Ventilation - really exciting stuff!

Yes the eco show was exciting - not as good as ExCeL but still informative.  One new product I liked was the retrofit Ventive by Green Structures.  A very clever design which relies totally on natural mechanics to suck out stagnant air and blow back fresh air that is heated!  No paid energy is used to do this - its just the wind outside the house blowing through a vent.  This is the missing piece in my energy survey results - ventilation.  We spend our life plugging every draft in the house to try and keep it warm and keep our energy bills down, but we dont consider the stale air we breath.  And when we do we open the window or door to let in fresh air and let all the heat out!!  Ventive is the answer!  It ticks all the boxes and fitting looks quite easy.

It's bugged me for some time that gas from a gas boiler goes through a flue and out the building because it is dangerous.  But how dangerous is the fumes from the oven after cooking Sunday roast?  There must be a substantial amount of carbon monoxide produced and where does it all go?  Carbon monoxide is a light gas so it will rise through the house and fill up the hose from the top down.  So you will probably get a good nights sleep after a roast - for all the wrong reasons!  Is your kitchen ventilated to take the fumes outside?  Do you have a cacbon monoxide alarm that works and has been tested?

My next research is to find out if there is a connection between carbon monoxide and asthma - watch this space!

Other really useful stuff from the eco show - Water Matters (EU) Ltd. do a shower head that uses less water.  If you are on a water meter then this may be of interest.  And Osram are going to bring out a bayonet LED light bulb ie not mercury!  Kingspan seem to think you could get your money back with  Solar PV panels within 5 years if you lived on the Isle of Wight!  ebmpapst UK Ltd do a low energy fan that generates less heat but does the same job - I'll find a use for this somewhere!!

If you are intersted in what is going on in the eco world then why not checkout what is happening in Scotlan nd the Isles.  Some really great hydro electric stuff going on!  lots of ind turbines and dispondent fisherman running their boats on cooking oil from the local hospital!  GSHP and community heating schemes are the future!