Well its been a long while since I wrote in this and there has been a bit going on........
The competition for Draw an ECO House is underway, and you can vote on the drawings by the children (follow this link.....http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=125357600814357&aid=69402 ) you have to click like on the drawing you want to vote for - you can vote once for key stage 1 and once for key stage 2.
The drawings are fantastic and you can see how much effort the children have put into this competition.
Work has been steady, could always do with it being busier but its given me time to add a new service! So along with EPCs (domestic and commercial), floorplans, photos, descriptions and inventories I now offer an end of tenancy cleaning service. Its definately becoming more of a one stop shop for letting and estate agents! But it saves time if you can get the EPC, floorplan, inventory and cleaning organised with just one phone call and know that it is done to a very high standard.
I am hoping with the news of help for first time buyers we are going to start to see the housing market pick up and start to get busier. I am also waiting to see if the petition that was organised is going to work and the "Life" span of an EPC will be brought into line with that of the gas safety certificates. Given how much can change over 10 years it would make a lot of sense if the EPC was only valid for 1 year.
Showing posts with label eco friendly housing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eco friendly housing. Show all posts
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Monday, 24 January 2011
Thoughts whilst pedalling.
To try and get fitter so that I can run around after the children and control Dave (the dog) better at agility I have an exercise bike in the conservatory. I sit there, looking out over the garden (when oh when will it be time to mow the lawn again - I miss it) and think/plot.
Today I have thought of a way to promote ECO awareness, EPCs and my business all in one fell swoop! Not quite sure if its going to work though but I can hope. The idea is a colouring/drawing competition in the local primary schools in my area. The winner will get a very very large easter egg, 2nd and 3rd prize will get a smaller easter egg.
The children will have to draw their idea of an eco house, the best 15 will be selected from the entries and then voted for via my company page on facebook.
Obviously the children will get a prize if they win, and hopefully it will encourage more eco awareness in the children. Its going to take me a couple of weeks to set it up and get it organised properly but am really looking forward to doing it now.
Not a bad thought really when I was pedalling away!
Today I have thought of a way to promote ECO awareness, EPCs and my business all in one fell swoop! Not quite sure if its going to work though but I can hope. The idea is a colouring/drawing competition in the local primary schools in my area. The winner will get a very very large easter egg, 2nd and 3rd prize will get a smaller easter egg.
The children will have to draw their idea of an eco house, the best 15 will be selected from the entries and then voted for via my company page on facebook.
Obviously the children will get a prize if they win, and hopefully it will encourage more eco awareness in the children. Its going to take me a couple of weeks to set it up and get it organised properly but am really looking forward to doing it now.
Not a bad thought really when I was pedalling away!
Friday, 12 November 2010
If
The most favourite toy is the one that all the children want - even if my 3 year old hasn't played with a toy for weeks the minute he sees his little brother playing with it he wants to play with it as well.
The same affect could work on EPCs - if 10% of buyers/renters started to look at EPCs and then negotiated on price due to the EPC or bought/rented a property with a good "grade" then the EPC would become a marketing asset.
If a good result on the EPC was a saleable part of a property then prices would be adjusted with the more energy efficient properties priced higher than those that are not so energy efficient.
If a property was worth more if it was energy efficient then more people would make alterations to their properties so that they were energy efficient - more insulation, better boiler, TRVs on the radiators, solar panels etc.
It could be a very benefical knock on effect.
There are alot of ifs involved with the thoughts above but if it happened it would be a fantastic result for the environment, energy efficiency, saving money and the global community as a whole.
The same affect could work on EPCs - if 10% of buyers/renters started to look at EPCs and then negotiated on price due to the EPC or bought/rented a property with a good "grade" then the EPC would become a marketing asset.
If a good result on the EPC was a saleable part of a property then prices would be adjusted with the more energy efficient properties priced higher than those that are not so energy efficient.
If a property was worth more if it was energy efficient then more people would make alterations to their properties so that they were energy efficient - more insulation, better boiler, TRVs on the radiators, solar panels etc.
It could be a very benefical knock on effect.
There are alot of ifs involved with the thoughts above but if it happened it would be a fantastic result for the environment, energy efficiency, saving money and the global community as a whole.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Eco friendly houses
So are eco friendly houses a blot on the landscape? Will they make you cringe as you drive past them regardless of how energy efficent and self sufficent they may be? Or could they be individually designed properties that look stunning and save you money on your energy bills?
