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There has been a huge level of growth in the green homes industry in recent years. It seems that many of us have finally woken up to the possibility of doing something to help the planet. This is great news and one of the side effects has been the number of unusual and interesting ideas which this trend has brought with it. All these ideas complete more traditional energy efficient home improvements such as the installation of double glazing windows.

A Green Roof

Actually, green rooves aren’t all that new or unusual in some parts of the world, as they have been used for some time in Scandinavia and Germany among other places. However, in other places they are causing something of a sensation. There are a number of benefits to this kind of roof garden, from filtering pollutants out of the air to minimising storm water runoff. It looks like we will be seeing a lot more of them in the future.

Green Curtains

Now this will be a new idea for most people. In Japan there is a company which produces green curtains. This simply means that they put a leafy covering on the sides of buildings. What this does is stop too much sun getting in during the warmer months of the year, thereby cutting down on the amount of air conditioning needed to keep the place cool.

Underground Living

The idea of living under the ground just sounds too extreme for most of us when we first hear about it. However, these underground properties are said to be bright and spacious as well as extremely green. There are some stunning pictures on the internet of underground homes and if you are planning on really pushing the boat out then this could right for you. They are among the greenest homes around, of course, and most of them are modern and really rather stylish looking.

Don’t Forget the Basics, Though

These are fun and very interesting ideas which can also do a lot of good. However, before you think about putting a roof on your garden, adding plants as curtains or going underground you should think about the basics of green living. These new ideas will only work as part of an overall environmental plan which includes the likes of loft insulation, double glazing and reduced water consumption. If you are stuck for ideas then there are plenty of internet sites with lots of good tips, and the likes of the Anglian website will show you how easy it is to get rid of draughty old windows and stop losing so much heat that way. Once the basics are sorted out you will feel a lot better about making your life more environmentally friendly and might decide to go for some of the more unusual ideas.

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The Government launched an initiative called the Green Deal earlier this year, but it appears the public are not interested. Not one household has registered to take part in the scheme, according to a report in the Telegraph this week.

If you are now thinking, what is the Green Deal, then you can read What is the Green Deal? in our Green Living Section, (as ever we try to keep it simple).

In a nutshell the scheme is designed to make our homes more energy efficient without having to pay for work up front, instead the work is carried out by approved contractors who have an arrangement to collect the money back in small increments via your fuel bills.

The idea being that the energy saving will decrease your bills so the energy saving work will ‘pay for itself’. It is worth noting that when your home is assessed for the work the contractor will have to prove that the expected savings will be equal to, or more than the cost of the work, which is known as the ‘Golden Rule’.

These assessments have been available since 1 October prior to the launch of the scheme in January 2013, but the tumbleweed must be blowing through the offices of registered contractors as they wait for customers.

The Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker had to admit that “no assessments have yet been lodged” on the Government’s official register. The shadow minister described the situation as a “shambles”.

So why are people not getting engaged? We would really like to have your thoughts on the Green Deal, which we can then feed this back to Greg Barker.

In our Green Living section you will also find a free energy assessment tool. It is easy to use, you just answer some very simple questions to get a report on what energy saving measures your home could benefit from. This will help you decide if you might benefit from making changes to your property, which may be covered by the Green Deal scheme if you are interested, or they may just be very simple DIY improvements such as improving insulation or even just changing your lightbulbs.

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There is a lot of buzz around self  sufficiency and renewable heat sources, so if you have gone in for the log burner or wood fueled boiler, you will need to get some logs in.

Of course you will have done this already – it has been very chilly in the evenings in many places for the last month or so, but you need to cut logs now ready for next year. Well seasoned logs are much more efficient at burning. Even if you don’t have an area that is covered, if you stack them in a sheltered spot (under the lea of a garage or shed for instance) they will benefit from being cut and seasoned before use next year.

If you are planning your own logging expedition you need to consider what tools you will need. We have been reviewing tools all summer, in our studios and out on site, and we are happy to share our knowledge with you.

We have tried to make our reviews as easy to follow as possible with a written round-up, a star-rating system and a video demonstration, but do leave comments on the page if you have any suggestions for how we could improve them.

CHAINSAWS

Titan Electric Chainsaw review – click picture to see page

Mountfield MC3616 Chainsaw review – click picture to see page

Don’t forget if you have a chainsaw you need to oil it

Chain Oil for Chainsaws review – click picture to see page

If you have any products that you would like us to review please leave your comments here (click on the comments link on the top right-hand side of the page)

If you have a product that you would like us to review please contact us – but be warned, we will be honest!

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The Government has announced cashback deals for householders who intend to carry out energy-saving home improvements, under the Green Deal, from January next year.

Money will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis so providers should encourage customers to take up the deal sooner rather than later, in order to take advantage of this deal.

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Government Energy Secretary Ed Davey said “The Green Deal also presents a great opportunity for businesses of all sizes to take advantage of this transforming market – and now is a critical time. Whatever your business does in this sector, the Green Deal will have an impact. So I say to businesses large and small – gear up, get training and get ready to take advantage of the Green Deal.”

Companies and Individuals who are interested in becoming authorised assessors and installers under the Green Deal Scheme can find out more by following this link to the Green Deal Oversight & Registration Body website or through one of the certification bodies.

Further details are available on the DECC website.

Hopefully this initiative will encourage consumers to commission work for the providers which in turn will save them them money on their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient.

To find out more about Green Deal and service providers click here.

For other Green Deal blog posts from DIY Doctor click here.

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The Government is pushing the Green Deal as a way of reducing our energy usage (and therefore our bills) as consumers. It also wants us to become much more aware of our buying power, advising consumers to use comparison and switching information to get the best deal on our fuel. Energy Secretary Edward Davey said: “With prices rising and temperatures dropping, we want to make sure we are doing all we can to help vulnerable householders keep warm this winter.

There will be £40 million available in a competition to reduce fuel bills and increase energy efficiency. The competition, run by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), has three strands, each with a separate pot of money up for grabs:

• £25million to help householders keep warm this winter

Local councils in England can bid for up to £25 million to help improve thermal efficiency of homes in their area. This is aimed at helping low income and vulnerable people stay warm over the winter and aims to help cut heating costs by installing efficient new (and replacement) boilers plus loft and cavity wall insulation.

Davey states “This funding will put local councils at the heart of action to get energy bills down, for instance helping low income householders upgrade old inefficient heating systems and insulate draughty homes”.

• £10 million to kick start Green Deal projects

£10 million is being made available for Green Deal ‘pioneer’ projects. Councils in England can apply to use this money for schemes aimed at promoting the Green Deal. It could include whole house retrofits and community engagement events to raise awareness of what can be done to improve energy efficiency. This Pioneer Places scheme builds on the investment made in seven Green Deal Low Carbon Cities, read more about his on our blog.

• ‘Cheaper Energy Together’: £5 million to set up collective switching schemes

This aims to encourage groups to bilk-buy their energy. Councils and third sector organisations in England, Scotland and Wales can take advantage of this initiative by setting up local collective switching schemes. Collective purchasing and switching enables consumers to group together (using a trusted third party) to use market power when negotiating lower energy bills.

Davey explains  “As well as helping even more councils showcase the benefits of energy efficiency, this funding will support the launch of initiatives to enable local residents to save money by clubbing together to get a better energy deal.”

Potential bidders can apply for money under all of the competitions using a single application form. Each bid will be judged separately using a range of criteria including: impact on fuel poverty; value for money; and the potential for generating further investment in the future.

The closing date for applications is 30 November 2012.

Find out more about energy efficient products on our Green Living section which we have produced in conjunction with our partners Be Energy Smart.

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