Environmentcont

Reducing our Carbon Footprint

ENERGY & WATER CONSERVATION

It's Not Easy Being Green Andrew Hicks

There are many ways in which we can be 'greener' within our domestic environment thereby reducing our carbon footprint, saving resources like water as well as saving money!

Energy Efficiency Insulation of Lofts and Walls
Insulation of Windows and Doors
Generating your own Energy
- Solar
- Thermal
- Ground Source
- Heat Pumps
Generating Electricity
- Wind Turbines
- Water Conservation
- Recycling Bathwater
- Harvesting Rainwater

Energy Efficiency

Government research shows that on average 53% of household energy goes on heating, and that much of this is wasted. Before considering any form of energy generation it is important first to use existing supplies as efficiently as possible and to invest in reducing waste.

Insulation of Lofts and Walls

The most cost cost-effective energy saving measure is to reduce the heat loss by adding insulation to houses. This typically pays for itself within one year. 25% of heat loss typically goes out through the roof, and 35% through the walls, so the potential savings are large. To make this even more attractive, Mid-Beds Council have a scheme offering subsidies of between 50% and 100% towards the cost of installing cavity wall insulation and loft insulation. For a typical four bedroom house this can bring the cost down to about £250, less than the cost of doing it yourself. http://www.midbeds.gov.uk/services/env_services/home_environment/housing_grants/cavity_wall_and_loft_insulation_grants.asp Tel: 08452-304040 or 01462 611 222, or at Customer.Services@midbeds.gov.uk

Insulation of Windows and Doors

Besides loft insulation, improving the thermal properties of windows and doors is the most effective way of conserving heat. It is estimated that 10% of domestic heat is lost through windows and 15% through doors. Building regulations now demand that modern houses be built with double glazing and draught exclusion as standard, but older properties often only have single glazing and so lose much of their heat through windows and gaps around doors and windows. Listed properties face further restrictions that prevent these being installed, however there are approved systems of secondary glazing that will still bring much of the benefits in preventing heat loss. Clophill House has the system from Storm Windows that is approved by English Heritage. Website: http://www.stormwindows.co.uk/

Energy Saving

Other household energy saving measures include:

Not leaving appliances on standby
Replacing light bulbs with energy-saving equivalents – they last much longer too so make sense financially (and are made look increasingly like ‘traditional’ light bulbs)
Use economy or lower temperature settings on washing machines and dishwashers
Avoid over-using high wattage appliances - e.g. Only fill kettles with as much water as is needed
Turn the household thermometer down slightly – a 1° reduction could save 10% of heating costs
Buy energy saving appliances such as fridge-freezers – these use up to 60% less energy so could save £45 per year for a typical household

Generating your own Energy

For the more committed there is always the option of generating your own energy (known as microgeneration). The systems to do this are expensive and the savings that they create will only pay for them over many years. To make microgeneration more attractive the Government has offered various subsidies, although (contrary to propaganda) these have steadily decreased over recent years as people have become more willing to purchase such systems for ethical reasons, requiring less financial incentive. The current scheme, the ‘Low Carbon Buildings Programme’ is suspended at present, but expected to resume shortly. The best source of information on grants is the Energy Savings Trust, website http://www.energysavingstrust.org.uk/. For information on grants go to http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/

Solar Thermal

Of the various types of microgeneration, the most efficient is generally reckoned to be solar thermal hot water (using the sun to heat domestic hot water) as this gets a direct benefit from the sun rather than inefficiently converting solar energy into electricity. These require 2-4 square meters of unobstructed south-facing roof space on which collectors can be mounted. The heat is transmitted from this into a special hot water cylinder where it heats the cold water at the bottom of the tank which is then just topped up by the element or heating coil in the upper part. There are two types of solar thermal systems: flat plate collectors and evacuated tube collectors. The flat plate types are metal while the evacuated tube type are a rack of glass tubes with vacuums in. The evacuated tube types are more efficient but can cost up to twice as much and will require more maintenance. Systems can cost anything up from £2,000 and this may not include the additional plumbing costs of connecting the new hot water tank to the rest of the house. Generally this is estimated to reduce domestic hot water costs by about 50%, so a system should pay for itself within a few years, however in consequence the grants (until recently) are far less at about 10% and capped at £400. Clophill house has a flat-plate system mounted on its rear gable. This is just visible from the High Street from a narrow vantage point, and required listed building planning consent to install. Our experience has been that it is very effective, even on cloudy days and even in winter.

Ground Source Heat Pumps

Another option is to install a ground-source heat pump for domestic heating. This extracts heat from the ground, via a bore-hole or coiled tube, and transfers it to the household, often through under-floor heating. Such systems are expensive to fit and are really only worth-while as part of a major refurbishment of the house. They also require electricity to run, offsetting much of the carbon-benefit unless that electricity is also micro-generated. Grants for this are similar to those for solar thermal.

