “grey water” can be used for watering plants, washing floors and other such household duties.
• Always hang your re-useable shopping bags by the door - so you don’t forget them when you go out shopping it’s one of the most common shopping mistakes.
• When buying fruit and vegetables – simply place them directly in your shopping basket in groups – there is no need to have a separate bag for each item.
• Buy a worm farm.
• Feed your dog on leftovers and scraps of food that build up throughout the day throw away nothing!
• Go back to using hand soap – at basins and in the shower. Plastic dispenser bottles are not only wasteful they also look unattractive. A lovely Japanese or other ceramic dish creates a lovely piece in any bathroom.
• Shop at markets and second hand stores, make a day of it to go to an out of town market with friends and family – and you can save money in more ways than one.