Tuesday 27 July 2010

Growing Your Company Greener while Saving Some Green

Sometimes going green means a lighter pocket book — like when you go to the grocery store and have to choose between the $5.00 pint of organic strawberries or the $2.00 pint of conventional strawberries.  It doesn’t have to be that way for your business.  Choosing to make your office experience more environmentally sustainable can make for a more fun, efficient and cost effective company.  Below are some examples of how you can grow a greener company from recycling to reception.

Recycle, re-use and return.  Make recycling containers easily available for everything your city allows (e.g., paper, soda cans, plastic bottles, etc.).  You can save money and trees by printing everything double sided and/or by re-using printer paper that has only been printed on one side.  Use ink cartridges that can be refilled or returned to the manufacturer in the original box when empty instead of thrown away.

Reward leg strength and public transportation.  Start the week fresh with “no car Monday” to get employees in the habit of not driving to work every day.  One less car on the road means reduced carbon emissions in our environment.  Employees who bicycle to work tend to have more energy and will stay healthier.  Instigate a reward policy for employees who ride a bicycle to work.  One company I know lets bicyclists leave work half an hour early each day to allow for a longer commute home.  

Fight the power.  If possible, switch lights to energy efficient bulbs and make sure they are always turned off when not in use.  Power all computers down at the end of the day and turn all electronic equipment off.

Choose local products.  Shopping for business equipment locally reduces sprawl, pollution from shipping and helps money stay in your community.  Instead of buying new furniture or other office equipment, you could buy used at a local retailer.  Kill three birds with one stone: save money, help sustain the environment and keep your community vibrant.

Support other green companies.  In Portland, Oregon there is a non-profit organization called SCRAP that accepts and resells donations from individuals and companies.  Money raised is used to support art and craft projects in the community.  They have a program called Fill Minds Not Landfills that works with companies of all sizes to help keep things like letterhead paper, old calendars, paper clips, and Cd's out of landfills.

Use a remote answering service.  Using virtual answering services saves on the cost of hiring an employee and helps with going paper free.  Calls are still answered by a live person and can be forwarded to you anywhere you are, or messages can be sent via email.  Some of these telephone services are also green companies themselves.

Party down with Friday no waste potlucks.  Set your virtual answering service iPhone app to take messages for an hour and enjoy a team building potluck lunch.  You worked hard all week.  Now you can celebrate.  Have everyone provide food and beverages in washable containers and use real silverware and plates (nothing disposable).  If you’re able, compost the food scraps.  Finish off the party by going out for coffees - just remember to bring re-usable thermoses!

Friday 21 May 2010

Double Glazing - Problems with sealed units?

Do You Suffer With Condensation in your Windows? Do you think the only solution is to replace?
There is another option our proven process quickly removes condensation from double glazing windows and doors, recovers insulating R-Value and protects against permanent damage! Resolve the problems of condensation in windows & misty windows with the window restoration specialists.
Benefits
  • Up to 50% cheaper than replacement
  • Environmentally responsible
  • Convenient and no re-visit
  • Reduce your energy bills
  • 20 year insurance backed guarantee
  • Can be done from the inside or outside
  • Safety glass and toughened units can be repaired
  A Social Housing group reduced their Glass To Landfill by an amazing 70% and reduced their Glazing Costs by 47%
More details here.........

Monday 17 May 2010

Can you Skip It?

Can you Skip It?BBEF Header
 
Are you
 - In need of an office clearout?
 - A community organisation or charity looking to raise money?

Sonoco currently have a number of  35 cubic yard, lidded paper/cardboard skips.  They are looking to find people who could use one for a recycling drive, office clearout or fund-raising. 
The skips take newspapers, magazines, office paper and cardboard.  Sonoco offer a free of charge service, NO uplifts or rental charges and may pay a competitive rebate*.

Skips can't be placed on public roads: you need some private land the skip could be located on.  You can share a skip with nearby companies, but one organisation must take lead responsibility.  
 
Sonoco can set up an account for money transfers - perfect if you do biannual or quarterly clearouts - or you can choose to donate the income to a charity of your choice (Overgate Hospice are currently supported by Sonoco).
 
