As the recession sees more frustrated would be homeowners turn to self build, they could be the people to lead the way in sustainable building.

For any budding self-builder or renovator, the choice to build and live ‘green’ can take up a lot of energy! Deciding which methods are the ‘greenest’, researching which products will save energy and calculating carbon footprint can be confusing.

However, for anyone committed to a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient way of living, the Big Green Home Show at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre is a great place to learn about building and living ‘green’.

The National Self Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon will host its second Big Green Home Show in October (23rd – 25th), aimed at prospective homebuilders baffled by all the eco jargon and green technology.

The three-day Show will look at all aspects of green homebuilding and eco-friendly lifestyles, with an array of hands-on demonstrations, leading industry experts and professionals, and an opportunity to see and learn about the latest ‘green’ products and systems.

The Big Green Home Show will demonstrate that a green lifestyle isn’t just about putting a giant compost heap in the back yard, or sticking a wind turbine on the roof.

Building and creating an environmentally-friendly house requires good planning and budgeting, and it’s important to understand all the different options available.

As well as eco experts, visitors to the Show can also hear from people who have built their own eco-homes, tour the EDF Energy Renovation House, to discover how to renovate to improve energy efficiency, and check out the latest materials and products to help minimise carbon emissions and reduce energy consumption.
Visitors can also bring their plans to life with the help of the CAD design team.

To book free tickets or for more information, please visit the Buildstore website.

Tel: (01506) 409 616.

As the Government’s green agenda urges us all to green up our homes, it’s never been easier at B&Q; its range of sustainable products will help you to ecovate your house and save you money by cutting your household bills.

Have a look at the wide range of eco products available from B&Q with their house plan and make them your port of call for all things green.

There’s something for everyone - take a tour of their website and be inspired to make a difference to your life and your home:

For example: Save Energy with Loft and Piping Insulation.

Insulating your loft is a straightforward energy efficient measure, which also saves you money on your heating and cooling bills.

B&Q has developed its own brand Recycled Plastic loft insulation, made from an average of 86 plastic bottles; it is ideal to lay during the warmer months as you don’t need masks, overalls or goggles to install the product.

B&Q offers great deals on loft insulation throughout the year and is currently offering (from 3rd September for two weeks) a triple roll of DIY top up loft insulation for £10.

With an average house needing just nine triple packs that’s a cost of just £90, which, according to the Energy Savings Trust, could save you around £150 a year on your heating bills, if you don’t currently have loft insulation.

It’s not so difficult to lay insulation as you might think and to help make it even easier B&Q has produced a DVD, ‘How to Insulate Your Home’, priced at £1.98.

For further great ideas for Ecovating your home visit:

Web:  http://www.diy.com

Are you interested in picking up the latest in innovative products and services, inspirational design ideas, renovation tips and cost saving solutions for the home?

Then look no further! The Homebuilding & Renovating Show is on at Sandown Park on 27th and 28th June.

The Southern Homebuilding & Renovating Show features over 150 exhibitors, 36 free seminars and master classes, as well as the unique opportunity to get advice from the Experts, making it a must-visit event.

Whether you are looking for land to build your own home, want to extend your property to create an open plan kitchen, or are thinking about converting your loft or basement to create extra space, you will find the products, services, advice and information, to help create your perfect home.

Want to find out more about how you can improve your home? Then attend ‘How to extend and improve your home cost-effectively’, a free seminar at 11am on both days.

Concerned about your impact on the environment and want to do more? Learn more about reducing your carbon footprint by attending ‘Zero-Energy Homes: can you really heat your home for free?’ a free seminar at 1.30pm on both days.

As an added bonus, your ticket will give you free entry to the co-located Kitchen & Bathroom Show, the UK’s only dedicated kitchen and bathroom event that will help you transform your kitchen from sad to sensational or your bathroom to a spa retreat.
Tickets are £5 in advance or £8 on the door (children under 16 go free).
For more information and tickets, visit:

Web: http://www.homebuildingshow.co.uk
Or Tel: (0871) 945 4547

Did you know you could be making money from the electricity generated by your renewable technology installation?

