Take an enlightened approach to energy efficiency

Shedding light on energy performance

Reading about trees, rainforests and buying ethical furniture is just one way we can gain a greater appreciation of our planet. Being energy-aware is another. The Government appears to have recognised the importance of the latter and now requires property owners to demonstrate their eco principles by declaring the energy performance of their property.

While it’s hardly a case of shouting about Co2 emissions from the chimney tops, an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) must be held which provides the energy rating of a building in black and white. These energy performance certificates form part of the slightly arduous Home Information Packs (HIPs).

An EPC allows buyers and tenants to make an informed decision as to whether a property is energy efficient. Specialist companies such as Manchester-based Enlighten Enviro carry out energy efficiency checks and can quickly issue a Manchester EPC to residential and commercial property owners (both are legally obliged to hold an EPC).

And the requirements don’t stop there – well, for public buildings at least. There’s also the commercial DEC. DEC stands for Display Energy Certificate. Again, this removes any ambiguous grey areas, and requires owners to display the real energy usage of a building as recorded by gas, electricity and other meters. A DEC is only required for buildings occupied by a public authority or an institution providing a public service to a large number of persons with a total useable area greater than 1000m2.

A bit of a headache all this may be, but it does mean we’re all moving towards a more energy efficient world.


More about the EPC and DEC

To get help in obtaining a commercial EPC or commercial DEC or for more information on the subject of energy performance, visit Enlighten Enviro.

Shadow of the Earth

If you have an awareness of eco living, there's every chance you've noticed the recent trend towards ethical and naturally-sourced beauty products. There’s every sort of makeup available on the market at the moment - sparkly, smooth, powdery, perfumed - you name it it's in the shops and literally twinkling its way into your basket. The choice is seriously overwhelming and if, like me, you’re rather partial to popping yet another pot into your makeup bag you'll probably like the latest eye shadow from The Body Shop.

It attracted me because it's an all natural product, being derived from natural minerals in the ground, and by its very nature is SPF25 - I rarely see this in an eyeshadow. The shadow comes as a loose powder formulation and is clinically proven to be suitable for sensitive skin types. It's also long-lasting, blendable and refreshingly crease-resistant. The Body Shop claims the shadows, which come in a lovely range of natural colours (no dyes used) are suitable for all skin types. They're also dermatologically tested, ophthalmologically tested and suitable for contact lens wearers. In the same range, which is called Nature's Minerals, there is a selection of delicate foundations and pretty blushers. These also derive their pigments from natural minerals in the ground.

The Body Shop are currently running some offers on this makeup, so be sure to check out the website http://www.thebodyshop.com/

Danish Delight

These tables caught my eye as they are so unique. They're advertised on a site called http://www.designedtoplease.co.uk.

They do remind me slightly of the ghost furniture http://www.ghostfurniture.co.uk/ which I blogged about around Halloween time (see below), but these pieces are constructed from scratch, rather than being created from old, ready-to-be-chucked-out pieces of furniture.

The tables, which are handmade in Denmark, are designed from 3mm round-texture acrylic and claim to be pretty strong. Obviously the tables are designed to recreate the look of a tablecloth floating in the air. Because of the hand-crafted design process, part of the attraction is that each table is unique. If you bob on to the site, you'll see the same style of table available in clear, grey, brown, red, opal and pyramid textured finishes. Unfortunately, the furniture doesn't appear to make any attempt to be ethical, but they're so beautiful I thought they were definitely worth a mention.

Ethical Wood Toys

When you consider the number of brightly-coloured plastic toys that will be sold this Christmas, only to be forgotten and discarded in January, the impact on the environment doesn’t bear thinking about. But ethically-produced wooden toys are now available from a number of discerning retailers who place importance on sustainable materials and good working conditions in third-world countries.

There’s one funky little company called Boutiko http://www.boutiko.co.uk/ which has some really cute toys on the market this Christmas. Their unique selling point is 'beautiful gifts with an ethical twist'. Check out the A-Z elephant jigsaw above which retails at £16 on the website. They’ve used lots of child-friendly colours like jazzy reds, pinks, purples and greens in the paintwork, but all the toys are made from sustainable rubber wood and MDF – and all entirely by hand in Sri Lanka under fairtrade conditions.

