Minimise your environmental impact
The quiet colder months of the year provide a good opportunity to consider how you can best manage the impact you and your property are having on the environment. Here are some tips on how you can maximise energy efficiency and minimise any negative effects caused by your holiday home and its occupants.
Keep Heat In
Good insulation will minimise heat loss and can significantly lower energy consumption. If you haven't already done so, consider loft insulation and cavity wall insulation and make sure water tanks have a good insulation jacket around them. For radiators on external walls, fit heat reflective foil (available from DIY stores) behind the radiator with the shiny side facing into the room. This minimises heat loss through the external wall.
Keep Drafts Out
Take a tour of your property on a windy day with a lit candle and you will quickly be able to assess draft problems. Invest in heavy duty lined curtains and blinds to keep drafts out and draft excluders on poor fitting doors or letter boxes. Double glazing may be seem like an expensive outlay, but if it keeps the drafts at bay it can save you a lot on heating and keep your guests warm and happy.
Piping Hot
Make sure that your holiday property receives the same care and attention that you give to your own home, and ensure that pipes are well insulated to avoid freezing and bursting when the temperature drops. It is really important to insulate pipes in the coldest places, like your loft, and also those closest to the hot water cylinder, as these will lose heat quickly. Remember to insulate the full length of the pipe. Get someone to check on your property every now and then during winter to ensure pipes have not frozen or burst.
Tap Tips
You can reduce water waste by fitting spray inserts or flow restrictors to taps (most European taps have threaded outlets to which these can be fitted easily). More importantly, ask your cleaner or care taker to check all the taps are turned off once guests have left, and ensure that any loose or leaky taps are tightened and fixed immediately.
Thoughtful Furnishing
Invest in warm and cosy furnishings for the winter. Thick duvets and woolly rugs will keep your guests content and therefore keep heating requirements to a minimum. Flannelette bedding is the perfect choice for winter sheets and duvets, and putting a blanket between mattress and sheet will reduce the cries for electric blankets. Similarly, in summer there will be less need for air conditioning at night if you invest in quality breathable linen and lightweight drapes to allow a gentle breeze.
Lighten Up
Buy energy saving light bulbs for use at your holiday property. As you get most benefit from these types of light bulbs if they are left on for periods of four hours or more use them in hallways, living areas and anywhere guests are likely to leave lights on. Holidays have a certain 'easy come easy go' flavour to them that means people may not be so conscientious in turning lights off, so energy saving bulbs make sense even if they are marginally more expensive. Having one or two lamps on timer switches that can be brought out and plugged in when the property is empty for more than a week is also a good idea for security and energy saving purposes.
Switch Off
Ask your cleaner/caretaker to turn the power off or unplug electrical appliances if your property is going to be empty for a period. This could coincide with a regular defrosting of the freezer - as this keeps it working efficiently. Plan wisely - if you are installing a new kitchen or have the option to move your white goods around, make sure that fridges and freezers are out of direct sunlight. Being in direct light means the appliances have to work harder and use more precious energy.
Shine On
Solar energy is getting more and more affordable and is now worth considering as a brilliant source of renewable energy. In the UK there are grants offered for some energy saving purchases for this sort of project. Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean there are a growing number of firms offering affordable home installation solar heating kits. If your holiday home benefits from a good number of sunny days a year, this may well be a great investment and a step in the right ecological direction.
Waste Not
Waste water and solids from your property will most likely disappear down a pipe to be treated and digested by the local sewage system. However if you are building a new property, or are in a rural location there are a number of eco-friendly waste management systems that are worth investigating such as composting toilets, biological treatment plants and various types of septic tanks/reed beds. You will need to do some research before deciding on any of these, and make sure you get advice from an expert on what solution will best suit your needs, your property location and meet with local regulations.
Green Pool or 'Green' Pool?
While you don't want a green swimming pool (one full of algae) most pool treatments are anything other than 'green' and can be very harmful to the environment over a period of time. Shop around, as there are now products on the market that are effective in keeping algae at bay, while also being non-toxic to humans and the environment.
Green Garden
If you have a garden make sure you have a water butt to collect rain water and overflow from gutters. Use this water in the drier periods and save on sprinkler systems and wasteful hosepipes. Compost bins or heaps are a good addition to any garden as long as all users are clear on what can (and cannot) be put in to compost. In terms of outdoor heating, do bear in mind that although patio heaters are flooding the DIY market, they are not environmentally friendly given the amount of fuel required to generate heat that is lost almost immediately. Stick to barbeques and chimeneas, as these offer a duel function of cooking food and keep guests warm!