If you have installed, or are thinking about installing, a renewable technology, which produces electricity, such as a Solar Electricity (PV) system, you may be able to receive payment for the electricity produced.

The most common way to do this, is to sign up to a buy back scheme with an energy supplier. There are two main tariffs available to do this:

Export tariffs: You are only paid for the electricity that is exported back to the electricity network.
Generation tariffs: You are paid for all of the electricity that your system has generated, even if you use it in your own home.

There are also some Set Price Tariffs available, where the energy supplier, based on the type or capacity of your installation, pays you a fixed amount.

You can also use the Energy Saving Trust’s ‘buy back tariff search tool’, to help you find the right tariff more easily.

Using this tool will allow you to see details of all the tariffs currently being offered by the energy suppliers.

Advice regarding choosing the right tariff is available on the website:

Web: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Sell-your-own-energy

Tel: (0800) 512 012

The Residential Sola-boost home ventilation system is designed to address the current trend towards tightly sealed, highly insulated homes, which suffer from overheating during summer months.

This ventilation systen combines highly efficient natural ventilation and a solar driven fan to provide true energy free operation, which reduces household energy bills and improves the carbon footprint.

Since warm air naturally rises to accumulate at ceiling level, this system should ideally be positioned above the stairs or landing, to allow warm air to be vented naturally out to atmosphere.

Solar power is converted to electricity to drive an ultra-quiet, high efficiency fan, which carries an air stream down into the room below through a central duct.
Conversely, the fan can be designed to act as a solar powered extractor to expel air from the space.

Another feature of the system’s unique design is that free night-time cooling can be achieved in summer months, simply by leaving the dampers open overnight; this allows cool night air to flow down from the rooftop, while any excess heat build up, is naturally vented by the Residential Sola-boost unit.

 In winter, the dampers can remain closed or left 5% open to give trickle ventilation.

Simplicity of design enables the Sola-boost system to be fitted to any roof design and the top solar panel section is adjustable to suit any one of four angles.
The system is guaranteed for 10 years.

Web: http://www.monodraught.co.uk/windcatcher/index.php

Tel: (01494) 897700

With colder winter nights and mornings now upon us, many people are boosting their home heating to keep warm, which means that their energy bills and carbon footprint will go up!

Easy and cost effective advice is available from B&Q on how to make your home more energy efficient and lower your bills and your impact on the environment this winter.

Why not consider Solar Panels, which can deliver supplementary hot water directly into your existing hot water cylinder, or integrated with your combi boiler system to help cut your fuel bills – saving you money as well as reducing the effects of global warming.

It’s hard to believe sometimes, but there really is more than enough sun in Britain to support solar heating solutions; they only need solar radiation to work; though performance is improved in direct sunlight.

B&Q are offering a choice of solar panel kits, which are available supply only or supply and fit - for example:

The Solartwin Panel Kit featured here - supply only from £2698 and £3698.00 installed.

RM Solar Two Panel Combi Konverter Kit installed £4998.00.

Surveys for Solar Panel Kits are available at only £25.

More information is available in stores or online at:

Web: http://www.diy.com

Tel: (0845) 8500175

Bernard Rhodes, B&Q’s Category Manager for insulation says: “We aim to make it easier for people to save energy within their homes; we have products available to help them discover how much energy they are using and offer energy saving solutions, to enable them to reduce their consumption and their energy bills.”

The Next Step – Once you know how much energy you are using, and have done everything you can to reduce your energy wastage and still wish to do more, then you have the option to harness natural energy.

B&Q stocks a range of products, which allow you to exploit natural energy, so that you can create your own energy and reduce your reliance on purchasing energy.

A Windsave wind turbine (£1,898 including installation) helps homeowners create their own energy and reduce their property’s CO2 emissions:

The Windsave WS1200 is a revolutionary micro-wind turbine system, designed to supplement the supply of electricity drawn from the National Grid; it connects directly into the ring main of the property via a fused spur outlet.

