Links
and addresses
This section will continue to
be updated and will be added to on a regular basis. Please
e-mail us any more links or contacts.
In this section:
Solar systems
Environmental materials
Water
Turf roof
Ventilation
Recommended books
Other eco-homes
Organisations
Other People' Links
Solar Trade Association
Pengillan,
Lerryn,
Lostwithiel,
Cornwall,
PL22 0QE
www.solartradeassociation.org.uk
The Centre for Sustainable Energy, Bristol.
Tel: 0117 929 9950. .
Thermomax Ltd.,
Balloo Crescent,
Bangor
BT19 7UP
01344 874747
(the evacuated tubes we used)
INFORMATION ON SOLAR
The Centre for Alternative Technology (see below) provides factsheets and further information on different solar systems.
The Green House, an environmental education centre in Norwich,
has produced a good report on solar with plenty of useful information
Report at www.norwichgreenhouse.fsnet.co.uk/solar.htm
Construction Resources
16 Gt Guildford St.,
0207 450 2211
Excellent supplier of a wide range of environmental building materials. Will
mail materials nationally.
www.ecoconstruct.com/
Salvo, Tel 01890 820 333.
Web:www.salvoweb.com
National association of salvage traders
See also: The Real Green Building Book and The Green Building Handbook, Eco Business Links. Com details below
Fluidmaster, CMI Distribution, Bristol, Telephone 01275
84 88 43.
For silencing a cold water tank- they also work a treat on toilets
Ecoflush, Gesek Ltd., PO Box 17115, London SE16 3ZQ. Tel
020 89880103. Web: www.ecoflush.com
Device to control water flow in toilets. The Ecoflush can be installed on any
existing toilet with a front mounted flush handle but will not work on toilets
with side mounted handles or toilets without handles.
Index Building Products Ltd., 17 Queen St., London W1X
7PJ, Tel. 020 7409 7151.
The system we fitted
Euroroof Green Roof from Alumasc Ltd, White House Works,
Bold Rd., Sutton, St Helens, Merseyside WA9 4JG. Tel 01744 648 400.
Another good system we considered with a long track record.
See also: The Centre for Alternative Technology provide
factsheets and further information on DIY turf roofs.
VENTILATION
Vent Axia, Fleming Way Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 2NN. Technical tel.
01293 526 062.
The main manufacturer of fans which supplied the equipment we used for the ducting.
Other leading fan manufacturers making inline duct fans are:
Greenwood Airvac, Tel 01903 771021, and Ductex, Tel: 0767 69129
Our heat exchanging fan was made by Baxi Tel: 01772 695 555
GREEN LIVING
Low Impact Living Initiative (LILI)
LILI is dedicated to helping protect the global
environment by promoting sustainable alternatives to various aspects of everyday
life. Redfield Community, Buckingham Road, Winslow, Bucks, MK18 3LZ. Tel / fax:
(01296) 714184
Recomended places to browse for books are Greenbooks, the Earth Repair Catalogue, and the Centre for Alternative Technology online shop
Eco-renovation: The Ecological Home Improvement Guide
Edward Harland. 256 pages Chelsea Green Pub Co; ISBN: 1890132381 £11
Sadly - considering the shelf space given to feng shui, there is currently only
one book on the market on eco-renovation (ie specifically aimed at people with
existing properties). This provides a reasonable overview, and is good
for anyone who is not planning a major project, but we found it to be rather
out of date and lacking in technical detail. The books below were more useful.
Living Spaces, Ecological Building and Design.
Schmitz-Gunter, Abraham, Fisher. Konemann, 1999. £20
This excellent book is detailed, and written at just the right level for someone
who wants to be treated with respect but without jargon. And it is nearly 500
pages, beautifully illustrated and a bargain price. The main frustrations are
that it is written by Germans (so it contains information on products and technologies
that are unobtainable in Britain) but translated for Americans (so all data
is in imperial measures that are extremely hard to translate).
The Whole House Book: Pat Borer, Cindy Harris, CAT Publications,
Paperback - 320 pages ISBN: 1898049211 £35
This is probably the best book for an overview of the
principles of environmental design. It's very readable and well illustrated
with a wide range of examples given. It's irritating that the price is so high,
but it's definitely worth forking out for it if you are serious about eco-building.
Ecohouse: a Design Guide
Sue Roaf £24.99 Architectural Press; ISBN: 0750649046. Another excellent
overview of the principles of environmental design, drawing strongly from Sue
Roaf's practical experiences building her own house. There is a website for
the book www.bh.com/companions/0750649046/
The New Autonomous House: Design and Planning
for Sustainability
Brenda Vale, Robert Vale £20 Thames and Hudson; ISBN: 0500341761
The Vales are pioneers in eco-housing. This classic book is concerned mainly
with their new-build low energy house, but there is a wealth of information
about low energy design. Especially interesting is their astonishing attention
to detail, including the minutiae of appliance consumption.
The Real Green Building Book
An annual directory of the the members of the Association of Environmentally
Conscious Builders. An excellent place to find contacts and sources of materials,
information, and professional advice. Only £2.50 from the AECB. admin@aecb.net
www.aecb.net
The Green Building Handbook
Tom Woolley, Queen’s University, Belfast, et al. Volume 1: Pb: 0-419-2269990-7
£32.50, Volumes 1 and 2: Pb: 0-419-26150-8: £50.00
A two volume manual on the environmental impacts of different building materials.
