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The Tree Tent on display at ground level at Grand Designs Live so that the public can visit the luxurious interior

This is another in our series of Grand Designs features, this one is about Tree Tents with a low environmental impact construction

I was really pleased to see Jason Thawley and his Tree Tent at Grand Designs Live at the Excel Exhibition Centre in London. His innovative Tree Tent ‘balls’ featured on George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces on Channel 4 earlier this year and it was great to get to see them in the flesh.

In case you have not seen the Tree Tent yet, it is a 3 meter spherical frame created from lightweight aluminium and steam-bent green ash. This forms the ball shape which is then covered with a khaki canvas cover to help it blend into the landscape. The structure is then hoisted into the trees and secured with a system of ropes and pulleys. This allows the Tree Tent to move slightly in its environment while being securely fixed.

Luxury tent in the tree canopy

In case you are worried that the tree tent doesn’t sound like a luxury choice, it is fully kitted out with seating and hammock style bed, and can even take a log burner, so there is no need to rough-it while you are at one with nature. So you can have that childhood joy of living in a treehouse or a ‘den’ but have a cosy and comfortable stay.

The team that worked on the design are an interesting mix of engineers, outdoor enthusiasts and aeronautical experts, the design borrows ideas from zeppelins and balloons as well as more modern techniques.

Jason Thawley explained that the aim was to create a structure that would be lightweight and transportable but also sustainable, using natural and recycled materials and having a non-permanent impact on the environment it is placed into. This low environmental impact strategy have earned the product lots of interest already, and we believe the excellent quality of the construction will make it sustainable in terms of sales as well as the environment.

It’s a yes from DIY Doctor

We think they have nailed the concept; it has the right blend of quirky shape and design with serious engineering and materials to inspire confidence in the structure. If you want to try the tent for yourself there is now a Tree Tent you can stay in at The Secret Campsite in the South Downs National Park.

To read more about the Tree Tent and the team that developed it you can visit their website here.

We also wrote about clay plaster at Grand Designs Live.

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With news that the UK shale gas projects may not actually lower energy prices, it is time to start working out just what we can do to make our homes more efficient this summer in preparation for the winter of 2013.

Despite the fact that US gas prices are currently at the lowest in the world after their investment in shale gas, UK projects are currently struggling to find both funding and resources.

But what can homeowners do to make their home more comfortable while keeping their bills low?

Invest in technology

Though the idea of investing in technology may seem a little silly, the truth is that bringing new technologies into your home can help you save money in the long run.

LED lights, available from LED lighting retailers for example, though more expensive than incandescent light bulbs, offer homeowners far more life (lasting up to 10,000 hours) at a much lower price throughout. Check out LED lighting calculators to see exactly what you can save.

Other than LED lights of course, you can even save money on energy efficient televisions. A big screen television for example can really rack up an electricity bill, which can cost you anything from £4 right up to £83 per year.

If you’re planning on buying a television this summer, check out sust-it.net for a comparison of the best energy efficient televisions on the market.

See what you can recycle

Though over the past thirty years, recycling has been at the heart of everything green, there are a few new techniques to recycling that you might not be aware of.

Websites such as freecycle offer people great opportunities for giving away and receiving goods totally free of charge instead of throwing unwanted items away. Simply go on the website and find a group near you to see just what is out there.

Even outside the house and in the garden, you are able to walk into a whole field of opportunity.

These days, with a modified lawnmower, you are able to turn your grass cuttings into mulch; therein returning all the nutrients back into the soil and the remaining grass.

Grey water is also a uniquely brilliant and almost free (bearing in mind the purchase of a water drum), way of preserving water for the use of your garden. In fact, in countries such as Germany, it is actually a widely used technique to use grey water to clean things such as cars.

Check out the Green Deal

One of the greatest government schemes to have been enacted over the past year, the Green Deal is a great way of helping people afford energy efficient technologies for their homes.

Whether they need insulation for the loft, or even solar panels, people can now lend through the green deal, an amount of money to cover the costs of buying and installing these technologies.

The great thing about it is the fact that the money is paid back through the electricity bills, and if the technology won’t lower those bills, the house will not qualify for the deal; so the loan will always benefit the person investing.

To add to this, the loan stays with the home and not the person, meaning that if you were to move away, the debt stays with the house as the next people to move in shall also benefit from the improvements that you have made.

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There are usually two things that spring to mind when we think about making environmentally friendly home improvements: reducing emissions and saving money. The two do of course go hand in hand; if you spend less on energy, then you emit less CO2.

