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www.rra-arch.com

HerefordT 01432 278707F 01432 266339RRA Ar hite ts Lt Pa kers H se25 West StreetHeref r HR4 0BXheref r @rra-ar h. m

London

T 020 7402 415635b S ssex Pla eL W2 2THl @rra-ar h. m

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InTRoducTIonThis handy little RRA Architectsbooklet contains...

33 lever i eas f r maki g y r h mem re e vir me tally frie ly.

Ha y websites, ta ts a literat re.

A start f r y r expl rati i t ways tgree y r h me.

A l k i t st effe tive ess, verallenvironmental bene ts and practically.

Ge erally h mes pr e ver 27% fthe uKs co2 emissi s, eve m re tha

ars. H seh l e ergy s mpti hasi rease by 28% si e 1970 largely et i reasi g h seh l mbers; risi gi me; a lifestyle ha ges, s h asi reasi g mbers f applia es. A averageexisti g h me req ires f r times as m he ergy t heat it as the average ew h me.

I vesti g i e ergy sta ar s f r y r h mehas bene ts beyond addressing climate

ha ge. It helps t re e e ergy bills, ta klef el p verty, impr ve the se rity f re ergy s pplies a reate j bs.

u erg i g a RRA Ar hite ts h me e ergyhe k is sef l bef re y start t pla aew exte si r ew b il . This will i v lve

a sweri g a few simple q esti s ab t y rh me a lifestyle. We will als give y freeimpartial a vi e telli g y h w t save m eyea h year y r h se h l e ergy bills

RRA Ar hite ts a g i e y t resear hevery material se i esig , applia esele ti a b il i g.

The pr essi g f materials i evitablyreq ires the se f e ergy a res lts iwaste ge erati .

33 WAYS To GREEn YouR HoME www.rra-arch.com

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PuRPoSERRA Ar hite ts believes the i ivi al, as

s mer, i vest r a member f a l almm ity, a play a ire t a r ial part

i eff rts t meet the re ewable e ergy target.

This can be through:

Re i g ele tri ity se.

T r i g w the therm stat.

Impr vi g i s lati .

Driving less and more ef ciently.

Working more from the home of ce.

Impr vi g bi - iversity ar y r h me,or buying energy ef cient products.

Pers al e isi s at h me, w rk ae -r te betwee them, are riti al tre i g the uKs e vir me tal f tpri t.

Here are a few decisions that you may think about:

Have a household RRA environmental audit.

Tackle energy ef ciency in the home.

Tackle water ef ciency in the home.

Seek alternative transport for short trips(less tha 3miles).

Avoid short-haul domestic andintra-EU ights.

Use low carbon vehicles.

Buy local and seasonal food(certi ed where possible).

Waste less food.


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RRA Ar hite ts rates the perf rma e fa wi w i three ways:

1 u-val es

2 S lar gai (h w well it abs rbs warmthfr m the s )

3 dra ghts

Wi ws are rate a r i g t their u-val e,r the heat l ss thr gh the glass a frame.

The lower the U-value the more ef cient thewi ws. F r example, ble-glazi g hasa u-val e ar 1.1 a triple glazi gar 0.7.

There are tw ther mai fa t rs t takei t a t, these are; h w well the glazi gabs rbs warmth fr m the s (s lar gai )a heat l ss thr gh ra ghts.

W e frame wi ws are see as m rere ewable a regar e as a m re e -frie lyres r e h wever, mai te a e like pai ti g,preservatives a re e this. uPVc is ma e f

il s s stai ably speaki g w is the wi er

The British Fe estrati rati g c il(BFRc) rates wi ws si g all three fa t rs.Be aware that this il es t i l esmaller ma fa t rers yet!

It may be dif cult to nd a manufacturer whospecialises in highly ef cient windows.

Bef re i vesti g its w rth i g a littleresearch on the internet and also to nd alocal builder to do the tting. This will helpre e travel ista e.

01. GLAZInG


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M er h ses b ilt betwee 1920 & 1990were b ilt with tw ski s r bri k with a avitybetwee them. The ha e is that these b il shave i s lati i betwee these ski s.

This is easily s lve by rilli g a small h lea i je ti g i s lati i t the gaps. It is

w i l e i B il i g Reg lati s that iall ew h mes the avity is t be i s late

RRA Ar hite ts a a vise the best f rmf i s lati t se. M ist re a be me

a pr blem i avities a y sh l seekg a vi e.