Generating Electricity

The alternative is to generate your own household electricity. This can be through solar photovoltaics (the sun), wind turbine (wind) or water turbine (if you happen to own a water mill). Regardless of the energy source there are two basic options: standalone systems with batteries and grid-connected systems without batteries. The grid connected systems are much cheaper (not requiring expensive batteries) and have the added advantage that most energy companies will pay for any surplus electricity that the system is supplying back to the grid usually at the same rate as they charge for it. Systems are rated in kilo-watt hours (kWh) and a typical domestic consumption would be 3.5kWh per year.

Wind Turbines

Wind turbines have got a lot of press recently following David Cameron’s installation of a system at his London home. However, professional advice is generally to avoid these smaller systems as (a) they have short operational lives, (b) the vibration can cause damage to any building [especially chimneys] they are attached to and (c) the electricity they generate is too little to be cost-effective or make any real difference. To work properly wind systems need to be mounted high up on masts, above the tree line and at some distance from any nearby trees or structures likely to cause any wind turbulence, ideally in the middle of a field at the top of a hill. Domestic-scale systems like this are available but need careful site survey first, plus planning permission, and are not cheap.

Solar Photo-voltaic

Solar p-v is more widespread and, in most instances, the best option. Systems are rated based on peak output (kWp) generated in ideal conditions (tested in the south of Spain) and in the UK will only give about 2/3rds of their peak output even on a sunny day, however will generate electricity in any daylight even on cloudy days. There are many systems on the market ranging from plates mounted on the roof to simulated roof tiles and even transparent glass plates for use in conservatories. The grants available (until recently) for solar pv are more generous at up to 50% of the installation cost up to a capped maximum. At Clophill House we have a Solar Century C21e system, simulated roof slates, installed on the roof of the old stable block. The new roof required listed building planning consent however is almost indistinguishable from the original roof (and doesn’t leak).

Water Conservation

As well as addressing the causes of global warming it is important to consider how we live with the consequences. For the UK the most significant impact to date is the shortage and rising cost of water. Households are increasingly facing hosepipe bans, water rationing or water metering to control usage. For gardens, especially vegetable gardens, this can be either costly or disastrous. The solution is to recycle water.

Recycling Bathwater

The simplest option is to divert used bath-water and/or rain water into water butts and then use these to water the garden, either manually or using an automated watering system with ‘dripper’ feeds. We have built a system like this ourselves at Clophill House for using bath water to water the vegetable garden – and it is working brilliantly (after some initial trial and error). An excellent diverter for bath waste pipes is available at http://www.recycleworks.co.uk/ for £38.50 Depending on the number of baths/showers the household takes per day you may need a larger water butt than the standard 200L versions (Frosts Garden Centre do one for 350L at a very reasonable price). We also have a small ‘SolarFlow’ solar-powered pump in the water butt to maintain the siphon of water flowing out to the drippers each day. This is available from http://www.garden-irrigation.co.uk/ for £295. The drippers are standard Hoselock micro-filter products, available from most garden centres.

Harvesting Rainwater

We only need clean (potable) mains-supply water for drinking and bathing in. Other uses – such as toilet cisterns, washing machines and garden hosepipes – can satisfactorily use non-mains water. This amounts to more than half of most domestic use. It is therefore sensible to consider fitting a ‘grey water’ system in parallel with normal domestic hot and cold water, if one wants to go beyond home-built water butt systems. This requires an extra tank in the loft and a lot of extra plumbing to distribute the ‘grey’ water to cisterns, washing machines, outside taps, etc. It also requires a source of grey water through harvesting rainwater. There are a range of companies supplying rainwater harvesting systems. Essentially these collect rainwater as it flows into the drains around the house and divert it into a large underground tank (in size anything from 1,500L to 6,000L, sufficient to store several months worth of rain in advance of a summer draught) from which it is then filtered and pumped up to the grey water header tank in the household loft, or if higher pressure is needed for hoses, pumped directly to dedicated outdoor taps. The tank would have a mains water backup supply in case it emptied during an extended drought. None of this is cheap as a significant amount of internal and external re-plumbing is required, but this does make sense especially for new build houses. The UK Rainwater Harvesting Association website is http://www.ukrha.org/ and lists all the main suppliers.

Flora and Fauna

FLORA AND FAUNA

by Michael Brooks The Clophill area is generally quite rich in wildlife interest, resulting from a mixed geology (greensand, clay, alluvium), both wet and dry habitats and acid grassland. The dip (south-facing) slopes of the Greensand Ridge are especially interesting. County Wildlife Sites Designated County Wildlife Sites (CWSs) within the parish include:

Warren Wood
Readshill Meadow
Pedley Wood
Cainhoe fishponds
River Flit

The Sandy Smith Nature Reserve, owned by the Greensand Trust, and Upper Alders CWS, owned by the Wildlife Trust, are just over the boundary in the Campton & Chicksands parish. Some of the verges alongside the A6 have ‘Roadside Nature Reserve’ status. It is hoped to add further detail on the special wildlife interest of these sites in due course.

