Starting out to be Greener -help needed!

cannyscot_2

NY resolution ! To be greener but probably need some help.

So far

Clothing

Buying from ebay/charity shops . Cut down on rubbish and investing carefully in quality items that last and need less washing. Careful not to buy items that need specialised cleaning.

Interested in tips or advice on making buying/washing clothing that are greener.

Recycling

Have a new bin system.

Everything is being recycled including food.

Things do not know what to do with are:- juice cartons with plastic pourer, tinfoil,corrugated cardboard.

Packaging
No supermarket carriers.
Still not got an alternative to children having plastic bottles of water -this is our worst thing-need a good safe easy solution . So far kids complain any solution I have found spills -in trouble as water spilt on school book and had to replace!


Food & Waste
Totally overhauled planning and food waste thanks to the food waste thread so virtually no food waste unless a bit of veg or fruit unexpexctedly goes bad. Using every single leftover and
storing even off bananas in freezer if need be.

Currently buying from lidl/aldi but live semi rurally so would be keen to buy with less packaging/source but do not want to spend more -cannot afford our local farmers market.

Buying food- cut down on trips for food by buying 1x a month from sainsburys with delivery. and 3 trips to lidl so less driving as we live about 4 miles away. lidl is closest. Use freezer extensively to keep bread/milk/produce.

Gas & electric

Really need to work on this-are there any threads etc to help

problem areas are:-

Bathroom Extractor fan- how to work out how much this uses and alternative?
Electricity- stopped using dryer-hanging stuff up and now do washing once a week so we can divide all wash up and do less washes. Also dropped the temp down but unsure about balance between temp/killing germs advice an this seems contradictory as well. Currently bedding etc on 50.

Halogen cooker/slow cooker -to avoid oven.

Freezers- We have 3 -which seems too much ? I am not sure about this? Might buy a meter to monitor?

Heating-Gas central-got nice new super efficient boiler-but have v old fashioned radiators-not sure if we should replace or not.

Currently we put heating off at 11pm and back on at 7.30 am try and keep at 19c and wear jumpers . No matter how many threads I read I cannot work this out-we both share the week to work at home as we have adisabled child-so 9-3 1 person working at a desk -need some heat -what is the best way? central heating low or another type of heater?

Hot water-we only at the moment have a bath -should we get a shower.?

Petrol/Driving purchased a small 1.2 car and use it for all childrens activities/ trips to relatives /university etc.

sharing lifts more/ use people carrier and fill the car with folk for any activies I can.

Children get school bus and don't tolerate missing it-give parent who passes the school bus every day driving child to school dirty look!

We live away from anything -ie 2 miles to shop/school/4 miles to lidl / 6 miles round trip for football/rugby 4 times a week etc


Keen to think of other things but a bit "green" ! I am happy to be told where I am going wrong and keen to learn!- but not so keen to spend more.

Any websites/threads etc?

rogerblack

cannyscot wrote: »

Packaging
No supermarket carriers.
Still not got an alternative to children having plastic bottles of water -this is our worst thing-need a good safe easy solution . So far kids complain any solution I have found spills -in trouble as water spilt on school book and had to replace!
<snip>
Bathroom Extractor fan- how to work out how much this uses and alternative?
Electricity- stopped using dryer-hanging stuff up and now do washing once a week so we can divide all wash up and do less washes. Also dropped the temp down but unsure about balance between temp/killing germs advice an this seems contradictory as well. Currently bedding etc on 50.

Freezers- We have 3 -which seems too much ? I am not sure about this? Might buy a meter to monitor?

Heating-Gas central-got nice new super efficient boiler-but have v old fashioned radiators-not sure if we should replace or not.

Currently we put heating off at 11pm and back on at 7.30 am try and keep at 19c and wear jumpers . No matter how many threads I read I cannot work this out-we both share the week to work at home as we have adisabled child-so 9-3 1 person working at a desk -need some heat -what is the best way? central heating low or another type of heater?

Several issues.
Firstly - on the philosophical.
What is green?

Lack of production of CO2?
Lowest total greenhouse gas life cycle emissions?
...
On bottles - there are all sorts of nice ones - for example - http://www.amazon.co.uk/lifebottle-350ml-Stainless-Steel-Bottle/dp/B005OQA9Z6/ref=sr_1_7?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1361973129&sr=1-7

This is even a thermos, and will keep drinks cool.
Look on amazon for 'stainless bottle' or similar, for many, many alternatives.
A bathroom fan is unlikely to use more than 50W, even if really large.
10 or 20W is more likely.
A plug in energy monitor, to check specific appliances, and a whole-house meter to give you a 'live' readout of what your moment-momnet use is can be very useful.
It may be that replacing all your freezers with one big one would save moderately - three inefficient freezers could easily use £100/year, whereas one really large super-efficient one might use £30.