PROs - Up to one third ofyour heating is lost throughthe walls of your home. It isnot expensive; around 250for a 3-bed semi, and freefor those receiving incomesupport.

02. cAVITY WALL InSuLATIon


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L k f r f r it re fr m s stai able ws r es, l ally ma e, arryi g the l g fF rest Stewar ship c il (FSc). Wf r it re is preferable t that ma e f

-re ewable materials s h as steel,PVc a plasti s.

If y a , re laim y r f r it re, there aresmall tlets that spe ialise i retr r sehand furniture. You may nd somethingbesp ke that a s the hara ter t y r r m

A a tiq e passe w the ge erati s is avery s stai able way t f r ish y r h me.

03. FuRnITuRE

A


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Ph t v ltai s (PVs) a be a b lt- s larpa el r tiles that a repla e y r existi gr f fabri .

Ph t v ltai s t r light i t ele tri ity.The ele tri ity PVs ge erate is free f r ya a y extra ele tri ity a be s l ba kt the ati al gri .

Ph t v ltai s re e the t tal emb iea i - se e ergy impa t ab t 40% aco2 emissi s by 35%.

che k bef reha that y r ele tri itympa y all ws y t sell y r ele tri ity

t them bef re pr ee i g.

04. PHoToVoLTAIcS


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o e f the easiest a m st st-effe tiveways t impr ve the i s lati q ality f y rh me. 20% f y r h mes heat l ss is thr ghp r ve tilati a ra ghts. It is w rthI vesti g i , pr per rtai s, seala ts rsand windows and blocking up those ssuresbetween oorboards and skirting boards.

05. dRAuGHT PRooFInG


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W a be se i a st ve t mpleme tthe existi g heati g, r a bi mass b iler. Thisw might me i the f rm f l gs, w

hips r w pellets, (whi h is re stit tesaw st). W is still re ewable s bettertha gas a il. Bi mass is t arb

e tral s aim f r mpa ies that aim t beas e tral as p ssible. Gra ts are availablefr m the L w carb B il i gs Pr gramme.

06. BIoMASS HEATInG


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Be s re t meas re y r wi spee bef rey i vest. If y r wi spee is 5 m/s y rei b si ess a 6 m/s is a g site. Be awarethat q te perf rma e is at 12 m/s, whi his way bey rmal vel ity i the uKmai la . n t all b il i gs are s itable f rwi t rbi es s he k with l al a th ritiesbef re ere ti g elsewhere.

Y a pi k p a d.I.Y. wi t rbi e kit fr mli e st res f r 500- 1000.

The t rbi e sh l have a g S th Westperspe tive a be pla e away fr m a ystr t res t av i t rb le e r vibrati

They w rk by st ri g the ge erate p wer i abattery that y a later r evi es ff. Withd.I.Y kits the tp t is 12V s ly applia es

that r ff this v ltage may be se .

08. WInd TuRBInES

A


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I reasi g rba isati a rapi r - ffhave a treme s strai ve ti alst rm water rai age systems. M re tarma

-p r s riveways mea a l t m re waterr s i t r rai s i stea f bei g s akei t the gr .

Permeable paveme t all ws heavy rai tin ltrate through into a sub-base that is thenrelease i a tr lle ma er i t rai agesystems. These systems are k w as SudSS stai able urba drai age Systems.

09. PoRouS PAVInG


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Timber fr m s stai able s r es is wi elyavailable, easy the b get a thermallyef cient. Make sure the timber is from certi eds stai able st ks. B&Q, f r example, has l gha s stai able s r i g i pla e. The ce tref r Alter ative Te h l gy re mme s si gplyw , as pp se t MdF r hipb ar asless gl e is se i the ma fa t re.

Try a se the p rer q ality s ftw plyr s r e-b ar that is a re ite by the

F rest Stewar ship c il (FSc).

Be aware that s me timber may be tra sp rtefr m verseas, whi h a s t y r arbfootprint. The FSC certi es timber in the UKthat is fr m s stai able f rests.

If timber fr m the uK is t a pti

y r resear h i t timber fr m S a i avia,as itll travel a sh rter ista e thaca a ia s r es.