The Flora and Fauna of Clophill by Ian Porter

The parish of Clophill described by its Anglo-Saxon name ‘The Cleft in the Hills’, which is exactly what it is. A half mile wide river valley between two greensand ridges that denote two very diffrenet habitats for the flora and fauna.The river valley is dissected by several water courses of the river Flit, a slow meansering silt laden stream, much loved by water voles, moorhens, kingfishers and occasional water rail. The drainage ditches are lined with pollarded willow, arrow head and reed mace, a great habitat for little owl, reed warblers and buntings. The bigger streams are homes to dace, bullheads and sticklebacks. The meadows between the streams are always damp but occasional flooding in winter provides rich pickings for a wide variety of waterfowl and snipe. The Greensand Ridge to the south of the river valley has plantations of sweet chestnut, silver birch and sycamore. It also contains avenues of yew and lime trees. There are specimens of wellingtonia and cedar and in June the scent of wild honeysuckle pervades the walks. This is known as Warren Wood and is home to a wide variety of fungi. Common amongst the silver birch are fly agaric and puff balls. The wood contains all the common woodland birds including tawny owls, nuthatch and gold crests. The ridge to the north has a disused quarry that is home to all manner of animals, birds and butterflies including holly blues that make use of the considerable area of holly trees set amongst the sweet chestnuts which surround the quarry. In August you can see slow worms in this area. Adjacent to this plantation is the old allotments, a habitat well suited to muntjac, foxes and green woodpeckers that now feed on the ground as there are less dead trees available. This area contains a number of set aside fields which are ideal for skylarks making a home amongst the cocksfoot, common couch rye grass and meadow fescue. This is also a butterfly country, gatekeeper, small copper and common blue abound on warm sunny days. On the crest of this ridge the Greensand has an overlay of glacial gault clay, favoured by blackthorn and oak trees. Jays and great spotted woodpecker are common here. The ridge proceeds East into Pedley Wood, an ancient woodland containing a huge variety of flora and fauna including buzzard and rooks. All types of grasses, wild flowers, insects and butterflies are found here, too numerous to mention.

This description is a small snapshot of the flora and fauna of the parish of Clophill which contains such a diverse variety of wildlife. Some of the wildlife has disappeared in my lifetime and without sympathetic management of what is left, more will disappear in the future. As I write this I am watching a red kite traverse the valley whilst being harassed by a carrion crow, nature is all around us if we look.

Maulden Wood and Pennyfather’s Hill by Michael Brooks Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)[Information supplied by Natural England]

Although not actually in Clophill parish, Maulden Woods SSSI is the nearest nationally-recognised wildlife site to Clophill.The site supports an exceptionally rich invertebrate fauna including both county and national rarities and therefore has a distinctive and important contribution to make to invertebrate conservation in Bedfordshire. Especially important is the ride-associated invertebrate fauna. These species require a continuity of open and sunny wood edge habitat and this is provided by the rides and clearings which develop in woodland with a history of continuous management. Although much of the wood is now plantation it retains a well developed ride system which is lacking in many other woods in the county.Other factors which contribute to the importance of this site for invertebrates are the large size of the wood and the range of plant communities which reflect the varied geology and soil conditions. Maulden Wood is an ancient woodland site situated on a cap of boulder clay. Fragments of semi-natural woodland remain both as discrete blocks within the broad-leaved and coniferous plantation, and along the edges of the rides. These areas retain characteristic plant and invertebrate communities including Limax cinereoniger, a mollusc which is particularly associated with ancient woodland sites. Pennyfather’s Hill is situated on the Lower Greensand and relicts of the former heathland habitat exist within plantations of Scot’s pine Pinus sylvestris.Scot’s pine is the food plant of a micro-moth Dioryctia mutatella, a nationally uncommon species which is recorded for this site. Several invertebrate groups are particularly well represented: the Hymenoptera (Aculeata and Symphyta), Heteroptera and Lepidoptera.Three nationally rare species of sawfly Symphyta are recorded in the wood Caliroa cinxia and Pamphilius sylvorum, both feeders on oak Quercus spp., andPamphilius gyllenhali, which feeds on willowSalix spp. In addition, there are nationally notable species from several groups including the Symphyta, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera.The woods also support several plant species which are rare or uncommon in the county including the wild service tree Sorbus torminalis,green-flowered helleborine Epipactis phyllanthes, hard-shield-fern Polystichum aculeatum and associated with the more acidic soils, climbing corydalis Corydalis claviculata. The wood has a good breeding bird population and an extensive list of fungi are recorded for the site.Additional habitat is provided by several ponds.