Skips are available on a more permanent basis for companies generating a large volume of paper waste and cardboard.
Sonoco have also recently launched a new wheelie bin service for cardboard and paper, using wheelie bins starting at 240 ltrs up to 1100ltr, these are currently being used by pubs, restaurants, offices, small businesses and schools.  There is a small charge for this service, which can be arranged either weekly or fortnightly.  To find out more about either service and to explore if it could be useful to you, contact Zoe at ukrecycling.sales@sonoco.com

Friday 7 May 2010

Thermaskirt - 10% Discount fot Worcester Customers!

Thermaskirt - 10% Discount fot Worcester Customers!

Free Materials




glass fibre cloth bonded to ptfe film
10 sacks per month
Location:Hull

Varying sizes & configurations
7 per month
Location: Sheffield

would like to donate to a charity. Will take 16000 lines
Location: Bradford

including answer phones, filing trays, folders etc.
Location: HalifaxHave you got... 


All forms of low grade wood waste
Location: anywhere in Y&H Region 


Location: anywhere in the Y&H Region
  
for many more offers and requests visit

www.whywaste.org.uk

Tuesday 27 April 2010

Win An Energy Saving Fridge

Image 
Energy Saving Trust has teamed up with refrigeration specialist Lec, to offer you the chance to win a sophisticated black R5510B under counter refrigerator.

Thursday 18 February 2010

Help available with metered water bills




Water Companies are required to offer help to customers on low incomes who have 3 or more children, or if a member of the household needs to use more water because of a medical condition.Your company will advise you how to apply for the Watersure Scheme (a vulnerable household charge). You will need to provide evidence that you are receiving a means-tested benefit and details about your family.

If accepted on the scheme, your annual bills will be a maximum of the average bill for households in your area. Few customers are aware of the scheme so if you think this applies to you, ask the company for advice. Yorkshire Water's application form is available for you to download from our Downloads page, use it as a tool to assess how a easy the application may be. (Yorkshire Water' s scheme charges are set at £154 for water and £177 for sewerage charges for the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010).

Also,  OFWAT figures estimate that most households will save between 5% & 10% on the annual water charges by having a water meter installed, and the water companies are obliged to install meters free of charge upon request.

Friday 12 February 2010

Upto £10k interest free loans to install renewables in Kirklees - repayable upon change of ownership

RE-Charge is an exciting new scheme funded by Kirklees Council to help home owners reduce their carbon footprint. RE-Charge offers interest free loans to home owners to install renewable energy and low carbon technologies on their property. This scheme is the first of its kind in the UK and there are limited funds available.
Renewable and low carbon technologies are powered by abundant, free sources of clean energy such as wind, the sun and even plant and animal matter. Generating energy from renewable sources can help reduce our dependence on resources like fossil fuels, producing much less carbon dioxide – a major climate change gas.  It may be possible to generate a significant proportion of your home’s heat or electricity requirements from renewable and low carbon technologies and, with rising fossil fuel prices, significantly reduce your fuel bills.

How does the scheme work?

If your application is successful and your property is suitable for the technology you wish to install, RE–Charge will loan you up to £10,000, interest free. Any costs above £10,000 would be paid in advance by the householder.
A ‘Legal Charge’ (another name for a ‘mortgage’) will be taken as security over your property, the sum of the loan will become repayable upon change of ownership of your property.  Costs will vary depending upon the type and size of property and the type and size of technology installed. After a technical survey is carried out you will be provided with a quote including a full breakdown of the costs.

What technologies are available under this scheme?

