It's always nice to hear of these ways to make your home more energy-efficient and sustainable. But in the real world, there are a lot of us out there renting. You can only do so much recycling, composting (if you're lucky enough to have a garden) etc before you start to wonder if there isn't more to life. As much as I'd love to replace my showerhead, double-glaze the windows and install a heatpump these things just aren't an option at the moment. So does anyone have any really good, portable suggestions for people who don't own the home they live in?
Submitted by harlicat on 10 July 2008 22:32:04
Comments
I totally get where you're coming from - I'm renting too and as well as that I'm a student so can't afford to go halves with my landlord in wrapping the hot water cylinder etc. So to be honest, for me living sustainably is equally if not more about saving money! What I am doing that is within my means is avoiding using the dryer, even if it means things take ages to dry, limiting use of the heater (means getting into bed decadently early sometimes - its a great place to eat dinner!). I recycle and reuse absolutely anything I can. And I am saving up to buy some thermal curtains (reasonably cheap at Spotlight) which I will take with me when I move - I think that would keep me warmer as well as save me some money on escaping heat. Plus my flat curtains are hideous! :) I'd welcome any other ideas as well.
Submitted by Tamara on 11 July 2008 10:17:18
Hi harlicat. I think your comments are really valid. I'm a renter as well, so face the same problems both you and Tamara do. I've also been thinking about the changes I can make around my place and I feel like I am making at least a little progress.
I'm replacing my light bulbs with CFLs, but I’m hanging on to the old incandescent light bulbs as well, so I can take my new bulbs with me when I move. I’ll also be taking my trusty draught stopper with me and the brand new thermal drapes from Spotlight I’m hoping to buy.
The bigger renovations are a lot trickier, as many property owners probably aren’t that keen to spend the money on a place they're not living in themselves. However, I'm sure some are happy to, as good tenets are hard to come by, so if you have a good relationship with them, you could suggest splitting the cost on something like a cylinder wrap. The place I'm in at the moment has a tiny hot water cylinder, so I'm going to try suggesting it to my landlady. I'll let you know if she goes for it.
The good folks at EECA also offer a pretty hefty subsidy for landlords who want to retro-fit their properties as well, so you could check out their website and pass it on to whoever owns your place.
How does everyone else feel about this? Any good or bad stories to share? What about any other hints or tips?
P.S: Check out this article on ‘How to green your rental’ from www.treehugger.com for some more useful ideas.
Submitted by Andrew on 11 July 2008 11:27:18
Thanks for your comments guys.
We have draught-stopped the windows and doors - it is still a horribly draughty house as the frames have warped and it's just not possible to fit the foam around all of them.
We also invested in thermal curtains, for both my baby's room and ours.
The drier is our biggest winter problem - with a small baby in the house the washing never stops. If I hang it all on the line it just never gets dry and I end up spending a hell of a lot of time hanging and rehanging washing. We do use an indoors clotheshorse, but it can't handle all the washing.
She is also in cloth nappies, which are great - when it's sunny out. Otherwise they have to go in the drier too, time is of the essence when there are only a limited number of nappies!
We would go to the landlords, but they know we're moving out in February so doubt they would be willing to do much. We asked if they would consider a heatpump (there is a warm babies subsidy too) but got a big fat no in return.
Guess we're just going to have to grin and bear this winter with the heater and drier blaring. We're defintely looking for a more efficient home to rent when we move in Feb though - I think that's the best way to make sure rentals are up to scratch, if you demand these things then landlords have to listen if they want their places rented to decent people!
Submitted by harlicat on 11 July 2008 15:45:45
hmmm... we were discussing this very topic on here about six weeks ago... but it seems all threads more than six weeks old drop off the edge of the earth!
Submitted by Lindis on 11 July 2008 22:48:55
Good spotting Lindis! I've amended the forums so they show some of the older threads as well. That doesn't mean, of course, you can't share your wisdom again.
In my little place we have no way to dry clothes outside, so we have to either use the dryer or have a drying rack up in the lounge, which takes up a lot of space. It's a constant problem.
Submitted by Andrew on 14 July 2008 08:55:36
I've been reading a book on solar houses, and it mentions solar shutters. These go on the inside of the windows - light wooden frames approx 2 inches thick, filled with insulation etc then with a thin panel (hardboard or MDF) on each side. They are sized to fit the window openings exactly.
They can be covered with fabric etc to give the appearance of curtains - any fabric will do; you don't need thick fabric for insulation because that's taken care of by the insulation inside the shutter.
Apparently these shutters are far more effective insulation than double glazing, because pink batts etc has a much better R-value than two layers of glass plus the air between.
Normally they are hinged to the window frame and open inwards (bi-folding for larger windows). But you could simply press them into place (exact fit remember), and pop them out during the day. They'd be reasonably cheap to make, and if the windows at your next place are different sizes then you could rebuild the shutters, reusing most of the fabric, timber and insulation. They would also be completely light-blocking - possibly helpful for a baby's room.
Reference: "The passive solar house: using solar design to heat and cool your home" -
James Kachadorian, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1997.
Submitted by Neville on 29 July 2008 15:22:56
Interesting idea, Neville. I did a kind of variation on this many years ago when I was a poor student. I lived in a small building that was effectively a garden shed - no insulation whatsoever, draughty wooden window frames and every frame a different shape & size.