10. TIMBER


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T r y r vegetable peeli gs, grass tti gset i t t p- f-the-ra ge rga i mp st.Organic matter that gets sent to land ll sitespr es metha e gas as it e mp ses

ergr , b t it w t that i amp st bi . Ma y ils i rba

areas w lle t mp st.

Als if y se w rms t mp st y r gar ewaste y a impr ve the bi - iversity fy r gar e .

11. coMPoSTInG


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He r she is part f a emergi g is ipli ereq iri g mber r hi g a s rvey r skills,whi h all trib te t helpi g y r h me ri a m re e -frie ly way.

Havi g the help f a s lta t l helpav i mistakes i the f t re. RRA Ar hite ts

a a vise y wh m t ta t iy r area.

12. GREEn conSuLTAnT


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They a t as a b ffer z e betwee y r h sea the eleme ts. All wi g heat i t the rest

f y r h se ri g s mmer m ths, re i gema s y r b iler. Be aware that ble-

glazi g is ab t six times w rse as a i s lat rtha a sta ar bri k-b ilt avity wall.

RRA Ar hite ts a esig a besp keservat ry that maximizes the p te tial t

re eive s lar e ergy i t y r h me.

13. conSERVAToRY


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By i tr i g LEds t y r lighti g system,y a save e ergy a re e y r bills.Swapping compact uorescent bulbs (CFLs)f r sta ar i a es e t lamps w l slashthis by appr x 75%. LEds are i eal f r se iappli ati s that are s bje t t freq e t ffcycling, unlike uorescent lamps that burn outm re q i kly whe y le freq e tly.

c e f r S stai able H mes 2 req ires 75% fxed internal ttings are dedicated and energy

ef cient. Lighting typically accounts for up to30% f the t tal ele tri ity sts f y r h me.

By installing dedicated energy ef cient lightingy a save 9 per l mi aire. By i stalli gdedicated ttings into locations of constant

se, e.g. a family h se where la i g lightsare left , savi gs f p t 20 per l mi aire

a be rea he .

Als remember impr ve ay light levels bya i g wi ws a light wells i t the h se.RRA Ar hite ts a help y w rk t the bestway t a mm ate better aylight i ty r h me.

14. LIGHTInG


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Heat p mps tra sfer late t heat fr m water,gr r the air t y r h mes heati gsystem. Water a gr heat is abs rbevia pipes lai i the gr r i the earbyareas f water. Heat take fr m the air req ires

elab rate heat p mp system f pipes i thegar e . o e theyre p a r i g itis te h i ally heat f r free.

Super insulate your home rst and if there isash left l k i t heat p mps. d t f rget

heat p mps req ire ele tri al e ergy t p werthe p mp; there are pp rt ities t makethis gree er t .

RRA Ar hite ts has i stalle ma y heat p mpsystems a a a vise y the bests l ti f r y r h me.

15. HEAT PuMPS


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Ma y pai t a w treatme ts are ilbase a tai sy theti hemi als, whi hmakes them har t isp se f. S me fthe pr esses i v lve i their ma fa t re

reate p t 10 t es f waste f r every et e pr e . They give ff V latile orga ic mp s (Vocs), whi h a be extremelyba f r y r health. Gree pai ts sist f

at rally rri g i gre ie ts. They tet be water base , with mi imal r petr hemi al eleme ts.

16. PAInT & Wood TREATMEnT


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Tra iti ally, ma y uK welli gs have relie natural air ltration. I.e.: draughts. This costsm ey i l st e ergy a a s t y r arbf tpri t. c tr lle ve tilati , either as esystem r a r m-by-r m basis will save y re ergy a re e arb emissi s.

Start small with aff r able heat re very fa s ithe kit he a bathr m (re ver p t 80%,while y e i e the ther r ms).

Me ha i al ve tilati with heat re veryres lts i a e ergy a co2 re ti f10%. Be aware that me ha i al fa s r

ff the ele tri ity.

17. HEAT REcoVERY


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Y r h se ses a ra ge f therm stats,these i l e a r m therm stat t tr l the

e tral heati g; a therm stat y r yli ert tell the b iler t heat y r water whe it getst l , a therm stati ra iat r valves,s y ly heat the r ms y ee t . Aeverythi g t gether a y l t y rbills by 17%.

By re i g y r therm stat by 1 egree yl t y r heati g bills by p t 10%.

Thats 50 per year.

Y a tr l ea h r ms temperat reby i stalli g therm stats r m-by-r m.This all ws is se r ms t be lessheate tha se r m.

