Ten Ways to Make a Difference to the Environment

More roof insulation and draught-proofing is by far the most cost-effective thing you can do about an old house.

Can you get insulation into your walls or do you already have it? Also, if you have an old oil boiler, if you replace it with an efficient condenser boiler you will need half as much heating oil. Check out Sustainable Energy Ireland website to see if there are any grants. Sadly, the Greens stopped a good grant system last year but there may be something going.

Our solar panels work, but they weren't cheap.

Better curtains or blinds will help at night in the winter.

Doing something active in the evenings to get the metabolism going is very good too.

cactus flower wrote:

Get some of that draft proofing tape. Or a jumper.

Got the tape the week I moved into the house.
I put it on the doors in the living room and kitchen.
I also generally wear a fleece indoors.

I even got a present of a special fleece called a Chill Cheater from my brother because he knew I was always complaining about the cold!

I really think we couldn't use less oil in this house!

Any opportunities to plant an evergreen windbelt to the north of the house?

cactus flower wrote:

More roof insulation and draught-proofing is by far the most cost-effective thing you can do about an old house.

Can you get insulation into your walls or do you already have it? Also, if you have an old oil boiler, if you replace it with an efficient condenser boiler you will need half as much heating oil. Check out Sustainable Energy Ireland website to see if there are any grants. Sadly, the Greens stopped a good grant system last year but there may be something going.
..

Really !
My boiler must be 30 years old.

I suspect a new one will set me back a grand or so.

AfricanDave wrote:

seinfeld wrote:

AfricanDave wrote:

These results you're all posting - are they the tonnes per year? Cos I got 13.3 tonnes per year, equal to 1.1 per month. (I didn't do the advanced calculator though)
How am I so bad?
It must be all the driving I do - I live in an area with absolutely no public transport and work 50 miles away. Meaning I do an average of 40,000 km per year in a reasonably large car.

I'll get your coat.

Am I in trouble? Banned? Ex-communicated?

I jest. I imagine your commute is the main driver, but there isn't much you can do about that.

AfricanDave wrote:

I do try - I have energy efficient light bulbs (Except in the downstairs toilet and other rooms that I don't use the light for long enough for those stupid bulbs to warm up)

CFLs work fine in bathrooms, unless you're planning on performing open heart surgery in your bathroom at a moments notice.

AfricanDave wrote:

I try not to use the central heating too often (I have old windows that let out a lot of heat)

Always a tought one to tackle too.

AfricanDave wrote:

I use the washing machine about 3 or 4 times a week

Tumble dryer?

AfricanDave wrote:

What more can I do?

Like most people in your position its a matter of doing lots of small things to make up for the stuff you can't change. You don't have to go out and install new technologies or buy fancy equipment, just use plenty of common sense.

Put CFLs in your bathrooms.
Make sure your tyres are at the correct pressure and don't stockpile junk in your boot.
Tell the ESB you want them to supply you with energy from renewable sources.
Don't drink bottled water.
There's loads of stuff.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

More roof insulation and draught-proofing is by far the most cost-effective thing you can do about an old house.

Can you get insulation into your walls or do you already have it? Also, if you have an old oil boiler, if you replace it with an efficient condenser boiler you will need half as much heating oil. Check out Sustainable Energy Ireland website to see if there are any grants. Sadly, the Greens stopped a good grant system last year but there may be something going.
..

Really !
My boiler must be 30 years old.

I suspect a new one will set me back a grand or so.

There's lots of good 2nd hand condensor boilers knocking around at the moment, what with all the wood pellet boilers people are putting in. Ask a local plumber to keep an eye out, or look in buy and sell/eBay. When I converted, I sold mine for €300, with the tank, which was a steal.

Good idea Seinfeld. thanks.

Just reading African Daves post there, my windows are fairly old too. The double glaze cavity is only about 8mm or so. I noticed the new windows in the extension have a 20mm cavity. I might upgrade them next year..they are fairly shabby anyway and some of the cavities have leaked etc.

Incidentally, I'm also toying with the idea of ripping out my existing downstairs floor (suspended joist with no insulation) and replacing it with insulated concrete slab + underfloor heating + tiles. Radiator heating sucks.

seinfeld wrote:

Don't drink bottled water.

Good tip.. but won't make any alter your rating on change.ie. Which shows that it is a good tool for getting a rough idea of the carbon cost of the big stuff, but doesn't factor in these little changes.
Still.. the big stuff is more important!

eoinmn wrote:

seinfeld wrote:

Don't drink bottled water.

Good tip.. but won't make any alter your rating on change.ie. Which shows that it is a good tool for getting a rough idea of the carbon cost of the big stuff, but doesn't factor in these little changes.
Still.. the big stuff is more important!

I don't know Edo.
Save the pennies and the Pounds will mind themselves me Ma used to say. Any analogy here ?

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

I don't know Edo.

*cough* I'm Eoin!

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Save the pennies and the Pounds will mind themselves me Ma used to say. Any analogy here ?

Well when it comes to the fight against anthropogenic climate change I'm a big fan of the "every little helps" Tesco slogan.

But we'd be kidding ourselves if we were slapping ourselves on the back for not buying bottled when we're flying off to the continent 5 times a year.
I've said before, cutting back on flying may well be hardest lifestyle change to make.

eoinmn wrote:

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

I don't know Edo.

*cough* I'm Eoin!

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Save the pennies and the Pounds will mind themselves me Ma used to say. Any analogy here ?

Well when it comes to the fight against anthropogenic climate change I'm a big fan of the "every little helps" Tesco slogan.

But we'd be kidding ourselves if we were slapping ourselves on the back for not buying bottled when we're flying off to the continent 5 times a year.
I've said before, cutting back on flying may well be hardest lifestyle change to make.

Totally agreed. It is because we live on an island, that we are hard hit by this. A lot of Germans can go to Italy or Switzerland for lunch and be home for tea. The English have the Eurostar train. Young Europeans cycle all over the continent. We are kind of stuck here.

What can we do about this?

eoinmn wrote:

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

I don't know Edo.

*cough* I'm Eoin!

Indeed you are ! Now how did that happen.

Agree with your second point.

cactus flower wrote:

What can we do about this?

On an individual level...
Holiday abroad less.
Take the ferry? (How much more efficient is the ferry? Anyone know?)
Carbon offsets? (I don't think offsets *solve* the problem really though).
Or I guess make carbon savings in other parts of your life in order to "save up credits" to spend going abroad.

On a governmental level..
Levy carbon taxes.
Better still introduce a cap and trade system.

What about a tunnel ?

Is that completely mad ?

Napoleon planned a Channel Tunnel and he was thought of as loopy.