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/hotpoint-rcnaa300p-chest-freezer-white-17473402-pdt.html?gclid=CMzyiLHS1rUCFczHtAodc2IAaw&srcid=198&cmpid=comp~Google~Household+Appliances~17473402&istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istItemId=aqrirwpm&istBid=t&ef_id=UQLTrwAADazF-Bqt:20130227135704:s - for example I have - which works well economically.


Heating - radiators are basically unimportant - if they are adequately sized.

40C should in general be quite adequate for washing - even bedclothes.
Try it!
Wash a couple of similar sheets either way, and get someone else to try to pick the hotter washed one.

Heating - using one radiator in the room, and turning the others down would work - and will generally be cheaper than using electric.

cannyscot_2

rogerblack wrote: »

Several issues.
Firstly - on the philosophical.
What is green?

Lack of production of CO2?
Lowest total greenhouse gas life cycle emissions?
...



Do you know what I don't know- just decided I wanted to drain the planet less-I'm just not that knowledgeable on the subject?

Bottles-look good if a bit pricey
radiators-good news-they are super old -recycled from an old school building I think-so they do not go off?



I 'll buy some monitors then.

Wow that's quite a lot on the freezer front I will sell one.

zeupater

cannyscot wrote: »

NY resolution ! To be greener but probably need some help.

.....

Gas & electric

Really need to work on this-are there any threads etc to help

problem areas are:-

Bathroom Extractor fan- how to work out how much this uses and alternative?
Electricity- stopped using dryer-hanging stuff up and now do washing once a week so we can divide all wash up and do less washes. Also dropped the temp down but unsure about balance between temp/killing germs advice an this seems contradictory as well. Currently bedding etc on 50.

Halogen cooker/slow cooker -to avoid oven.

Freezers- We have 3 -which seems too much ? I am not sure about this? Might buy a meter to monitor?

Heating-Gas central-got nice new super efficient boiler-but have v old fashioned radiators-not sure if we should replace or not.

Currently we put heating off at 11pm and back on at 7.30 am try and keep at 19c and wear jumpers . No matter how many threads I read I cannot work this out-we both share the week to work at home as we have adisabled child-so 9-3 1 person working at a desk -need some heat -what is the best way? central heating low or another type of heater?

Hot water-we only at the moment have a bath -should we get a shower.?

.....

Keen to think of other things but a bit "green" ! I am happy to be told where I am going wrong and keen to learn!- but not so keen to spend more.

Any websites/threads etc?

Hi

Welcome the the mayhem that is the G&E boards .... despite what you may see, most here are a friendly bunch and will try to help ....

Okay, probably the best approach is to tackle (notice the rugby pun ! ) the major cost items first, these will also be the highest CO2 contributors too if you're looking at it that way. The best thing that you can do is look at your insulation .... the cheapest energy you'll ever get is that which you don't need to buy .... loft insulation topped up ?, cavity insulation ?, draught proofing ?, open but unused chimneys ?, carpet or stone floor ?, double glazing ?, insulated doors ? etc .... Look at the EST (Energy savings Trust) website for information .... once the heat is being kept in, then look at your appliances and electrical items, but don't simply change them for the sake of doing so as it's unlikey that many items would provide a decent payback purely on energy savings (TV possibly if replacing an early generation plasma with a good LED equivalent, but it would still likely be ~5years+ before the cost is recovered) .... look at your lighting, replace the most frequently used ones with CFL or LED first, then replace the others as necessary or as your budget dictates ....

Shower .... yes, this almost always shows a significant saving, both in energy and water (are you metered ?), the saving really depends on how long certain family members take to wake-up under it in the morning .... take care when selecting the shower itself as something like a monsoon showerhead uses a considerable amount of water and associated energy, but you can compensate by fitting a flow restrictor ....

You mention 19C heating & efficient boiler, but old radiators. If the radiators provide enough heat then they're fine ... do you have TRVs on them?, if so, are they set to suit your needs ie, cooler bedrooms ?, heating unused rooms to same as the rest? etc ...

Bathroom extractor ..... this just pumps your warm air outside and therefore can be quite expensive, depending on use. There is the possibility of changing the unit for a heat recovery extractor which could return ~50%-70% of the heat extracted back into the house, but these will likely cost ~£250-£300 plus installation ....

Anyway, there are loads of threads on these boards to give ideas. Beware of spammers and reference to various 'inventions' which claim significant advantages as most (if not all) all either absolutely useless, or next to absolutely useless ... it's just that there are many who believe that anyone who is trying to be 'green' for whatever reason is 'green' in experience and therefore an easy target ....

HTH
Z

labp04

A couple of issues I'm sort of wrestling with at the moment are about: 1) Companies who take deliberate actions to "minimise" paying tax (and their are some pretty big names listed at, for example, 38degreesdotorgdotuk/pages/tax_dodgers_guide; and 2) something about buying fairtrade versus buying local ie how can fair trade products be "green"/ok if they are having to be transported '000s of miles?

Hope you succeed and dont mind my tu'penneth :beer:

rogerblack

labp04 wrote: »

how can fair trade products be "green"/ok if they are having to be transported '000s of miles?

