What is spray foam insulation for the home and is it worth it?
The importance of home insulation cannot be understated. Having your home insulated is a great way to increase the energy efficiency of the household, decrease the electricity bill, and basically create a comfortable living space for yourself. To make this investment a successful one, you need to know which kind of insulation is best suited to your home, the climate conditions of the area you live in, and, of course, your budget. In this article, we will be talking about one specific type of [...]
What is water vapour & vapour barriers and how can it affect my home?
Practically everyone is familiar with the three states of water: solid, liquid, and gas. Water, in its gaseous state, is an integral component of air that we know as water vapour. The percentage of water vapour is described as the air's moisture content (or humidity), and it is when this percentage is high that we begin to experience discomfort, difficulty breathing, and stickiness. Not only this, water vapour in the air has a high tendency to transform back into its liquid state on coming [...]
What is home air tightness? Airtightness Membrane: Essentials of an Eco Home
Nowadays, people are becoming increasingly aware of the need to create energy-efficient buildings because of their long-term impact on human health, environment, and finances. One of the features that go into constructing such a building that allows minimal energy losses and maximises cost saving is airtightness. What is home air tightness? Before we can fully understand airtightness, it is necessary for us to understand air leakage. Air leakage is an unintentional and uncontrolled outflow, or inflow, of air through gaps, spaces, and holes within [...]
Condensation in Homes – Causes, dangers and what you can do about it
Condensation is a phenomena that we are all too familiar with –from fogging up the glass windows with our breath in the winters as kids, to watching it occur on the bathroom mirror after a bath. It might seem harmless (and is in a lot of cases), but sometimes it can prove to be a threat to the comfort of our homes. What is Condensation? Condensation is the process by which any gas changes its state to liquid. In the realm of construction and [...]
Home Thermal Insulation – Why does your home need thermal insulation?
If you're thinking of having your home insulated, or even re-insulated, there are a lot of factors you need to account for before you do. Thermal insulation is vital for a home to make the most out of its energy budget and keep the inhabitants in good health. Without adequate insulation, much of the heat stored within a building will be readily lost to the outdoors, causing the indoor temperature to drop to uncomfortable levels. Conversely, unwanted heat may warm up the house during [...]
What is a Heat Recovery Ventilation system and do I need one?
If you are looking for ways to optimise the energy efficiency of your home in order to cut back and save on heating costs, then you should definitely look into installing a Heat Recovery and Ventilation System. Not only does this system allow you to save costs, but it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions from Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) which contribute to contribute towards climate change and global warming in a significant way. Equipping your household with a Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV), [...]
What is Wall Breathability, and how does breathable paint help?
What is wall breathability? Anyone who has done even a little research on sustainable buildings, or looked into designs that diverge from the mainstream ones, is sure to have come across the term ‘wall breathability’ – only because it is an indispensable component of safe and healthy infrastructure, but the term is often confused with having something to do with ventilation and aeration, when in fact it does not. ‘Wall breathability’ is a term that actually pertains to that particular characteristic of a wall [...]
How to make brown paint? Ever wondered which colours to mix to make Brown?
Brown is everywhere. From warming earth tones to deep, woodland shades, the world around us is full of brown. Whether you’re painting a wall, a portrait, a plant pot or a landscape, you’re bound to come across some variation of it – but given the amount of wildly different tones of brown, it can be tricky to find the one you’d like. This is where the mixing comes in. Sure, you could buy a tube of brown paint and call it a day, but [...]
What is Indoor Air Quality? Why it matters.
In our fast-paced lifestyles, we have become used to working long hours behind four walls – whether our work is in a corporate sector, the food industry, the public health domain, or practically anywhere. Most of us are more indoors now than we are out, so it has become imperative that not only do we keep our indoor environment just as healthy as we want it to be outside, but should also focus on creating an atmosphere within our buildings that does not threaten [...]
What is Limewash and where can I use it?
Our guide to understanding what limewash is, the history and traditional uses, as well as what is available and how to use. If you are looking for something particular, please use the jump links below. If there is something that you are looking for but we have not covered, please get in contact and let us know. What is limewash? What limewash colours are available? What is the difference between limewash and whitewash? What are the physical attributes of limewash, and what does [...]
Breathe Easy: How to Fragrance Your Home Without Chemicals
Smell is important. As any aromatherapist will tell you, what we smell can have a major impact on what we feel. Humans have always used a variety of methods to create welcoming, pleasing aromas, but with the rise of shop-bought, mass-produced air fresheners has come the loss of many traditional room-scenting techniques. Today we'll be taking a look at some traditional fragrancing techniques and discovering ways of creating the perfect atmosphere without relying on industrial chemicals. Before you add your own scents to the air, [...]
Move House the Green Way
Moving house is often described as one of the most stressful experiences a human can endure, but what about the impact on the planet? All those miles of tape and acres of cardboard and bubble wrap contribute to the global waste problem, and even if conventionally recycled, create further demand for these wasteful products. So what can you do to move house without hurting the environment? Today we'll take a look at some alternatives to conventional packing and moving, and find out whether all that [...]
Nature’s Way: 3 Interior Design Lessons From the Natural World
Humanity is nothing if not ingenious. From cars to skyscrapers, music to philosophy, the statue of David to Spaghetti junction, human creations have come to define the world. But, with our creations now threatening the planet, our creative efforts are slowly shifting focus away from dominating our environment and towards a harmonious relationship with nature. Nowhere is this shift felt more than in the world of interior design, where natural forms, structures and materials are at the centre of our efforts to strike a balance [...]
