South Australia’s largest cemetery has been named a finalist for a major Australian environment award.

Centennial Park is a finalist in the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards, in the Leading in Sustainability category for small to medium businesses.

The Banksia Environmental Awards recognise environmental excellence and sustainability. They are an initiative of the Banksia Environmental Foundation.

Centennial Park Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bryan Elliott, said the finalist position was welcome recognition of the cemetery’s environmental responsibility efforts.

“Centennial Park is helping Australians to reduce the environmental impact of their final resting places,” he said.

“A range of improvements have enabled us to reduce carbon emissions by an average of 10.7% per cremation and burial service over the past two years.

“Centennial Park was the first cemetery in Australia – possibly the world – to manage our entire greenhouse gas emissions with a carbon offset scheme.

“We are extremely pleased to be recognised in this prestigious awards program. This firmly cements our position as the environmental leader in Australia’s cemetery industry.”

Other environmental improvements at Centennial Park include reducing operational waste to landfill by 95.7%, vehicle emissions by 10% and reliance on mains water.

Following simple steps that reduced electricity use by 9%, new technology in the cemetery’s chapels and administration buildings have created further reductions of 25% and 14.5% respectively. Crematorium improvements have reduced gas consumption by 5% and electricity consumption by 10%.

Centennial Park is also creating new life for flora and fauna with a revegetation program to attract more native birds and animals to its grounds.

Winners of the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards will be announced in Sydney on Friday 15 October.

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 slabs are designed to be prominent in order to encourage pedestrians to step on them. Five percent of the sustainable energy created from each step is expended on lighting up the slabs LED — which also serves to demonstrate the energy transfer was successful.

Among the various applications for the remaining energy are ideas around powering traffic lights, safety signs and other outdoor ambient items that require electricity. Pavegen’s slabs have already been trialled in East London, with the developers now seeking investment.

This eco innovation is being taken a step further. Pavegen systems is working with one of the leading recycled rubber slab manufacturers to offer tactile paving slabs that generates energy at pedestrian crossings. Often lighting is used in these areas to make pedestrians more visible, busy crossings can now be self sufficient increasing the safety of users with a retro fitted Pavegen slab that requires no grid connection. The rubber is produced from 100% recycled car tyres.

Designs are currently being finalised for a stair based unit that is currently producing 25% of the total energy for a London tube station, Pavegen believe the next model will produce nearer 40%.

For more information visit http://www.pavegensystems.com/about.php

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