The technologies available under the RE-Charge scheme are:
  • Biomass heating systems
  • Hydroelectricity
  • Micro CHP (As this technology is in its infancy it is anticipated it will be available in years 2 and 3)
  • Solar water heating
  • Ground source heat pumps
  • Air source heat pumps
  • Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems
Wind energy will not be funded under RE-Charge.
www.heatandenergy.services.officelive.com

Monday 25 January 2010

Cash in on your empty car seats

Fed up with driving to work? Hating the hunt for a car park space? Feeling the pinch? Why not turn that empty seat next to you into cash?
car driver with pound sign on seat
The West Yorkshire Travel Plan Network are offering up to *£700 in cash prizes for employees who share the journey to work by car between Monday 18 January and Sunday 14 February. Simply share the car journey, fill in a Travel Diary and return it by Friday 26 February to be entered into the free prize draw.
*There are seven prizes, 1 x £300, 1 x £150 for employees who are employed by participating organisations of the West Yorkshire Travel Plan Network and 5 x £50 for any other West Yorkshire Commuter.

Taking part is easy

All you need to do is the following:
  • Find someone to share your journey to work, why not check out our handy tips below?
  • Agree which days and times are convenient for you both and share the journey.
  • Download and print a copy of the travel diary and keep it in the car or complete the Travel Diary online, see below for further instuctions.
  • Complete your details and those of your car sharing partner(s) in the travel diary.
  • Update your travel diary and make sure you return it by Friday 26 February using the business reply service.
  • You will hear by the end of March if you are a lucky winner in the draw.
  • For more information please read our Frequently Asked Questions.
  • Online Travel Diary: once you have filled part of the form in click on save, you will then be asked then enter your email address in the box provided, this will generate an email which will have a link to your saved form. You can use this email to update your Travel Diary each time you car share or follow the link in your web browser and add it to your Favourites.

How to find someone to share a journey.

Try asking your workmates, family, friends and neighbours if they are going in the same direction as you. If you can’t find anyone to share with then search for a match on http://www.wycarshare.com/, look out for the Private groups section to see if your employer or site has a car sharing group.Main body image

Why car share?

Car sharing even just once or twice a week can save you cash in shared fuel and car parking costs. It can be less stressful, more sociable and less frustrating searching for that elusive car parking space.
For more information about the benefits of car sharing and to download the Travel Plan Network car sharing leaflet.

Free Smarter Driving Lessons

The West Yorkshire Travel Plan Network has teamed up with The Energy Saving Trust to provide Network organisations with eight free smarter driving lessons.
Organisations can save up to 15% of their vehicle's fuel bills by training their drivers to drive in a more eco friendly way. Simple changes in driver behaviour like anticipating traffic flows to reduce the number of times vehicles have to stop and start can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Driver receiving advice from a Smarter Driver Instructor
The Energy Saving Trust have a specialist team of instructors who teach all of the smarter driving techniques in a 50 minute driving lesson on a pre planned route close to your workplace.
These lessons are very effective for high business mileage users or employees who drive regularly for work purposes.
If your organisation is interested in taking up this free offer please complete the application form or email us at tpn@wypte.gov.uk for more information. Organisations must take their eight free lessons on the same day and before the end of March 2010

Thursday 21 January 2010

ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR WATER?

Most of us pay a charge to our water company for draining away the rain and other water which comes off our roofs and driveways. It's called surface water.
 But every year tens of thousands of people pay too much on their water bill because they don't realise they don't have to pay it.
 You should only pay a surface water charge if the water from your roof and driveway drains into the sewers.
 If your surface has a “soakwawy” for example a tank under the lawn that collects this water the you shouldn't been paying for it. and you may be entitled to a refund, up to 25%!


Definitions of soakaway on the Web:
 A deep hole used for drainage, where rainwater and other waste water drains directly into the ground, without connection to any mains drainage or ...
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/soakaway

 A pit, filled with broken stones etc below ground to take drainage from rainwater pipes or land drains and allow it to disperse.
freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wakefield/definitions/defbuild.html

 An arrangement for draining rainwater into the ground. Usually a large hole dug and filled with broken bricks, rubble or similar 'waste' ...
www.practicaldiy.com/building_glossary.php

 Drainage of rainwater, using graded aggregate laid below ground.
www.findersquoters.co.nz/technical.htm

