The reluctant eco-warrior

I have a dark secret: I have thus far been reluctant to embrace a green lifestyle.  To me, words such as ‘green’ and ‘eco’ summon thoughts of middle-aged, unwashed types who give their children names like Star and River.  Not to mention the fact that I derive intense enjoyment from long, hot showers and long-haul flights to tropical holiday destinations. And I don’t like mung beans, or tofu.  Or wearing pants made of straw.

But times are changing, and it seems that I am becoming awfully unfashionable as a result.  People are very seriously starting to change their lives in small ways in order to make a positive difference to the environment. In between skinny cappuccinos and gym sessions, my Yummy-Mummy next door neighbour grows her own vegetables in her garden because she doesn’t like the fact fresh produce in Tesco is air-freighted in.  She gardens. In Burberry Wellingtons, no less. 

And next door Yummy-Mummy is not alone. David Cameron rides a bicycle to work. Julia Roberts drives a Toyota Prius. So does Cameron Diaz. Mr Darcy (also known as Colin Firth) has founded a business in West London that promotes ecological retailing and green living.  Everyone is getting on board the green bus, and there’s nary a Birkenstock or hairy armpit in sight.

If these things don’t get you thinking, maybe this will.  Consider the fact that house prices are falling, and conservative predictions expect further falls of at least 10% by the end of the year; others expect a fall of up to 15 or even 20% in the next 12 months.  This is expected to push around 1.2 million people into negative equity, resulting in them unable to refinance due to the scarcity of 100% mortgages available in the crumbling mortgage market.  Then consider this: according to recent research carried out by the Energy Saving Trust, 70% of Brits believe energy efficiency is important when buying a home, and 45% of Brits are willing to pay up to £10,000 more for an environmentally friendly house. 

These statistics got me thinking.  If you want to increase the equity in your home by increasing its value with a renovation, perhaps rather than just going for the standard loft conversion and new bathroom, consider the changing mindset of many homebuyers - and give your home a green renovation. 

Making green changes to your home is becoming much simpler and affordable, especially as grants of up to £2,500 are now available from the Government Low Carbon Buildings Programme for installing recognised microgeneration products.  www.greensteps.co.uk, an excellent online resource for researching and purchasing green products for your eco-renovation, suggests making the following changes to make your home more eco-friendly:

* Install effective draft exclusion products on windows and doors
* Install effective natural insulation
* Replace your ineffective boiler with a modern energy efficient boiler
* Fit effective heating controls such as room thermostats and thermostatic radiator valves
* Install a solar hot water heating system

Furthermore, consumers are expected to see a 40% rise in energy bills during the next 12 months due to the trebling of wholesale gas prices.  As a result, more and more homebuyers will be looking for greater energy efficiency in their new homes in order to minimise household running costs.  This makes green renovating an especially good idea, and a profitable one.  I might not be all for saving the planet, but I’m quite partial to saving a bit of money.

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