The turbine is a professionally installed wall-mounted system, which uses specifically designed anti-vibration bracketry.

Solar Panels (from £2,198 excluding installation) enable you to generate your own hot water, and there is no need to worry about the lack of British summer time – the panels only need daylight to work, not direct sunlight.

Solar panels can be integrated into most types of hot water systems including combi boilers; available supply only or supply and fit.

Web: http://www.diy.com

Tel: (0845) 8500175

The new Ecohomes Show is part of The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show at the NEC 22nd to 25th March and aspires to help us with our efforts to win the ‘Green War’ in our homes.

Our homes are currently responsible for 30% of all UK emissions and the Government is aiming for carbon-neutral houses by 2016, but is this a realistic target?

How can we do our bit to create energy-efficient homes whilst producing energy for heating, hot water and electricity using only eco-friendly on-site technology?

“The Ecohomes Show will offer a practical approach to achieving these goals”, said Nick Noble, Show Director. “Improving domestic energy efficiency has to be a good idea, whether you are building a brand new home or making your current home more efficient.”

Featured at the show will be a wide range of products and services ranging from the familiar, such as solar and other alternative heating systems, through to recycled building materials, natural paints and insulation materials.

Also on offer is a free daily seminar – A Guide to Ecological Home Design and Sustainable Construction, plus a day devoted to Eco Master-classes.

Never before has building a home for the future required quite so much thought!

Tickets are £8 in advance or £12 on the door.

For more information and tickets visit:

Web: http://www.homebuildingshow.co.uk
Tel:  (0870) 906 2002

Watch this space for articles about the other shows in the National Homebuilding & Renovating Show series!

Climate change is something we are all concerned about as the evidence of its increasing affect on our planet becomes obvious both at home and abroad.

We can personally do something to reverse this potential catastrophe by making our homes more energy efficient, which could dramatically reduce the amount of harmful carbon dioxide gas we release into the atmosphere.

This Autumn B&Q will make it easy to save energy around your house with its practical and exciting new range of energy efficient products, including wind turbines, solar panels and innovative heating and insulation products.

Due to the recent ever-increasing rise in energy prices, there has never been a better time to invest in your own power sources, such as B&Q’s new Windsafe Wind Turbines.

They are easily attached to your home and provide a supply of 230V electricity for the house, with no need for batteries or complex wiring and a potential reduction on your electricity bill of up to 30%.

The Windsafe turbines are priced at £1498 including installation.

In addition, why not generate your own hot water by installing a Solar Power Panel?

The new panels don’t need direct sunlight to work, as daylight is sufficient to produce up to 70% of the hot water requirement for a standard three or four bedroom house. This means the system could effectively pay for itself within six years.

The solar panels also retail at £1498 excluding installation.

More good news; the UK Government provides grants for renewable energy projects of up to 30% of the installed cost. Find out more at:
www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk

Web: www.diy.com
Tel: For your nearest B&Q Store  (0845) 850 0175

Sharp Electronics, the global leaders in solar cell manufacture, have enhanced their solar power systems, to the extent that they can now provide an efficient solution even in cloudier climates.

Since solar power depends on the intensity of light, not necessarily direct sunlight, the Sharp solar panels efficiently convert the sun’s energy into a cleaner, more sustainable and almost infinite source of electricity for your home.

Fitting the Sharp solar panels will substantially cut your energy bills, increase your self-sufficiency and help you make your contribution to preserving the environment.

The panels are easily installed into an existing house, or can form an exciting part of your plan for a new property. They can be fitted to your roof, garage, carport, or even freestanding in your garden.

Your solar power is supplemented outside daylight hours simply by connection to the national grid.

Sharp’s recent partnership with Curry’s the UK electrical retailer, makes these market-leading solar panels available via some of their local stores.

Curry’s can provide the expert advice and support necessary, to enable you to make an informed decision regarding the suitability of this exciting new technology for your home.

Web: http://sharp-world.com/solar/index.html
Tel: (0208)-7342000