How green is your flat?

publication date: Feb 20, 2008

Each of us has a responsibility to protect the environment. But those who live in flats may feel their choices are limited. Certainly, it is more difficult to have a water butt and solar panels if you live in a block of flats, but it is not impossible and there are many other things you can do, says Susan Kerry Bedell.

If you want to embrace the latest feel-good environmental craze sweeping the nation you could shop locally, take your own bags and don’t use plastic carriers, reject over-packaged goods; use public transport, walk and cycle rather than driving for every journey; consider the emission ratings of your car.

Look at the energy ratings of your white goods and only purchase those with top ratings. Do not leave electrical items on standby. Think about your diet and reduce your food miles. Have an organic box scheme delivered (most deliver to flats but prefer to have a safe place to leave the box should you be out). Use low toxin cleaning materials… The list goes on.

So let’s start at the beginning – buying and living in your flat. Green mortgages are offered by a few lenders, but they are becoming more popular. They aim to reduce negative environmental impacts by making contributions to charities that support the environment. The Ecology Building Society only lends on properties providing environmental benefit. Some plant trees per mortgage loan, thereby offsetting the carbon footprint. The Co-op for example, makes a direct donation to the charity Climate Care.

Efficient use of energy will cut your bills, and reduce your emissions, whether in a large house or a small flat. If you install double glazing and better insulation, you and the environment will see the benefits.

Look to your energy providers and try and choose one (if you are able to change) that uses a high proportion of renewable energy in providing your gas and electricity.

Change your light bulbs to energy efficient ones. The new generation give better lighting and a wider range of styles than before. Fit sensor lighting in suitable areas, and switch lights and other electrical items off when they are not in use.

What are developers doing?

Barratt Homes is a Housebuilder of the Year winner and the company states that it is committed to boosting the amount of new housing with higher environmental standards. It already has 40 developments using renewable technologies with more to follow. However, the company does not promote environmental initiatives in its marketing for flats on its website and so clearly has some way to go. Berkeley Homes, however, is taking a proactive stance on green issues and was an early adopter of new legislation (see Tony Pidgley’s comments on page 12).

Wayne Hemingway founded Building for Life, a company committed to the quality of new housing, promoting best practice including energy efficient initiatives. They work with various partners including the Home Builders Federation.

Crest Nicholson believes that energy efficiency, “has become the latest must-have for house hunters”. They say people are showing interest in the eco benefits of a new home. The developer has used environmental design techniques in a new development in Kent, which includes eco-friendly elements designed to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact. Each property will have an Eco-Rating of Excellent, meaning that purchasers know they are buying a highly energy efficient home, helping to lower running costs.

Pot plants

In most flat situations, you may only have a balcony or terrace. But you could use a spinning composter. These are compact, don’t leak so won’t smell, and are ideal for a small area. There are even smaller composting units that stay in the kitchen and will turn your scraps into compost to raise your pot plants! What about a worm farm, great for people living in flats as they can stay on the balcony. These can all help you reduce the rubbish you throw out to go to landfill by up to 50 per cent.

Do you have a communal area that can be turned into a green space? It takes dedicated individuals to organise this, but a communal garden will provide a place for peace and quiet, biodiversity, a place for flowers, trees and perhaps edible crops, and an improvement to the area’s flood defences (there is nowhere for rainwater to go from concrete except to overworked drains).

There are several well-established approaches to the collection of recyclable waste from flats. Councils need to ensure that all residents have reasonable access to facilities.

West Sussex recycles almost 30 per cent of its waste. They also give free terry/cotton nappies to all new mums (eight million disposable nappies are thrown away every day in the UK); they supply home compost bins (those living in flats need a Waste Management Exemption Licence issued by Defra, in order to store a composter (or a food digester) in a communal green area). Horsham Council offers individual flats small baskets for recycling, which are collected. They also provide large communal bins, and are trying to solve problems such as misuse and contamination. Horsham receives many calls from flat dwellers who would like access to recycling facilities.

A pilot scheme enabling people in flats to recycle cardboard and plastic bottles was launched by Richmond Council, London, in February 2007. The trial is part of the Council’s effort to boost recycling services for flats.