The best source of comparative technical data on materials. Available by mail
order from Centre for Alternative Technology.
More information...
Sustainable Housing Schemes in the UK: A
guide with details of access.
Edited by Nick White from the Hockerton Housing Project.
2002.
The only national guide to eco-houses that can be visited by the public. Comprehensive,
detailed and with many case studies and contacts. An excellent guide to the
principles of eco-building. Order through www.hockerton.demon.co.uk.
OTHER
ECO-HOMES
See also the eco-homes listed in the Hockerton guide
to Sustainable Housing Schemes in the UK (details above) and the photogalleries
on Eco Business Links. Com (details below)
Nottingham Eco House
Web: www.msarch.co.uk/ecohome/
Email: penney.poyzer@btopenworld.com
The project that is most similar to The Yellow House. Penney Poyzer and
Gil Schalom have a terraced Victorian house and have done a full eco-retrofit,
including a rainwater system and compost toilets. Their website is excellent.
Hockerton Housing Project
The Watershed, Gables Drive, Hockerton
Southwell. Notts NG25 0QU
Tel 01636 816902 (28/01/02) www.hockerton.demon.co.uk
email: hhp@hockerton.demon.co.uk
Hockerton is an inspiring self-build project. The HHP publishes a national
guide to UK ecohouses.
The Vertual House
This is not an actual house. it's an online house which you can explore
room by room and click on items to find out more about green living. Great graphics
(you need Flash) and interesting to use: www.vertualhouse.co.uk/
Leicester Eco House
A new build eco-house which is open to the public four afternoons a week,
with information on insulation, compost, recycling. There is a shop with a range
of materials and books.
Web: www.environ.org.uk/ecohouse/index.php
BedZED
The Zero Emissions Development (ZED) project at Beddington, in the London
of Borough of Sutton. An inspiring new build which maximises solar heating to
achieve zero emissions. It is designed by Bill Dunster Architects whose website
has details of this and other ZED projects
www.zedfactory.com
The Woodland House
Extremely low impact new building. Built from local timber and straw bales,
heated with solar and wood, water from rain water. The owner, Ben Law, also
writes widely about low impact lifestyles
More information...
The Underground House
Website of a low energy underground house in Cumbria with drawings and construction
details www.theundergroundhouse.org.uk/
Green-house.co.uk Ecohouse Estate Agents!
This useful site has eco-houses for sale and details
The Round House
Brithdir Mawr, a community in West Wales, has many experimental dwellings, especially
wooden and turf roofed sheds, on its property. More
info. Most famous is the Round House, a turf covered solar powered house,
whose owner, Tony Wrench, has had a protracted battle with the local planning
department who are demanding that it be taken down. It even has its own website
More info
ECO-BUILDING
Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB),
PO Box 32, Llandysul, SA44 5ZA
Tel: 01559 370908 admin@aecb.net,
www.aecb.net/
Pioneering organisation with an excellent magazine.
The Ecological Building Network
www.ecobuildnetwork.org/
US network for Eco-building.
Ecological Design Association (EDA),
The British School,
Slad Road, Stroud, Glos. GL5 1QW. 01453 765575.
www.edaweb.org/
Organisation with 700 members with excellent magazine
ENERGY
Energy Advice Centres
There is a national network of centres that can advise you on all aspects
of energy efficiency, grants and solar suppliers. For the details of your local
energy advice centre call: 0800 512 012
For addresses : www.natenergy.org.uk/leac2.html
Shine 21- London and SE
0800 298 5222
Shine has specialised in training plumbers to fit solar technology
Sustain
01934 863650
Organisation specialising in promoting energy efficiency. They have been organising
local solar clubs.
National Energy Foundation
Milton Keynes 01908 6645 5555
Research group specialising in energy.
Centre for Alternative Technology
tel: 01654 702400
website: www.cat.org.uk
Energy Saving Trust
21 Dartmouth St London
0207 222 0101
TIMBER
The Forest Stewardship Council
Web: www.fscoax.org
Provides information on sources of timber from sustainably managed forests.
Although there are still problems with the FSC, the FSC is the only certification
that is in any way a reliable indication of origin.
RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Rising Tide,
16B Cherwell St. Oxford OX4 4BL
National network of grassroots groups campaigning against climate change. There
is a wide range of materials on the website www.risingtide.org.uk
The Soil Association
Bristol House, 40-56 Victoria Street, Bristol BS1 6BY
www.soilassociation.org
tel: 0117 929 0661
For all things organic
Greenbuilder.com
A good range of links, divided usefully into categories inc. Including Eco-housing
projects, materials and paints, Architects & engineers, Renewable energy Advice
& information. Also this site allows you to submit your own links- well worth
supporting:
Web: www.greenbuilder.com
Somerset Trust for Sustainable Housing :
excellent all round links:
www.sustainablehousing.org.uk/links/links.html
Eco Business Links. Com
A huge US site dedicated to all aspects of eco-building and environmental
materials (and related environmental campaign issues). There are photo galleries
of a wide range of environmental housing techniques and technical information
on materials. A great place to get an overview of what is possible (if you can
overcome the frustration of being limited as to what you can buy) www.ecobusinesslinks.com/