Because when you do all of the involved sums for the embodied CO2, tomatos grown in spain (for example) can produce less CO2 than ones grown in Kent.
Simply as the ones in spain won't use any heating for the tunnels.

The transportation is of course moderately less - but a fully laden modern truck with a load of tomatos doesn't actually use much fuel per kilo of them.

Ectophile

cannyscot wrote: »

NY resolution ! To be greener but probably need some help.

So far

Clothing

Buying from ebay/charity shops . Cut down on rubbish and investing carefully in quality items that last and need less washing. Careful not to buy items that need specialised cleaning.

Interested in tips or advice on making buying/washing clothing that are greener.

Recycling

Have a new bin system.

Everything is being recycled including food.

Things do not know what to do with are:- juice cartons with plastic pourer, tinfoil,corrugated cardboard.

Check what your council, and neighbouring ones, can recycle.

My local council keeps sending inconsistent messages about corrugated cardboard, but their web site currently says they do take it.

Drinks cartons can't be recycled as normal cardboard. If you pull one apart, it contains layers of card, foil and plastic. There are specialist recycling bins in some areas - I have to save them up in a sack and use a bin in a neighbouring council area.

Packaging
No supermarket carriers.
Still not got an alternative to children having plastic bottles of water -this is our worst thing-need a good safe easy solution . So far kids complain any solution I have found spills -in trouble as water spilt on school book and had to replace!

Water bottles can be re-used up to a point. But after a while they will become manky and should be thrown away for safety (in the recycling, of course).

Food & Waste
Totally overhauled planning and food waste thanks to the food waste thread so virtually no food waste unless a bit of veg or fruit unexpexctedly goes bad. Using every single leftover and
storing even off bananas in freezer if need be.

Currently buying from lidl/aldi but live semi rurally so would be keen to buy with less packaging/source but do not want to spend more -cannot afford our local farmers market.

Buying food- cut down on trips for food by buying 1x a month from sainsburys with delivery. and 3 trips to lidl so less driving as we live about 4 miles away. lidl is closest. Use freezer extensively to keep bread/milk/produce.

Gas & electric

Really need to work on this-are there any threads etc to help

problem areas are:-

Bathroom Extractor fan- how to work out how much this uses and alternative?

An extractor fan will use very little electricity. But it will be sucking warm air out of your house.

Electricity- stopped using dryer-hanging stuff up and now do washing once a week so we can divide all wash up and do less washes. Also dropped the temp down but unsure about balance between temp/killing germs advice an this seems contradictory as well. Currently bedding etc on 50.

If you have allergy sufferers in the house, it may be best to stick to 60C. House dust mites are killed at that temperature. For anything else, 30C is usually fine.

Halogen cooker/slow cooker -to avoid oven.

Freezers- We have 3 -which seems too much ? I am not sure about this? Might buy a meter to monitor?

I bought a plug-in meter from Maplin Electronics.

Heating-Gas central-got nice new super efficient boiler-but have v old fashioned radiators-not sure if we should replace or not.

Be aware that if you crank up the temperature control too far on a condensing boiler, then it stops condensing. Unfortunately, old radiators don't work as well as modern ones. So you may end up juggling the temperature knob to get it as low as possible while still keeping the house warm.

Currently we put heating off at 11pm and back on at 7.30 am try and keep at 19c and wear jumpers . No matter how many threads I read I cannot work this out-we both share the week to work at home as we have adisabled child-so 9-3 1 person working at a desk -need some heat -what is the best way? central heating low or another type of heater?

Hot water-we only at the moment have a bath -should we get a shower.?

Be aware that a long shower can use as much water as a bath.

Petrol/Driving purchased a small 1.2 car and use it for all childrens activities/ trips to relatives /university etc.

sharing lifts more/ use people carrier and fill the car with folk for any activies I can.

Children get school bus and don't tolerate missing it-give parent who passes the school bus every day driving child to school dirty look!

We live away from anything -ie 2 miles to shop/school/4 miles to lidl / 6 miles round trip for football/rugby 4 times a week etc


Keen to think of other things but a bit "green" ! I am happy to be told where I am going wrong and keen to learn!- but not so keen to spend more.

Any websites/threads etc?

forgotmyname

As already said being green is a load of rubbish.

You bought a 1.2 car? I bet i can match or even beat the MPG in my 2L diesel estate car. Which of us is greener?

recycling plastic costs more in money and pollution than making new plastic.

We re-use shopping bags many times over. Well we used to. Until they started making them from wet tissue paper. Now they are lucky to last the trip to the car. So we use twice as many now.


Its not easy being green. Its impossible.

Always something new to show why you/we are wrong to do it that way.

Ectophile

forgotmyname wrote: »

We re-use shopping bags many times over. Well we used to. Until they started making them from wet tissue paper. Now they are lucky to last the trip to the car. So we use twice as many now.

So get re-usable carrier bags. Even a 10p "bag for life" from Tesco will last me for many months Better bags can last for years.