Ealing Borough Council, London, provides free recycling services for residents who live in large blocks of flats. They provide recycling bins locked in a secure frame. Recyclable materials that are not accepted in the scheme can be deposited at one of the neighbourhood re-use and recycling centres. They are conducting a recycling collection trial from November 2007 to ascertain the best collection methods for apartments.

Wherever you live, if you do not yet have a recycling collection, ask your residents association representative to contact your council. Gang up with your fellow tenants and talk to your landlord.

Healthy exercise

If you live in a flat, particularly in an urban area, you may already use the best forms of transport – your feet, bicycle, or public transport. If you have to use a car, there are hybrid, biofuel and fuel-efficient vehicles that will save you on petrol costs and carbon emissions (as much as 50 per cent) and also require smaller parking spaces, and will save you on road tax and congestion charges if you drive in London.

If you have a hankering to do some gardening or to eat fresh produce you have grown yourself, get an allotment. They’re cheap, you get healthy exercise and you will eat fresh fruit and vegetables without the pesticides, and with much better taste.

What about a window box allotment? Window boxes don’t have to be planted with geraniums and ivy. They make equally good homes for fruit and vegetables. Almost everyone can have a miniature allotment, using compost that is only a few inches deep.

Lobby your residents association to install rainwater collection tanks for car washing and communal gardens.
Small residential wind turbines are expensive and may not provide sufficient energy to make them worthwhile. Wind turbines are only really feasible if included in the development of the block as a whole. For example, the new 42-story tower at Elephant and Castle in London will have three integrated wind turbines on the roof, nine metres in diameter, designed to power lighting.

Residents living in flats require planning permission to install solar panels and wind turbines. It may be possible for a small solar panel to be installed on a sunny balcony that could power outside lighting.

Roof solar panels may be impossible for individual flats, but developers should be doing more to include them in all new builds. For example, there is a carbon-neutral development in Surrey called BedZED. It has green roofs and solar panels. The windows are south facing to maximise natural heat and light, and there is a wood-fired plant that provides heat and electricity. The water is recycled and use is measured by a visible meter. Wooden fixtures are made from chemical-free birch, from sustainable sources, using local suppliers. There is a car-pool scheme and plug-in points for electric cars. This is the future of environmentally sound living.

What are the regulators doing?

Many environmental solutions are expensive, and there is little incentive for landlords to make environmental improvements to their properties. There is a strong argument to give landlords tax breaks to encourage energy-efficient features. In relation to houses, HIPs gives an energy rating to all houses being sold. News on the Block magazine often debates how best the government could move this forward to make life easier and fairer for flat dwellers.

The landlord’s energy statement (LES) enables landlords and managing agents to understand energy used, and carbon dioxide emitted, in providing communal services in their buildings. They help identify areas for improvement. LES has been produced by the British Property Federation with funding from the Carbon Trust. Use is free and you can download the workbook and guidance from www.les-ter.org

So, what are you going to do now?

Almost half of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions come from energy we use every day. By saving energy we can all help prevent climate change. Here is a simple check list of things you can do today to make your flat and building that little bit greener:

* Reduce your room temperature by 1°C and cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent;
 
* Close your curtains in the evenings to stop heat escaping through the windows. Install double glazing;
 
* Always turn off the lights when you leave a room;
 
* Don’t leave appliances on standby and don’t leave appliances on charge;
 
* Only use the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher with a full load;
 
* Only boil as much water as you need in your kettle;
 
* Fix leaking taps and make sure they’re turned off;
 
* Use energy saving light bulbs. They can last 12 times longer than ordinary ones;
 
* Make sure your windows and doors are sealed tight to limit heat loss;
 
* Change your utility provider to one that uses more renewable energy sources;
 
* Take showers rather than baths.

* Get a low-flow shower head installed. Get a dual flush WC;
 
* Use greener cleaners. There are great alternatives to the toxic-laden products on our supermarket shelves. Check out the Earth Friendly and Ecover ranges;
 
* If you are decorating, make sure that you use no or low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints. There are several on the market such as Ecos Organic Paints and EcoPaint;
 
* Ditch the car – use your feet or two wheels for local journeys;
 
* Shop locally and cut plastic carrier bags out of your life;
 
* Speak to your local council if you are not already included in their recycling schemes;
 
* Speak to your residents association about the bigger picture – ‘green spaces’, communal vegetable patch, composting, rainwater collectors, solar panels, and so on.