I got some very cheap off-cuts of thermal curtaining (actually I think they might have been free...) I sewed velcro hook-strips around the edge of the fabric and glued velcro fluffy strips around the edge of the window frame. Each evening I stuck the fabric to the frame and it kept the place remarkably well insulated. In the morning I would remove the fabric and roll it up and just leave it on the windowsill.
You could also use polystyrene sheets and cover them with fabric, and just not bother with the wooden framing or the hardboard or MDF layer. For odd-shaped windows this would be easier to manage, and like you suggested they could just be pushed snugly into the frame. (You would sew or glue tabs onto the edges to help with easy removal.)
Of course the good thing about double glazing is it insulates day and night. These 'shutter' solutions would only be useful at night as they block out all the light.
Submitted by Lindis on 30 July 2008 13:27:00
Thoughts about drying clothes inside the house (in response to Andrew & harlicat's earlier posts):
The moisture from clothes drying has to go somewhere, so it ends up in the air (which then feels colder and takes more energy to heat) or on surfaces (which then go mouldy and can be a health risk). So drying your clothes in a properly ventilated clothes dryer might actually be better than having clothes on a rack in your living room.
We have some ropes up in the garage between the beams so we can hang clothes up in there during inclement weather. Even if they only get partly dry, it then reduces the time we need to have the dryer on to finish them off. Things like sheets dry completely after hanging in the garage for a day. Towels don't of course so we finish them in the dryer.
We also have a small awning at the front of our house over the front step, so 'smalls' go on the drying rack out there, before being finished in the dryer. (My partner gets very embarrassed when he's coming home down the street and sees all our socks & undies out for everyone to see!)
Submitted by Lindis on 30 July 2008 13:42:42
Not sure that I would go with the polystyrene for thermal shutters, unless it's fire retardant (see http://www.myonlinediary.com/index.php/Energy/WallInsulationQuestions). Regular polystyrene is quite combustible so you mightn't want it blocking what could otherwise be an emergency escape route.
Submitted by Neville on 31 July 2008 13:38:34
Aha. Good thinking Neville. I hereby withdraw my suggestion of polystyrene shutters!
Submitted by Lindis on 31 July 2008 22:18:20
These are some great ideas guys. Keep it up. I'd love to see houses with thermal shutters.
Submitted by Andrew on 1 August 2008 08:57:59
My last rental had the hotwater cylinder outside, so I went to the local Habitat for Humanity and picked up some cheap duvets and an old bed quilt, these went over the top of the cylinder until, on a very lucky shopping day I picked up a very cheap cylinder wrap from there. I also had a builder mate and got some silver papery stuff and some odd bits of pink batts that went underneath it. A broken plastic box cut down went over the hot pipe so I could dry smalls and on occasions wet shoes. Second hand shops and Habitat often have thermal curtains to.... If you are arty you can spruce up some of the uglier curtains!! I often hang my bed sheets over my doors to dry, -a real chinese laundry, thats if I have no room on my line and dont need them desperately on my bed. The 2 dollar shop has the most excellent round lines that hang off old curtain rods, or some door handles, or the shower curtain rod sometimes for all the sox and knickers which saves room on the clothes hanger! If really desperate and you have an outside line, get a plastic tarpulin and tie it onto your clothes line and use the inside wires!
Submitted by ajsmiling on 9 August 2008 20:14:36
Oooh silly people putting the hot water cylinder outside! What were they thinking?!
Submitted by Lindis on 9 August 2008 21:39:13
Hi ajsmiling and welcome to our community. Those are some great tips for making your flat more sustainable. Good on you for wrapping up your hotwater cylinder too. At least it wasn't hard to access!
Submitted by Andrew on 12 August 2008 12:19:56
Those are some really good ideas, ajsmiling. I have a really small place and as it WON"T STOP RAINING (capitals so that the rain notices that I am sick of it) at the moment I am getting a little desperate with the drying situation! Off to wash the duvet cover now - it is in desperate need and it never occurred to me to hang it over a door!
Submitted by Tamara on 12 August 2008 16:00:28
I had to buy everything when I moved in, so bought cheap curtains and remnant fabric which I long-stitched to the back to make several layers, which has done pretty well. Plus left-over carpet bits on top of the existing (very cheap) carpet meant extra warmth - and less carpet cleaning bills when we move out! Replaced all the light bulbs with energy efficient ones, only use the stove when I'm cooking on top too, and growl at all the visitors until they learn to shut doors - we mostly only heat the living room. Amazing how quickly a computer and three people can heat a well-insulated room - almost no heater required!
What I'd love is for the landlord to consider things like chopping that nasty old tree that blocks all the afternoon sun from the living-room - those kind of considerations make enough of a difference. A bit of DampRid and the excess liquid disappears.
Submitted by Ryth8 on 15 August 2008 23:34:56
A broken plastic box cut down went over the hot pipe so I could dry smalls and on occasions wet shoes. Second hand shops and Habitat often have thermal curtains to.... If you are arty you can spruce up some of the uglier curtains!! I often hang my bed sheets over my doors to dry, -a real chinese laundry, thats if I have no room on my line and dont need them desperately on my bed.
Submitted by Djammi on 1 December 2008 23:58:00