Green Screens: How To Make Sure Your Computer Doesn’t Pollute
Computers are miraculous things. Where once they were only seen in laboratories and libraries, now they are in our pockets, our cars, and even our fridges. But all this proliferation has also resulted in a whole lot of pollution, from the side effects of manufacture to the problems caused by disposal of obsolete technology. Over the last few years, the green computing movement has really taken root. Computer manufacturers all over the world are competing to discover new, greener ways to manufacture, use and [...]
Zero Waste Tips For Everyone – How do you compare?
The zero-waste movement is picking up momentum, with more and more households aiming at eliminating their rubbish output entirely. Zero Waste Home and The Zero Garbage Challenge are among many global efforts to achieve a human lifestyle that is in harmony with the planet. But what if you're not ready to go the whole hog, or the demands of the zero-waste lifestyle just aren't practical? What are the easiest and most effective ways to cut down on waste? Today we'll be looking at three key [...]
Where can I buy vegan paint? You asked, we now supply Vegan Wall Paint & Vegan Wood Paint!
We have had a great selection of Vegan friendly paint on our site for a number of years now, but I’ve finally created a dedicated section devoted to Vegan Paints. Having had quite a few recent enquiries asking about them, I realised it wasn’t quite as easy to find them as I hoped, so right now I’m going through all the paints we stock and adding the vegan logo to them (work in progress!) Most of the time, people are just looking for a great [...]
What’s Driving the Sustainable Interior Design Movement?
Sustainable interior design has come a long way. From being exclusively the preserve of the counter-culture it has become part of the mainstream, with sustainable practices benefiting from an extra dash of zeitgeist-grabbing cool.But despite the cultural success of the ecological movement, the old ways still persist. Many materials are sourced from unregulated sources which threaten local ecosystems, and many decorating products rely heavily on noxious chemicals which remain in the environment. As well as natural organic paint, there are a whole host of more ecologically [...]
Reasons to be Cheerful: 3 Green Tech Breakthroughs That Could Change the Future
Following the discovery of man made climate change, and the revelation of the many ways humanity has altered the earth's environment, it's easy to feel hopeless. But, flying against this gloomy current, a breath of fresh air has blown through the global technology industry, leading to the development of some potentially future-saving new innovations. Today we'll be looking at three projects which could help win the war on climate change, and ensure a brighter future for the planet. 1: Molten Salt Storage It may sound [...]
The Indoor Farmer: Foods You Can Grow Without A Garden
Growing your own food is a key part of living an ecologically sustainable lifestyle, and Britain's allotment societies have never been busier. But if you don't have a garden or access to an allotment, is there anything you can do? Ever since The Good Life gave a generation the self-sufficiency bug, growing your own food has been a key part of the green lifestyle. Producing your own fruit and veg dramatically cuts down on your personal carbon footprint by eliminating the environmental costs of shipping [...]
Surprisingly Sustainable: Three New Materials You’d Never Guess Were Green
After centuries of using the earth's resources as if they were infinite, we are now as a species facing a difficult problem. How do we maintain our technologically-advanced lifestyles without draining the world of its resources? Over the last few years, some surprising new materials have emerged from the lab, and may point to a way for us to spare the earth without giving up our smartphones. Today we're looking at some of the most exciting developments in the field of sustainable materials, and singling [...]
Green Futures: Eco Friendly Architecture Grows Up
Modern buildings have a bad reputation, and it's easy to see why. From the brutalist concrete shells of the 1960s to the materialist excess of the 1980s, right up to the wave of cheap, featureless housing of the 1990s, humanity seemed to be at odds with the organic environment, and the idea of ecological sensitivity was nowhere to be found. Now, thanks to the generation of architects who have grown up in the midst of the green revolution, modern buildings are embracing a more harmonious [...]
Straw Bale House Build: The Bricks of the Future?
When most of us hear the idea of a house made of straw, the first thing that comes to mind is the tale of the Three Little Pigs. But with straw now being recognised as the low carbon, low impact building material, it looks like it might take more than a huff and a puff to knock down this innovation in eco-friendly home design. The primary reason that straw bales are attracting the attention of today's environmentally-conscious architects is that they are made from plant matter. [...]
The Green Clean: Cleaning Products and Your Eco-Friendly Home
Running an environmentally conscious home means considering every aspect of your lifestyle. From energy usage to food waste, there are myriad ways to cut your family's energy footprint and soften your impact on the environment, and today we're focusing on one often overlooked aspect of the home: your choice of cleaning products. We have a great range of natural & eco friendly house cleaning solutions - click here to view our range. Most mainstream cleaning products are made without much regard for environmental safety. Bleaches, [...]
Creating a Low Carbon Home | So what can you do to contribute to the global effort?
With the world's largest countries continuing to rely on burning hydrocarbon fuels, cutting carbon emissions has never been more important. So what can you do to contribute to the global effort? Today we're looking at ways to shrink your footprint and create a low carbon home, giving you the power to make a real difference. Following news last year that the UK government has scrapped targets which would ensure that all new homes in Britain are carbon-neutral, it's never been more important for the rest [...]
Guide: How To Choose Sustainable Woods for the Home
Why is Deforestation an Issue? Forests are useful to life on earth, including humans, in a number of ways. Perhaps the most important of these is in the way in which they absorb carbon dioxide in the process of photosynthesis, producing oxygen as a natural waste product. What is a waste product to the trees is a source of life for us and the millions of other species that occupy the planet with us. As well as acting as the ‘lungs of the planet’ forests [...]