I have had a quick search on the internet to see what I could find on eco friendly houses and what they look like and have been amazed at the results I have found. There are some incredibly stunning properties that make me green with envy simply because of the design of the building and that was before I got to see how energy efficent these properties were.
One of the most breath taking properties has been built at Playa Carate, Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica, created by Robles Arquitectos and is 100% self-sufficient. The house uses water from the forest, which also serves as a power source thanks to two low-impact hydroelectric turbines that generate 800kWh. Photovoltaic Solar panels on the roof provide up to 10,800kWh of electricity, whilst additional solar thermal panels heat up the water. The house is so isolated from civilization that it has no access to public power cables, sanitation, or water.Everything in the house has been designed to be energy efficient and easy to maintain, and all the building materials were tested in order to gauge their impact on the environment.
There was a fascinating photo of a house built of glass bottles in Nevada, the air in the bottles acts as insulation and that was constructed in the 1920s!
Going straight from the 1920s' into the present day would take us to the fabulous village currently under construction in Dubai - "Dubai's Vertical Village", consisting of residential, hotel and entertainment facilities, is covered in an impressive array of solar panels. The construction is expected to earn an impressive LEED Gold certification when it is completed. Each building is positioned to reduce the heat from sun exposure—whilst the massive bed of solar collectors on the south side of the building automatically adjust orientation to the sun's position for maximum efficiency. The village also features a solar roof that helps to transport energy and break the solar field up into more manageable segments.
A lovely website, http://www.livingvillage.com/Home.html, is all about The Wintles in Shropshire which was set up to research eco building and sustainable communities. Its a very good website and shows it is possible to practise what you preach!
Have actually found a website dedicated to the sale of eco friendly properties:- http://www.greenmoves.com/ and then there is this website:- http://www.thelittlehousecompany.co.uk/eco-friendly-homes.htm which goes on to explain how to stay green when buying and selling a home and has a page full of advice on how to do it.
So it is possible to build properties that are "eco friendly" and that don't scare the neighbours, I for one am looking forward to seeing more of them.
I have had a quick search on the internet to see what I could find on eco friendly houses and what they look like and have been amazed at the results I have found. There are some incredibly stunning properties that make me green with envy simply because of the design of the building and that was before I got to see how energy efficent these properties were.
One of the most breath taking properties has been built at Playa Carate, Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica, created by Robles Arquitectos and is 100% self-sufficient. The house uses water from the forest, which also serves as a power source thanks to two low-impact hydroelectric turbines that generate 800kWh. Photovoltaic Solar panels on the roof provide up to 10,800kWh of electricity, whilst additional solar thermal panels heat up the water. The house is so isolated from civilization that it has no access to public power cables, sanitation, or water.Everything in the house has been designed to be energy efficient and easy to maintain, and all the building materials were tested in order to gauge their impact on the environment.
There was a fascinating photo of a house built of glass bottles in Nevada, the air in the bottles acts as insulation and that was constructed in the 1920s!
Going straight from the 1920s' into the present day would take us to the fabulous village currently under construction in Dubai - "Dubai's Vertical Village", consisting of residential, hotel and entertainment facilities, is covered in an impressive array of solar panels. The construction is expected to earn an impressive LEED Gold certification when it is completed. Each building is positioned to reduce the heat from sun exposure—whilst the massive bed of solar collectors on the south side of the building automatically adjust orientation to the sun's position for maximum efficiency. The village also features a solar roof that helps to transport energy and break the solar field up into more manageable segments.
A lovely website, http://www.livingvillage.com/Home.html, is all about The Wintles in Shropshire which was set up to research eco building and sustainable communities. Its a very good website and shows it is possible to practise what you preach!
Have actually found a website dedicated to the sale of eco friendly properties:- http://www.greenmoves.com/ and then there is this website:- http://www.thelittlehousecompany.co.uk/eco-friendly-homes.htm which goes on to explain how to stay green when buying and selling a home and has a page full of advice on how to do it.
So it is possible to build properties that are "eco friendly" and that don't scare the neighbours, I for one am looking forward to seeing more of them.
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