Like charity and family values, energy efficiency begins at home. So with your washing on at 30 and the kettle half full you might be looking at your rickety old boiler as the biggest energy thief in the kitchen, but before you rush out and buy the combi-boiler they’ve got next door, take a minute to check out Greenheart Installations and their renewable plumbing services.

They offer a variety of systems designed to reduce energy costs and carbon consumption, as well as prolonging the life of your boiler by cutting its workload. Their systems include Solar Thermal Heating, Air Source Heat Pumps, Biomass Boilers and Under Floor Heating.

Solar Thermal Heating involves hooking up a specialist boiler to a solar panel on the roof; this collects solar energy which is then used to heat water for your system. Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) uses energy from the condensation of gas to liquid within a closed system to heat water, and with 1Kw of electrical energy producing 2.5Kw of heat energy it is a very efficient method of doing so. As you might expect biomass boilers are just like normal boilers except they run on wood and biomass rather than gas or electricity. Under Floor Heating (USH) is exactly as it sounds, it constantly pumps water through small pipes under the floor, but at a lower temperature than normal central heating meaning it has a less work to do and thus saves energy.

We spoke to Rob Holmes at Greenheart to find out more:

“Each system we install is tailor made to the customers needs. For example a big family will have a higher water consumption so will need a bigger tank and more solar panels than a couple living alone.”

“To help customers make the right choice for them we conduct a site survey and discuss what they want. Some ring up and say they just want some renewable technology and we go over the options and recommend certain products, others have particular ideas and we’ll do the research on the products they want. We’re flexible and work with the customer to get what they want out of it.”

As you might expect installation costs for these systems are not cheap, but with the savings made on your energy bills they’re still a worthwhile investment if you own your home. There are also grants available as part of the governments Low Carbon Buildings Program (LCBP) and, if you live in the Chichester area, from the Chichester District Council (go to www.lowcarbonbuildings.org or www.greenheartinstallations.co.uk/government-grants for more info).

“With a typical Solar Heating system you can go six months to a year without using gas and customers generally save at least 50% on their bill, with some even saving as much as 70%. If you have an Air Source Heat Pump you don’t use gas at all for heating water. The average time to recoup installation costs is roughly 5-7 years, but it can be as little as 3.”

“You can apply for the government grant online, we give them the information they need and it’s fairly simple. With the council grant we give them the names and numbers and talk them through it, it’s fairly straightforward and the grants come through pretty quickly.”

These new technologies are not only renewable but reliable as well:

“The only maintenance required is an annual check up. This is a simple inspection that only takes about half an hour and it’s another service we provide. We always endeavour to give customer satisfaction and we even service systems that have been installed by other companies.”

If you want to make a carbon difference in your own home then Greenheart could help you take a significant chunk out of your footprint. They offer renewable energy alternatives to cut down on harm to the environment and the cost of your bill, so if you’re interested in killing two birds with one green stone then check out www.greenheartinstallations.co.uk

Strangely enough, this is nonsense. The many and variety of ways that each person can make a difference has been reported in almost all media for several years. The continuing problem I feel is instant results. People like instant results.

A quick scan online for products to help solve the growing feeling of frustration rife in my household turned out to be surprisingly fruitless. There are a range of products available which give a read out of power usage in your house. But these are absolute values. The problem with an absolute value is you have to know 1) what your measuring, 2) the value that each appliance contributes and 3) its a bloody number. Who cares if that number one minute says 5 and the next minute says 50? Clearly something has changed but this presumably happens constantly throughout the day.

I continued my disenchanted search and finally came across wattson. Like the other devices, Wattson gives you an absolute value which is essentially useless to the layperson. But! If you plug in your rate of pay, it can forecast your yearly bill.

Wattson is also a wireless box so can be placed conveniently where you are likely to look at it. Not just in the kitchen. He will emit a glow of blue, purple or red depending on your electricity usage to encourage lower consumption.

Not to mention the digital output that allows you to study usage over time. At last, a relative reading! The wobbly line is made of absolute values but placed in a display you can clearly see the trend going up or down which is a great help. You would never go to a meeting with a Powerpoint of figures. You go with charts because people understand them.

Designed by three graduates from London College of Arts, it is the most attractive and persuasive tool for lowering electricity bills I have seen so far.