 There are many other examples that may entitle you to a rebate, maybe you have a large pond, cesspit on your property or a  stream where your drainage water goes, anywhere other than  the drains or main sewer. Questionably, also do you have a water harvesting system?  The different water authorities define this differently, it may be worth making the enquiry.
 If you own a small property, it may be worth considering creating a soakaway the next time you are making external improvements.
Rebates & Timings:  IMPORTANT
 All water companies have the same policy about giving payments back for surface water drainage charges.  Not only that, the water companies also expect customers to tell them if they think they think they're being wrongly charged. They will only refund for the financial year you advised them. Hence if you contact them now, they will only rebate back to April 2009. Leave it untill May this year and your claim will only apply from April 2010!
 Why else may you be paying too much?
 If you are on a water meter, it’s worth checking with neighbours in similar size households and occupancy that your water bills are similar.
 If not you may have a leak, maybe more than one property on the estate is feeding from the meter?
Again, the owness  is on you to tell the water company you suspect you are being over charged, and if they agree they are only obliged to compensate for the financial year you informed them of your suspicions.
 What can you do if you believe you have a problem but the water authority disagree?
 You need to take regular weekly readings of your water meter, to establish your actual usage, and use this as a basis for calculating your actual usage, as opposed to what the board say has been used, you're on site they are not, and the person with the most accurate and detailed records always wins in a dispute, (record these in a diary with the actual time the readings  are taken).
You also need to either turn the water off at the stopcock to the cold tank for say a day, hopefully you can manage, with what’s in the cold tank, if you don't flush the toilet all the time, and don't use the mains tap in the kitchen.
You could take a reading last thing at night, and again first thing in the morning, provided no usage occurs overnight, this will establish if there is any leakage or not, because the meter will record it! You should also record this test, and subsequent test, as you can refute allegations of leakage with it!
Be prepared to do battle and  put in the effort, don’t give, I have heard of people getting rebates as much as £900 – and of course you have your future water  savings, there’s an incentive! 

Wednesday 13 January 2010

Air Tightness Testing In Exisitng Homes

A survey of dwellings has revealed that remedial works following air tightness testing have yielded energy savings of between 15% and  30%.

Air tightness testing is the procedure to trace any unwanted drafts and uncontrolled airflow through the house.


Too much air leakage leads to heat loss resulting in higher heating costs and C02 emissions. A home isn't a balloon, so when cold air comes in, warm air gets pushed out. A building with air infiltration points will be slower to heat and faster to cool. The warmer air becomes, the greater its ability to carry moisture. If warm air is allowed to escape from the building envelope through unintended channels it will cool in cavities and form condensation and can give rise to dampness, mould growth and degrade insulation.

How can air tightness be achieved?

A survey of dwellings has revealed that remedial works following air tightness testing have yielded energy savings of between 15% and  30%, this can sometimes be achieved for as little as a couple of pounds and a little attention to detail.

Good levels of air tightness are best achieved by good design at building stage and are governed by the Code For Sustainable Homes (Housebuilders and Developers please visit our Commercial Services) rather than by retrospective works. However, you may have unwittingly committed breaches yourself to your homes permeability or been the victim of lazy, or tradesman unaware of the impact of breaches, for example, installed cheap down lighters or unsealed holes behind kitchen cupboards.

Air Tightness Tests are sometimes referred to as an Air Pressure Test, Envelope Test or an Air Permeability Test.

There are two types of air tightness tests: calibrated and uncalibrated. It is important that auditors use a calibrated door. This type of blower door has several gauges that measure the amount of air pulled out of the house by the fan. Uncalibrated blower doors can only locate leaks in homes. They provide no method for determining the overall tightness of a building. The calibrated blower door's data allow the auditor to quantify the amount of air leakage and the effectiveness of any air-sealing job.

Good news! We can perform the test on your existing home and help you to reap the rewards of an air tight house.

Every single house in the country that is 5 years or older will benefit from an air tightness review. Having great insulation in your cavity helps keep the thermal heat loss down, but combining that with an air tight house, you'll see immediate benefits.

If you feel comfortable doing the small improvements that will reap huge rewards, great, we will highlight the areas on the day that need addressing. If you don't, we have a team of local builders available that can apply their skills to finish the job for you.

