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Want to save money on your heating bills? Transition Malvern Hillsintroduces ENERGY TRACERS, Thermal Imaging Surveys.
Thermal imaging surveys by inspecting the inside of a warmed house and using a blower door, draughts and poor insulation can be seen.
A video with verbal report is left and advice is given on future actions together with installing an energy monitoring and action pack
"We are looking for "Hot Spotters" who will have this service for free provided they organise ideally 3 or 4 friends or neighbours within 10 miles travelling time to have their houses surveyed on the same day".
Householders pay £50 (ex VAT) each for a service worth hundreds of pounds. *In the Malvern AoNB we have been awarded grants so the service is FREE!*
For more information please contact Lynn Jones 07976 617645.
Design, Convert and Build Work
Environmental Preference Schedule Of Construction Elements, page 3
EXTERNAL WINDOW FRAMES AND DOORS
- Sustainable European durable wood (oak) - Preferably English
- European sustainable softwood (certified), Boron treated & finished with environmentally friendly microporous finish ie Osmo or Auro
- Sustainable plywood & preserved wood
- UPVC & tropical wood
Choice: 1 & 2. French oak on the main Granary and WholeHealth buildings, Larch on external stairs and door to the admin office and FSC softwood on remaining new build windows and doors. Tile and oak window sills were used throughout.
Reason: English oak is getting in short supply and consequently expensive. We were reassured that the oak was French and sustainable and not Eastern European. The larch has finished well and it will be interesting to see how well it lasts compared to the oak and softwood.
INTERNAL WINDOWS AND DOORS
- Durable home grown timber
- European sustainable softwood
- Sustainable plywood & preserved wood
- UPVC & tropical wood
Choice: 1 & 2. French oak and FSC softwood used in the Granary and FSC softwood elsewhere.
Reason: Aesthetics and cost.
GROUND FLOORS
- Utilise existing concrete floor/suspended well insulated home grown wooden floor
- Where thermal mass required, solid concrete with recycled aggregate and stabilised earth screed
- Pre-cast concrete joists with concrete infill, reinforced in situ concrete slab
- floating chipboard floor above concrete slab
Choice: 1. Oak floor cut from reclaimed oak beams in granary and from reclaimed Douglas fir and pine in WholeHealth. Granary with under floor heating in screed between 50 x 50 cross battens over 90mm joists with insulation between.
Reason: aesthetics despite considerable extra cost.
UPPER FLOORS
- home grown timber joists with T & G timber floor boards on fibre board & plasterboard for sound deadening
- as above with plywood floor
- as above with strand board decking
- as above with chipboard floor or concrete
Choice: 1. T & G FSC softwood floors were laid in both upstairs floors. In the granary we used rubber sound insulation over the joists whereas in WholeHealth we used the Gypfloor silent system which is considerably better.
Reason: First preference and not too expensive.
ROOF STRUCTURE
- Cut roof
- trussed rafters
- flat roof
- concrete roof
Choice: 1. Cut roof on new build.
Reason: Aesthetics and environmental preference.
ROOF FINISHES
- reused tile or shingles
- timber battens/shingles (larch or oak)
- new clay or concrete tiles
- fibre cement tiles, Canadian cedar shingles, copper sheet
Choice: 1. Reused tiles
Reason: Ist preference and aesthetics
RAINWATER GOODS
- bitumen lined timber guttering with recycled aluminium/cast iron down pipes
- new aluminium, zinc, galvanised steel or cast iron
- copper
- PVC
Choice: 2. Principally Lindab galvanised steel guttering and down pipes. We also trialled some rolled steel and reused some PVC
Reason: Preference.
Next >> Environmental Preference Schedule Of Construction Elements, page 4
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