18. THERMoSTATS


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This i v lves i s lati g the walls f y r h mefr m the i si e, typi ally with plasterb arba ke with i s lati material. Y a alsbatten the wall and in ll behind with insulation.

Alter atively, l k at i s lati g wallpapersma e by M l Gr wth c s lta ts.

care is ee e as m ist re travel thr ghthe fabri f walls a lea t e satipr blems. RRA Ar hite ts a a vise the best meth s f r y r sit ati .

19. InTERnAL WALL InSuLATIon

A


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Youre really spoilt for eco-friendly ooringpti s. Y r pti s i l e weaves, ree s

and bres such as carpet, sisal and coir.Wipe- lea materials s h as li le m, r bberand cork; and hard ooring such as wood,bamb , st e a erami tiles. W

ooring you should apply the same adviceas timber; fr m s stai able s r esa treatme ts.

Weaves, reeds and bres are often cheaperthan hard ooring. Linoleum and rubber arema e fr m at ral i gre ie ts. c rk is warm

erf t a heap. W a bamb arewi ely available a a be s r e l ally

Fl ri g materials a als be re y le s h asst e a tile, s l k t f r s itable s ppliesfr m l al re lamati mer ha ts.

20. FLooRInG


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Re y le waste water fr m the bath,washbasi a h seh l applia es, abe used to ush the loo. As well as using greywater, if pe ple t k simple steps like havi ga sh wer i stea f a bath, they re etheir water s mpti by 80 ltrs a ay.

Grey water systems can signi cantly reducete a ts water a sewage bills. They w rkbest as part f a istri t s heme where watertreatme t a be arrie t e trally.

21. GREY WATER SYSTEMS


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Ele tri ity mpa ies are w blige t getat least s me f their p wer fr m re ewables r es. Resear h th r ghly a he k ta number of suppliers before making your nalgree h i e. G e ergy gets t p rati gsfr m Ethi al c s mer, as its the ly 100re ewable ele tri ity s pplier.

22. GREEn ELEcTRIcITY


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S me i s lati materials are m re efrie ly tha thers.

There are 3 categories:

at ral, mi eral-base a erive fr m il.

Sheeps w l i s lati is breathable aall ws f r a ertai am t f amp. other

pti s i l e ell l se (re y le ewspaper),hemp, grass, re y le tt & w l.

Mineral wools include rock wool and breglass,the i s lati f h i e. Gra ts are availablefr m the e ergy savi g tr st. Wat h t f ri s lati materials that may appear t begree b t have hemi als impreg ate t resistvermin. Green roo ng technologies includegree r fs. T rf r earth sheltere r fs aa t as a great i s lat r.

care ee s t be take i terms f str t rall a i g. Als materials se t reate greer fs a be very -gree .

ofte relyi g p lymer membra es, whi hare il base pr ts.

RRA Ar hite ts a a vise g s l ti sf r existi g b il i gs a als f r

ew b il i gs.

23. LoFT InSuLATIon


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Re lamati a a a t h f hist ry arigi ality t y r h me. orga isati s s h as

free y le ffer l al a verts f r f r it re thatthe previ s w ers t wa t. It is fferefree t y as l g as y rga ise pi k- p.Salvage yar s s h as Lass i L rBaileys ear R ss Wye ffer re laime

ttings and materials.

24. REcLAMATIon


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A great way t re e waste. c sists fa h ge st rage ta k i the gar e r erthe gr that lle ts rai fr m y r r fg tteri g. This water a the be se f rp rp ses s h as the l , washi g ma hi ea irrigati f the gar e .

Resear h sh w that ar 50% f water sei a h se l be s pplie by rai water.

25. RAInWATER HARVESTInG


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S lar pa els are i eal t heat y r wateralth gh they are reliable the weather.It is very a essible te h l gy that isrelatively heap. As the market be mes m re

mpetitive y a expe t pri es t fall.

Life expe ta y is s ally ar 25 yrs witha 5-year g ara tee.

The i stallati w a s val e t y rpr perty. Alth gh it will req ire y r r f tbe modi ed for good weathering details.

RRA Ar hite ts has i stalle ma y f thesesystems a a a vise y ab t a y pr je ty have i mi .