Testing costs from as little as £50 can you afford not to invest considering the potential return? Contact info@heatandenergy.org today and start saving tomorrow!

Friday 8 January 2010

Smartest Climate Change Idea Ever?


I recently wrote an article titled “Pay as you save –the smartest climate change ever aimed at home owners” following  UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband announcement in December. The plan briefly is  to trial “The Home Energy Pay As You Save scheme” which will give 500 UK households the opportunity to invest in energy efficiency and microgeneration technologies in their homes with no upfront cost. Householders will make repayments spread over a long enough period so that repayments are lower than their predicted energy bill savings, meaning financial and carbon savings are made from day one.
Though I had some disappointment that so few homes are to be involved, I congratulated Mr Miliband and expressed that in my opinion this is one of the smartest ideas of the 21st Century and if successful has the potential to put a real dent in energy consumption and costs and potentially this was enough to win my vote at the next general election!
However, the details are still a little scarce, but I am further disappointed to learn that British Gas are to be involved. This will simply add to fears of where the responsibility of the loan will reside – the building or the homeowner, will you be tied to British Gas for energy supply etc. Why allow one of the utility companies to be involved at all – the vast majority want independence from these organisations and would opt for off grid power generation as soon as it’s a viable option.
The manufacturers and suppliers of these technologies need to re-align their thinking slightly, and perhaps reinvent themselves as energy providers as opposed to distributors. Wouldn’t it be better to pay them your monthly household budget for clean and renewable energy. Alternatively, create a lease/purchase scheme,  lots of people cars, this would eradicate fears of purchasing inferior or inefficient equipment and so drive micro –generation to mainstream markets.
Here’s a thought, instead of bailing out the irresponsible banks, V.A.T. reductions and scrapage schemes, why not provide the manufacturers of micro-generation technologies interest free loans to create such a leasing schemes. Consider the positives of such a scheme,   job creation would be huge, manufacturing jobs (could this re-invent British manufacturing?), builders, ground workers, plumbers, gas fitters, surveyors etc. Not to mention that every householder would benefit financially long term and cut co2 emissions..... WOW!

Wednesday 6 January 2010

New in 2010 - Energy Efficient replacement for skirting and radiators -As seen on Dragons Den

New in 2010 - Energy Efficient replacement for skirting and radiators -As seen on Dragons Den

ThermaSkirt® is the eco friendly heating solution. ThermaSkirt® is a new and innovative way of heating your room. ThermaSkirt® makes the most of a skirting board and radiator and turns it into effective, eco-friendly heating. Designed and manufactured in the UK, the system replaces your skirting boards and radiators in one. ThermaSkirt® will work with existing conventional boilers as well as renewables such as solar, ground source and air source heat pumps.
ThermaSkirt® has been tested by BSRIA fully complies with BS-EN 442 & carries the CE mark and in a like for like test against radiators was shown to be at least 13% more energy efficient. With the correct boiler & control system, fuels savings of up to 25% are possible. In test, ThermaSkirt® was proven to be the most efficient form of heating, giving the best uniform heat distribution, with only a ±1°C variation, compared to a radiator with a massive 13°C variation.

The effect of ThermaSkirt® is indistinguishable from under-floor heating in that it heats the room from all sides and at low level, and yet it is as simple to fit as a radiator. As it is as slim and discrete as a skirting board, it takes up no wall or floor space. Because it is above ground, it can be used with any floor construction or covering including timber and carpet and warms up the room quickly.  more...http://heatandenergy.services.officelive.com/thermaskirt.aspx

Thursday 17 December 2009

We reduced our gas consumption by two thirds - would you like to do the same?

We Reduced Our Gas Consumption By Two Thirds - Here's the Proof!

The last quarters gas bill landed on the doormat this morning............what a delight!

We have managed to reduce our average dialy gas consumtion by a whopping two thirds this quarter versus the same quarter last year!



Here's the proof ... our lowest ever bill just £68.00 Sept - Nov, 3 bed semi, a family of five (even more remarkable this is includes 4 females! Sorry ladies). 
Would you like help to do the same visit www.heatandenergy.org