Insulation helps street go green
23 July 2008
One of the greenest streets in Scotland has managed to cut energy
bills and carbon emissions by taking a series of steps towards
energy efficiency.
As part of British Gas's Green Streets contest, residents of
Colinton Mains Green in Edinburgh are leading the way in cutting
carbon emissions, the Scotsman reports.
The energy provider gave some £30,000 to householders on the
street, with which to fit insulation among other energy saving
measures such as push lawnmowers.
As a result, the McGuire family has managed to cut its energy bills
by 47 per cent. Even small habit changes, such as turning off
lights, have made a difference, said Ms Legge, another Colinton
Mains Green resident.
Changing attitudes is as important as installing things like
insulation, according to Matthew Lockwood, senior research fellow
in the climate team at the Institute for Public Policy
Research.
"In quite a lot of cases where they haven't had major measures put
in, we still see large energy savings," he said.
"You have to really want to do it and to sustain it, but once you
have made the adjustments, it is quite easy to carry on."
Insulating a property and taking other environmentally-friendly
steps could help a property sell faster, according to a recent
report in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