26. SoLAR THERMAL


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These will impr ve y r h mes e -val es are e y r arb -f tpri t. B ilers a tf r ar 60% f a h mes co2 tp t.c e si g b ilers vert 90% f e ergy i theat s y re e y arb f tpri t. Theyre ver extra heat that w l therwise havedisappeared up the ue.

All ew gas a il e tral-heati g b ilersmust be rated A or B for their ef ciency. It isesse tial y se a heati g e gi eer with apr ve tra k re r , a it is w rth getti g l ts

f a vi e reliability.

27. condEnSInG BoILER


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Es ape risi g pri es by gr wi g y r wvegetables. The m re f s that this them re we a r ll ba k a lt re f f milesa rivi g t the s permarket.

H megr w tastes better a g ara teesfresh ess.

28. GRoW YouR oWn VEGGIES


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A mbi e heat a p wer (cHP) it isa b iler that heats h t water a warmsra iat rs. RRA Ar hite ts a vise that ycompare CHP bene ts to a super-ef cient

e si g b iler r a bi mass alter ative.

The CHP unit can allow off-grid bene ts forrem te pr perties where e ti t the

ati al gri is very expe sive.

29. MIcRo coMBI HEAT & PoWER


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It is a lifestyle h i e that y may si erw rks f r y . There is a b wl f saw stbesi e the l , a ha f l f whi h g es i t itafter every visit. Be eath the li , mea while, awi e pipe r s w t the mp st hamberab t 2m r m re bel w y .

They t smell, less they are ba lyesig e . G i ea if y have the will, the

r m a the ash. It l st ar3000 t i stall

30. coMPoSTInG ToILETS


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If you are planning on re- tting your bathroomsuite, t it out with low- ow taps and water-ef cient toilets. Water saving devices such asa hippo can be tted to your existing systemthat saves up to 3 litres of water per ush.

A r i g t the Gree B il i g Bible washi ga hygie e a ts f r 40% f mestiwater sage, the li s-share f s mptii the h me.

31. WATER SAVInG dEVIcES


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If y wa t t save m ey y r ele tri itythe make s re y b y a e ergyef cient product.

The Eu E ergy Label rates pr ts fr m A* (the most ef cient/least energy used), downto G (the least ef cient/most energy used).

*G i g p t A** f r refrigerat rs.

A* a A** rati gs save a a iti al 25%t 45% respe tively f the e ergy s meby a sta ar A rate m el. Be aware thatthe rati g system r s fr m G t A** s thatapplia es f a A gra e are the reti ally c.

Waterwise, an authority on water ef ciencyha t a waterwise-marq e.

A ally awar e t pr ts, whi h re ewater wastage r raise the aware ess f wateref ciency for products such as dishwashers,showerheads, toilets and tap ow restrictors.

usi g the t rs t ry l thi g helpsre e the ee f r a a t mati ryer.Bathr m Ma fa t rers f Bathr mPr ts, (BMA) have la he a wateref cient product labeling scheme. BMA isthe lea tra e ass iati f r ma fa t rers

f bathr m pr ts i the uK.

32. APPLIAncES


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25% f all uK arb emissi s me fr mtravel-relate s r es - fr m r ars, fr mthe ights we take, from the buses and trainswe se. Gree er tra sp rt starts by maki gpers al e isi s ab t y r m e ftra sit fr m A t B.

car shari g, ar-p li g, vert t si g ahybri ar, r vert the ar y have t agreener fuel are all good rst steps.

cy le m re f r sh rter trips a e ragey r family t walk impr vi g health. The styleaware a si er ar-kits. Aer y ami s will

ever make p f r a e gi e that is a vastlyinef cient but car-kits can mean gaining afew extra miles per gall .

Y r f el bills will ertai ly be ler, y re gi e may als r a little ler, athe ar may l k a little ler t .

Aerodynamics can mean:

1 L weri g the gr leara e y r ar.

A r i g t Mer e es e gi eers, a grleara e f appr ximately 70 mm is i eal t

re e p t 3 per e t ff y r rre t rag.These a greatly re e rag er eath avehi le. There are a l t f thi gs er theref r wi t k k ar a a sm thpan evens out ow considerably.

2 Rear wheel well si e skirts.

c veri g y r rear wheels has the a va tagef helpi g the air m ve ar the vehi le

sm thly with t getti g a ght p i si e thewheel wells. This is t always a pretty a itit y r vehi le, b t it is q ite f ti al.

33. THE cAR In YouR GARAGE


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