The majority of the products suggested have dual functions for both summer and winter and the focus is on retro fit ideas, which means these can be achieved by most home owners and even renters.
The Naturally Warm House – Green Holistic Options
Insulation
In terms of house warmth the most important factor is a well insulated house. There are retro fit options for the roof, walls and underfloor. Depending on the location of your home in terms of climatic conditions will determine the extent of insulation requirements but roof insulation is a must. There are some excellent new products coming onto the market with good environmental ceredentials in terms of composition and manufacture.
Windows
This is a critical aspect to address as windows allow vast amounts heat transferrence – up to 75% heat loss in winter or heat gain in the summer! If you live in an area that experiences extremes in temperature, a retro fit double glaze option such Magnetite works really well. Shutters have been used by the Europeans for centuries to help create naturally warm and cool homes. In winter keep the shutters open during the day and close them at night. The key for shutters is the distance from the window. Using internal blinds and curtains can definitely help keep the warm air inside. Hemp curtains are especially effective as they have superior insulative properties and made from a highly sustainable product.
Solar
Once your home is well insulated using solar – the sun our most natural and potent heat source – makes a lot of sense. Innovative products such the SmartBreeze and EcoHeat feed warm air captured through the roofspace into your house. A ceiling fan can be run in conjunction with these systems effectively creating a Solar fan. Hot air rises so set the fan in reverse mode at a slow speed in winter to bring the warm air back down into the room. Remember most technologies have dual or more functions, meaning they also help cool the house in summer plus night cooling.
Heaters
Heaters are a major user of energy in the home, especially the electric models. The future is definitely ethanol or gas heaters. Ethanol heaters are the greenest of the heaters and are very safe. And, by using a holistic approach, the heater only needs to be on for short periods to warm up the room then the warm air can be circulated in a well insulated space. Another great green option is Wood Pellet fuel heaters made from the untreated waste from the wood mills processing timber from sustainable plantation sources; the "waste" sawdust is pulverised and compressed into clean, dry pellets – ready for a range of eco uses.
Draft Proofing
Don't forget the smaller aspects of the holistic approach – investing money to create the perfect naturally warm house then letting cold air enter the tiny gaps, especially in older homes! There is a variety of solutions such as Eco-Seal strips – a foam tape to fill the gaps in windows – to rubber adhesive tubing to sit within door frames and screw-on products to sit at the bottom of a door. Naturally, every home will be different so the optimal solution will depend on the type of door or window and the gaps involved. You will certainly save money if you take the time to fill these gaps, just make sure you clean the surface thoroughly before you apply any adhesive product and double check with the hardware store on which product you should be using for a specific situation.
We can't stress enough the importance of going the holistic route, choosing good eco products that work together to provide the 'Solution'. Don't forget that the cheapest form of heating on cold evenings is to dress warmly – it will make a huge difference!
Do you have any great green tips for keeping your house warm in winter that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear them! Just leave a comment below or on our facebook page, or you can send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we'll add them here!
The Green Times Business Directory is a great place to connect to green businesses that can help with retrofitting your home! See the Home & Garden, Insulation and Solar sections as a starting point.
Written by Anton Marais
Image by Steve 2.0 via Flickr Creative Commons
