Kevin McCloud Shares a Surprisingly Simple Eco Home Solution
As Grand Designs Live 2019 comes to a close, Kevin McCloud talks sustainable design and how to be green on a budget
TV presenter and sustainability champion Kevin McCloud took time away from Birmingham’s Grand Designs Live exhibition to discuss eco home design with us and share some of the best ideas from his long-running Green Heroes initiative. He also offered some easy and affordable tips on how to make a traditional home more energy-efficient.
Is it getting easier for consumers to buy green?
Sometimes green isn’t green. You can go to any high street shop and think you’re buying ethical, sustainable products, but they’re often made across the globe in developing countries where labour is cheaper.
The equivalent stuff in the UK costs twice as much at the moment, so we’re not really creating a circular local economy. It’s still relatively fringe.
Find a local renovation specialist in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Sometimes green isn’t green. You can go to any high street shop and think you’re buying ethical, sustainable products, but they’re often made across the globe in developing countries where labour is cheaper.
The equivalent stuff in the UK costs twice as much at the moment, so we’re not really creating a circular local economy. It’s still relatively fringe.
Find a local renovation specialist in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
What have been the most interesting ideas you’ve highlighted with your Green Heroes initiative over the years?
It’s great when an idea ticks all the boxes of what good design should be. One of my favourites was Fireclay’s Crush tiles, made from recycled glass, that featured in 2014 [available from Natural Tile]. They’re beautiful, practical and also sustainable.
The HuskeeCups [pictured] – stylish cups made from coffee husks that appeared in 2017 – were also particularly interesting.
Some of the most exciting ideas, though, have been the most simple. For example, a tailored cover for a garden rotary dryer, which stops washing getting wet in the rain.
It’s great when an idea ticks all the boxes of what good design should be. One of my favourites was Fireclay’s Crush tiles, made from recycled glass, that featured in 2014 [available from Natural Tile]. They’re beautiful, practical and also sustainable.
The HuskeeCups [pictured] – stylish cups made from coffee husks that appeared in 2017 – were also particularly interesting.
Some of the most exciting ideas, though, have been the most simple. For example, a tailored cover for a garden rotary dryer, which stops washing getting wet in the rain.
What are you most excited about with this year’s crop of Green Heroes?
I love to see how technology grows and there was an example of that at this show. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen the emergence of materials manufactured from fungus, which has made me wonder what else could be created with this biosynthetic technology.
This year, we have the Korvaa headphones, which include components made from grown fungal products. They show how the technology has really moved ahead in just two years.
Every year, we have a new alternative to MDF, and one of the firms we featured, Chip(s) Board, makes a material from potato peelings. We showcased its new bioplastic material, Parblex, at the show. We also had a beautiful carpet from Vlisco [pictured], made by Simone Post from recycled textiles.
I love to see how technology grows and there was an example of that at this show. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen the emergence of materials manufactured from fungus, which has made me wonder what else could be created with this biosynthetic technology.
This year, we have the Korvaa headphones, which include components made from grown fungal products. They show how the technology has really moved ahead in just two years.
Every year, we have a new alternative to MDF, and one of the firms we featured, Chip(s) Board, makes a material from potato peelings. We showcased its new bioplastic material, Parblex, at the show. We also had a beautiful carpet from Vlisco [pictured], made by Simone Post from recycled textiles.
Many of us want to be green in our own homes, but retrofitting a whole property can be expensive. Do you have any tips for smaller budget fixes?
If I only had £50, I would go to my nearest hardware shop and spend a few quid on self-adhesive draught-excluding tape to seal any unwanted gaps around doors and windows.
I’d probably spend the rest on tripling the insulation in the loft. In addition, many Victorian homes have a cellar and people forget it can cause draughts, so remember to insulate that, too.
If I only had £50, I would go to my nearest hardware shop and spend a few quid on self-adhesive draught-excluding tape to seal any unwanted gaps around doors and windows.
I’d probably spend the rest on tripling the insulation in the loft. In addition, many Victorian homes have a cellar and people forget it can cause draughts, so remember to insulate that, too.
How about if you have a larger budget?
If you have £500 to spend, secondary glazing is a good idea. Insulation always comes with a bit of a warning, though, as you don’t want to turn your home into an airtight box, so if you have more than £1,000, consider a mechanical ventilation system [which circulates fresh air].
When it comes to doing a major insulation project, it’s worth reading a book by the Bath Preservation Trust called Warmer Bath. It’s a really useful book and the measures apply to any traditional home.
The next Grand Designs Live will be at London’s ExCeL from 2-10 May 2020.
Tell us…
Did you go to Grand Designs Live in Birmingham? Were there any green ideas that stood out to you? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
If you have £500 to spend, secondary glazing is a good idea. Insulation always comes with a bit of a warning, though, as you don’t want to turn your home into an airtight box, so if you have more than £1,000, consider a mechanical ventilation system [which circulates fresh air].
When it comes to doing a major insulation project, it’s worth reading a book by the Bath Preservation Trust called Warmer Bath. It’s a really useful book and the measures apply to any traditional home.
The next Grand Designs Live will be at London’s ExCeL from 2-10 May 2020.
Tell us…
Did you go to Grand Designs Live in Birmingham? Were there any green ideas that stood out to you? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
We’ve seen technology grow and disappear, successive governments come and go, and environmental departments opened and shut. It hasn’t all been good news.
But then we have paradigm shifts with things such as Extinction Rebellion that are really important. This sends a message to government and does yield results. For example, we’ve had a reintroduction of the green agenda in government policy. I want to believe interest builds, but economic recession always downplays it slightly.
My job is to champion sustainability in all its forms and the environmental performance of our homes. I think 2050 is too far away, and that it would be a better idea to give business a five- to 10-year deadline. It would be more of a wake-up call.