The wood is sourced from exhausted rubber plantations which are replanted every decade or so, and the packing materials are PVC-free and made from waste materials from local suppliers. Children are not involved at any stage of the production of these toys, and they have been approved by the British Association of Fair Trade Shops.

Boutiko also sells loads of other ethical products. To find the toys from the Boutiko home page, click on 'little ones'.

Thrill of a bargain

With my finances a little stretched at the moment, last night I logged onto www.moneysavingexpert.com to see if I could get some advice on how to survive the Christmas period without completely bankrupting myself. Whilst I was looking at various threads, I came across one chatting about renovating old furniture which I thought could come in pretty useful to people at the moment. Although it’s not a particularly long thread there’s some great ideas thrown about – check out http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1259129.

There’s also an article and thread on haggling, which can be useful in some of the bigger furniture stores. Have a look at http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1263291 to read shoppers’ personal (and often amusing) experiences. There’s an interesting post at the top of the thread which asks shoppers not to apply the same haggling techniques in independent stores which are struggling more than major high-street retailers during the recession. It’s quite a valid point. On the home page of money saving expert there’s also a whole article on haggling, which throws loads of tips and tricks into the mix to help save you cash. Here’s the link http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/how-to-haggle-successfully.

Don't miss the table which includes some info specifically on furniture. A snippet of advice is as follows ‘Stores will often discount clearance or display stock, especially if it takes up a lot of space. They are also willing to cut the price flawed merchandise. Always ask for free delivery on bulky items’. Some of the major furniture stores which are talked about favourably in terms of giving discounts are John Lewis and Ikea.

From Cradle to Cardboard

Had to give this a quick mention after blogging about the organic baby mattress below. This cot, bizarrely, is made of cardboard which I was slightly dubious about at first, purely from a safety perspective. My mind was slightly put at ease by the fact the cradle conforms to European safety standards. It's an interesting concept anyway.

It is made by Green Lullaby and is called the Eco Cradle. It is designed to cater for babies for the first few months, is light and foldable, and assembles and disassembles in seconds with 'tools', if you’re a bit handy. I think the idea is that it can be transported around, and shipped off to the grandparents when the parents need some sleep.

The cot is completely recyclable and made primarily of recycled materials and protected by a green, and non-toxic fire retardant. It can be placed next to a parent’s bed, and is apparently the correct height for rocking, ‘soothing’ or picking your baby up from a laying or sitting position. I found the cot on the furniture section of the site www.thenaturalstore.co.uk. It retails at £59.99.

Sleeping like a baby

There’s lots of conflicting advice in the press and from doctors about the safest sleeping conditions for babies. Although I don’t have children of my own, friends and work colleagues have heightened my awareness of the current health issues, which include the ongoing dangers of cot death, and also the chemical constituents in mattresses. To address the latter problem, many mums and dads now seem to opt for a chemical-free organic mattresses for their baby's cot.

A search on the web led me to a company called Abaca, which makes a Soil Association-certified mattress http://www.soilassociation.org/. The mattress is made from a core of coir (coconut fibre) and natural latex which is wrapped in a deep layer of wool and finished with a cotton cover.

The thinking behind the mattress is that traditional mattresses contain chemicals which can be absorbed into children’s (and adults) bodies, and potentially effect their growth and development. It’s a relatively recent turn around that people are questioning what goes into the mattresses we sleep on, and whether they could be the cause of health problems. Some of the more dangerous chemicals are being phased out by companies anyway, but there is still cause for concern from chemicals such as brominated flame retardants http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/19990718090047.html, also known as PBDEs. These can build up in breast milk, and increase the risk of neurological problems in children. Organic mattresses such as this one from Abaca are obviously a safer way to bring children into the world, although they’re naturally more expensive. The mattress is available to purchase, along with others in the range, at http://www.buyorganics.co.uk/