Whatever your priorities, we can all agree that cutting energy use is a good thing. The problem is that green improvements aren’t always cheap to begin with, which puts many people off, even if there is the promise of future savings. Fortunately however, there are two answers to the problem. Firstly, there are in fact many things that you can do yourself without spending a lot of money, and secondly, you can potentially earn money from having an environmentally friendly home.

Go Green on a Budget
Let’s start with the things that you can do cheaply at home.

Waste water is a considerable problem that we face in this country, simply because we’re so used to having an unlimited supply. It can be difficult to consciously use less water, but there are ways in which you can ensure that you always do. Generally, this will involve changing the plumbing of taps and toilets in the home. While this might sound like a big job, there are actually many inexpensive kits available that can be fitted with minimal hassle. They work to passively reduce the volume of water used when a tap is on or when a toilet is flushed. You will need some basic plumbing knowledge, but the majority of kits do not require extensive configuration of pipes.

Insulation is something that a lot of people are aware of. If you can keep heat in, then you’ll need to use the central heating system far less often, which means you’ll be saving money and cutting down on emissions. The downside is that cavity wall insulation and full loft insulation isn’t always cheap, or even something that you can do easily yourself. You can however ensure that your water tanks and pipes are properly insulated, which is a job you can do without specialist knowledge. For the tanks in your loft or airing cupboard, you can buy jackets in a variety of sizes that are easily attached. Pipes require a little more work, as you need to wind mineral wool mat around them, but this is still inexpensive and simple. Ensuring your water system is well insulated will mean that it retains warmth for longer, and won’t need heating as often.

Getting a Return on Your Investment
If you’re looking for something that will not only save you money, but will in fact earn money, then the primary option is to go with solar panels. Large systems on your roof are unlikely to be something that you can fit yourself, but even with the cost of installation, solar paneling is a worthwhile investment. This is because you can of course sell the power you make back to the National Grid when you’re not using it. Solar PV systems are of course costly initially, but it’s generally estimated that they will pay for themselves after between 10 and 15 years. Beyond that is all profit. You can go to www.ecolutionrenewables.com to learn more.

To conclude, it can be hard to justify a large outlay on economical home improvements, because savings can take a long time to accrue. With the promise of future profits however, things can become more attractive. Alternatively, there are methods of cutting emissions with very little outlay at all, and they can be undertaken with basic DIY knowledge.

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Image courtesy of Wikipedia

The Minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Edward Davey, has given planning permission for the first new nuclear power station to be built in nearly 20 years. The approved site is near the current one at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

This is the first step in agreeing the new nuclear power station, which if built, will consist of two new reactors which should produce enough electricity for 5 million homes.

It is being hailed by the government as a great low carbon alternative to other forms of power generation.

Edward Davey stated in his blog yesterday: “My job as Energy and Climate Change Secretary is to both power the country and protect the planet.” adding “Nuclear power delivers on both of these objectives.”

While the production of nuclear energy is undoubtedly ‘greener’ in terms of emissions, does the problem of disposing of the waste produced by nuclear power create a long-term problem which negates the benefits of the current production. It could be that the Minister’s argument is simply ‘Greenwash’ – attempting to put a green spin on a situation that is not actually green at all.

We recognise that the government has to make some uneasy choices, as our energy producing infrastructure ages. Most existing nuclear power stations and around 20% of the other power generating plants will have to close in the next 10 years. However having said that the alternative to investing in our ‘home generated’ power, (whether that is nuclear power or other forms of energy generation) is to buy it from companies overseas, which cannot make financial sense.

We would be really interested to know what you think about new nuclear power stations, you can leave comments here on our blog or head over to our DIY Doctor facebook page and let us have your thoughts.

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The Department for Energy and Climate Change have announced figures for the take-up of the Green Deal for February 2013

After a very slow start in January 2013 the Green Deal seems to have finally hit the public consciousness, and people are now booking assessments to see if it is worth them carrying out energy-saving works to their homes.

According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), nearly two thousand property assessments were carried out by the end of February this year. There was also an increase in contractors registering to carry out works under the Green Deal. There are now forty firms registered as providers, and 629 installers who have been approved for the scheme.

Key points Released by the DECC
(to the end of February 2013)

1,803 GD Assessments had been lodged (Chart 1 – see below)

77 GD Assessor Organisations and the 619 GD advisors they employ had been accredited

£26.9 million worth of contracts had been let through the ECO brokerage system

Chart 1 – Number of GD Assessments lodged, by month

If you want to find out more about what the Green Deal is, or how to get a free Energy Assessment on your home please go to our Green Living Section for more information.

Click here to go to our Green Living Section for Energy Assessments, Green Energy Options, and an explanation of the Green Deal.

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