28/03/08: Saving energy in the home

Teach yourself: Saving energy in the home by Nick White

In association with Hockerton Housing Project

• Do you want to cut your energy bills?
• Would you like a more energy-efficient home?
• How can your home achieve a better Environmental Performance Certificate?
• Do you want a greener life at little extra cost of effort?

Saving energy in the home offers you straightforward and achievable strategies for reducing your energy bills and living a more environmentally aware life. With lots of useful tools to assess your energy and carbon use, it gives practical advice on everything from heating homes to managing those teenage consumers.

• Most of the suggested energy-saving actions in the book have been categorized for convenience into ‘no cost’, ‘low cost’ and ‘investment’ actions.
• Detailed installation costs and savings are provided to assist the reader in making more effective decisions.
• Topical issues, such as HIPs and smart metering are covered.
• For the more ambitious guidance is provided on the most effective ways of generating your own power.
• Beyond the bricks and mortar, suggestions are also provided on green driving and being more sustainable in the garden.
• Resource sections provide plenty of suggestions for further investigation and assistance.

Nick White is a director and member of the Hockerton Housing Project (HHP), the UK’s first earth sheltered, self-sufficient ecological housing development, and the winner of several sustainability awards. Nick has been a member of HHP since the start of the construction of the homes in 1996, and contributed to the self-build. Since 1998, Nick has led the development and marketing of the Project’s on site ‘eco-business’, including coordinating publicity and media coverage.

To read a book review from Ethical Review - Click here

How to get a copy:
• From HHP – Signed copies for £11 (incl p&p) – Please send a cheque made payable to ‘HHP Trading Ltd’, and post to Hockerton Housing Project, The Watershed, Gables Drive, Hockerton, Southwell, Notts NG25 0QU – Please supply on separate piece of paper your delivery address and any special messages you would like included.
• On-line – E.g. Amazon and WH Smith.
• Most leading bookshops
• For trade orders/discounts – Please contact Jane MacRae (Sales Development Manager) from Hodder Publications (jane.macrae@hodder.co.uk  or call 0207 873 6146)

Please note: HHP get a much better return for sales via them!

Other feedback:

"This book is fantastic. It provides comprehensive and accessible information for anyone wanting to start looking at options for reducing their domestic carbon footprint. It picks apart the issues with unbiased clarity and gives clear and impartial steps that anyone can take, from little day-to-day 'to dos' to the life-changing leaps. Essential reading!" (Josh Steiner, Action for Sustainable Living, Manchester)

Notes:
(1) Teach Yourself – Launched in 1938, the teach yourself series grew rapidly in response to the world’s wartime needs. With the over 50 million readers, the series has continued to respond to society’s changing interests and passions and now 70 years on, includes over 500 titles, from Arabic and Beekeeping to Yoga and Zulu. More relevant this book are Green parenting and Ethical Living. For more information see www.teachyourself.co.uk.
(2) Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are an important part of the recently launched Home Information Packs or more commonly known as HIPs. An EPC informs prospective buyers about the energy performance of a house.
(3) Book extract – Preface
"Little did I know the task ahead when I was contacted by Hodder to write this book. I had for many years thought about writing a straightforward practical book about energy saving in the home. This started I suppose because of an old gardener’s cottage that I lived in with my family in the early 90’s. Energy prices were not anywhere near as high in real terms as they are now, but being an old detached cottage with all four single brick walls braced against the wind, it leaked heat like a sieve. The result was damp walls and ridiculous bills. I could never work out how the central heating system worked as the previous owner was DIY enthusiast! There seemed to be no easy way to find out what to do about improving the situation. Hence my idea of researching and writing a book.
But then in 1996 my family had the opportunity of joining an eco-community self-build project in Nottinghamshire, the Hockerton Housing Project. Within months we had sold up, moved into a caravan, and started to build our own zero-heated, ultra low energy homes with four other families. Ten years on, our earth-sheltered home has used less than £5 on space heating, whilst never going below 18degrees C. Overall we only use 10% of the energy we used in our previous cottage, and most of that we meet with wind and solar power. But this is another story and book.
I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity of joining the Hockerton Housing Project and going on a very real and practical journey of creating the ultimate in low energy living.  I hope experiences of living in very different types of properties has allowed me to reflect in this book, realism but also aspiration, both in financial and environmental terms. By the way my last quarterly energy bill was £15.70!
It was interesting and challenging therefore writing a book about ‘normal’ houses. I had to think back to my days in the cottage and not get too carried away with zero heating and community wind turbines. What I did discover was how many simple things people could do to make a big difference to their energy use, many just behavioural. I wish you all the best in saving money and doing your bit for the planet."