Click here to buy one now from Firebox!

Ben Rogers recently graduated with a degree in Geology from the University of Edinburgh. You can follow him on Twitter: @BonjamonRogers

Take cotton, for example.  A simple, natural material, you might think, but Natalie Southgate, founder of The Organic Toy Company knows otherwise.

“Conventional, non-organic cotton is one of the most environmentally devastating and toxic forms of agriculture in the world,” she says, explaining that the chemicals involved in cotton production are responsible for polluting the environment and poisoning the farmers who work with them.  Every year there are over 20,000 deaths among cotton farmers and their workers in developing countries.

This is unacceptable.

Southgate’s investigations into organic cotton began with her own children in mind.  She found that conventional toys aggravated the symptoms of eczema and allergies: little wonder when you consider the chemical cocktail that has gone into making them.  Organically produced materials, without added harmful chemicals, are far kinder to allergy sufferers.  They’re kinder to the environment too.

At The Organic Toy Company, you will find an ever-growing selection of organic toys and baby gifts, all ethically sourced.

When it comes to online toy shopping, I have yet to find a more comprehensive website.  Product descriptions detail the precise origins of each item, including information about the source of materials used and the ethical working conditions of manufacture.  At last, parents have a real chance to consider the environmental and ethical impact of the toys they buy.

Have a look at The Organic Toy Company’s new website, which went live recently.  Gorgeous toys, quality information and unshakable ethics: we could all learn a lot.

Rachel Pattisson is a freelance copy writer. She writes a blog called Really Rachel and you can hire her here: ThoughtTrains.co.uk.

Established in 1990 by Prince Charles, Duchy Originals is a pioneer of the organic food movement. Beginning with a humble oaten biscuit in 1992, a recent partnership with Waitrose means the Duchy range will include over 500 organic products (see video below). Despite their success Duchy have remained true to the laudable values laid out in their good food charter.

Duchy are good for the environment as they are 100% organic, so no nasties, and their small producer base ensures, they remain accountable.

Duchy do good as 100% of their profits go to the Prince’s Charities Foundation, with over £6m donated so far. So as you reach for their chocolate covered toffee biscuits on the supermarket shelf you are helping to fund arts projects in Kabul and getting young people into employment in Glasgow.

Duchy taste pretty good as well! Don’t take my word for it (although their damson jam is good on toast) but that of the experts at the Great Taste Awards 2009, where Duchy was awarded 7 Gold merits for faultless flavours!

Duchy promotes a “virtuous circle” of sustainable farming, traditional skills and natural production to create a product base which will ensure your tummy AND your conscience are satisfied!

Susan Dixon is a freelance writer.

Remember Green Thing? We introduced you to him last year and while he may appear to be a hideous monster he is, in fact, not hideous at all.

The Green Thing is a not-for-profit organisation designed to promote sustainable living.  The Green Thing website is full of inspiring videos and stories from creative people around the world with excellent ideas for leading a greener life.

And Green Thing is two years old this week.  Happy Birthday Green Thing!

One of Green Thing’s recent brilliant ideas is Glove Love: a project designed to reduce waste and encourage re-use.  Green Thing describes Glove Love as “the stylish and sustainable union of the country’s single gloves.”

Green Thing are collecting lost and lonely gloves, washing them, finding them a new partner and then selling them.  When you buy a pair of Glove Love gloves, you can specify your size but the pair you receive will be a surprise.

Warm your hands and warm your heart, knowing that you have done a little bit to help the environment.  And made two lonely gloves very happy.

Rachel Pattisson is a freelance copy writer. She writes a blog called Really Rachel and you can hire her here: ThoughtTrains.co.uk.

How would you like your employer to hold you accountable for your carbon footprint?

WSP Group is doing just that.  The global management and consultancy service is pioneering a novel way to reduce the carbon footprint of its employees.

The scheme is the first of its kind and has been running in the UK for two years.  So far, 80 members of staff have volunteered to take part.

The Personal Carbon Tracking Scheme (PACT) helps to track the carbon footprint of employees who are each ‘allowed’ an annual carbon budget of 5.5 tonnes of emissions.

The company provides tools for employees to measure their carbon emissions every quarter.  Measures such as cycling to work, staying in the UK for holidays and using environmentally-friendly electricity providers all help employees to meet their targets.

