eco refurbishment tips please....

[tricot39]

We might be moving next year. Ideally it will be the "forever" house so we can put eco friendly things in that take a while to pay off. Some of the kit is mighty complicated so i thought i would start getting a scrap book of ideas (technical and aesthetic) together now for future reference. Please help with any tips!?

Obviously the first thing is insulation, insulation, insulation. Maybe triple glazing or double glazed internal shutters if the windows are original and maintainable. But what else is feasible in the refurbishment of a normal house??

TIA

I'd hold off on this for a little while. There was an article in The Sunday Times today, saying how the government were going to arrange interest free loans to help with these costs.

Ooh sounds perfect! We will not be doing anything for quite some time. Can you remember any details? The department? I can then get googling and keep an eye on progress. Thanks!

The article is in today's paper. There's not too many details at the moment though.

It's called the Green Deal, delivered by DECC. Basically you will be able to get a loan out for home improvements that will reduce energy use, you repay the loan through your energy bill, but because you should actually be using less energy once your home is more efficient, the payments should remain the same. Subsidies may also be available for properties that have solid walls and so need more expensive types of insulation. Plenty more info if you google it, hope that helps!

I really recommend having a look on the energy saving trust website - loads of advice and there is also a helpline which you can ring to get advice about grants etc
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/In-your-home

Thanks . I'd forgotten about the EST.