There is a reward of £100 for staff whose carbon emissions are within their annual carbon budget and a £100 fine for staff whose carbon emissions are too high.  Most staff choose to donate their reward money (or pay their fine) to charity.  In 2008, the company was able to donate £1300 to the Woodland Trust.

WSP are now looking to expand the scheme worldwide.

More information on PACT can be found on the WSP site.

Rachel Pattisson is a freelance copy writer. She writes a blog called Really Rachel and you can hire her here: ThoughtTrains.co.uk.

Let’s talk about nappies. Half a ton of nappies, actually. A year’s worth of disposable nappies for just one baby. Because babies poo. A lot.

Big-brand manufacturers seem to ignore the environmental impact of disposable nappies. This is very concerning. But disposable nappies are so convenient! What’s a parent to do?

Marlene Sandberg asked herself that question. She decided to develop an environmentally-friendly disposable nappy. In the face of huge competition, Naty.com was born.

Naty is uncompromising in its quest. Their Nature Babycare nappies are made from natural, sustainable materials. They are chlorine free, GM free and mostly biodegradable with a biodegradable back-sheet.

And they work. Nature Babycare nappies have won awards for being among the top-performing nappies on the market.

Naty doesn’t shout about its achievements. It can’t afford to. Continued research and development are the spending priorities.

The company relies on word-of-mouth advertising. “We want to change the world,” they say, “And we want you to help.” Naty’s Ambassador program offers incentives for customers to spread the word. Ambassadors are also allowed to influence product development and really make a difference.

Here is a small, entrepreneurial company, competing with big brands. Huge companies may be impenetrable and faceless but Naty is approachable and keen to work with consumers. Where others focus on profit, Naty’s highest priority is the environment. This is a laudable goal and one which deserves our support. And that, if you’ll pardon the pun, is the bottom line.

Rachel Pattisson is a freelance copy writer. She writes a blog called Really Rachel and you can hire her here: ThoughtTrains.co.uk.

Earlier in the year I met up with a local lovely company. Hailing from the Team Valley Trading Estate in nearby Gateshead, EthicalSuperstore.com sells thousands of different groceries, gifts and gadgets from their easy-to-use website. I had a chat with founder and CEO Andy Redfern and he showed me round their offices and warehouse.

For a product to be stocked it must have established ethical credentials in at least one of the following areas: fair trade, organic, eco friendly, health and wellness promotion, education and awareness building. You can ‘shop by ethics‘ which supports their commitment to help ethical consumers ‘buy what you believe’.

Andy stressed the emphasis placed on customer service within the company. They have a generous 60 day refund or replace policy and occasionally give customers suprise shipping upgrades (a lovely trick borrowed from Zappos). They have a free customer service helpline shown on every page and a blog which they use to discuss issues and events in the wider community. Recent posts have included “Our Green Motoring Dilemma” and “Can Fizzy Drinks Ever Be Ethical?” and, of course, they maintain an active presence on Twitter.

With their warehouse space and expertise in e-commerce, the company also offers e-commerce and fulfillment services to other ethical businesses and charities. For example they run Cancer Research UK’s online gift shop and earlier this year they merged with Natural Collection – an established UK mail order company. More information on their business services can be found here.

So, for all your ethical shopping needs, check out EthicalSuperstore.com!

I’ve been meaning to write about Graze for some time now and today there are some discount codes floating about on Twitter so, if you’re quick, you can read about the product and try it for free!

The idea behind Graze is simple. Delicious, healthy food, delivered straight to your desk at work. You can choose from a variety of different fruits, nuts and seeds and they deliver nationwide in the UK from just £2.99.

The service has been started by some of the the people who started LoveFilm so they already have experience in subscription services that come in the post. They also seem to be very switched on about packaging and food miles.

To see the product in more detail check out Dan Light’s unboxing video which is embedded below.

Now for some discount codes! The code QBH7WQWA will get you one free box and another half price (expires 22 March, thanks Utku) or try 8HR63CXA which should get you a free box (expires 19 March, thanks Tom)!

If you do try a Graze box then we’d love to hear what you think of it!

You can also follow Graze on Twitter – they’re @grazedotcom.