Islington Council

Greener House and Garden

Want to make your house and garden a greener place to live? The image below presents areas throughout every part of your home in which you can make environmentally beneficial changes. The tips listed underneath can help save money as well as promote a healthier living environment.

Roof

• Green roofs are a good form of sustainable urban drainage and are able to retain up to 90% of rainfall, preventing flooding and putting less pressure on drainpipes. A green roof can increase the life span of the roof by protecting it from high temperatures. They can also help to filter out dust and smog particles, which will reduce air pollution. Please note: You will need to ensure the existing structure can take the weight of a green roof. Contact the Islington Ecology Centre, on the details at the bottom of this page, for advice on how to build a green roof.

• With careful and appropriate use, a green wall can be very easy to set up by using a clinging/ climbing species such as ivy, Boston ivy and ivy-leaved toadflax. Climbing plants can protect the wall from the elements and can extend its life. Vegetation on walls will provide extra insulation in the winter and help keep cool in the summer. Green walls also look very attractive and can help filter out smog. Please note: before building a green wall, look for advice to see whether it is appropriate for your house. More details are available in the Green Construction Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG). You can order a copy of the relevant SPG by going to the Planning Policy - Unitary Development Plan pages of this website's Environment section.

• To prevent urban water run-off consider a form of sustainable urban drainage system. This may include rainwater collection for reuse or greywater recycling systems.

• See the Green Construction SPG and Biodiversity Action Plan for advice on sustainable urban drainage, green roofs, green walls and biodiversity.

• Can you feel a draught under your feet? You can reduce your heating costs by applying a regular tube sealant to the gap where the draught is coming. Or if you need to take your floorboards up on the ground floor, it’s worth insulating underneath. The same applies to draughts found coming from windows, doors and gaps where pipework enters your home. Contact the Islington Green Living Centre for ideas on cost effective ways to prevent drafts.

• Solar hot water heating: get up to 70% of your hot water needs from the sun, through fitting a solar panel to your roof. Up to £1,000 grant is available but funds are limited so call the Islington Green Living Centre now!

• Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system: generate your own electricity using sunlight. PV cells attached to the roof and convert sunlight into electricity. Funding and support is available for all renewable energy installations; contact the Islington Green Living Centre to find out more.

• If you have a loft, consider having it insulated - 25% of all heat is lost through the roof. 

• If your windows need replacing, double-glazing can cut heat loss through the windows by 50%. The “Building Regulations, Part L1 Conservation of Fuel and Power in Dwellings, Section 2“ states that any replacement windows, doors and rooflights (with certain exceptions) must comply with current standards.

• Insulating your walls can save you a third of your heating costs, as a third of all building heat is lost through walls. The easiest and cheapest solution is cavity wall insulation. Even if your home does not have cavity walls, insulation can be improved although it will be more expensive.

• There are various discount schemes to help you carry out this work. For advice and information about these improvements contact the Islington Green Living Centre or visit the Green Energy section of this website.

• Refer to the Green Construction SPG for help when making renovations to your home. 

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Bathroom

• A dripping hot water tap can waste enough water to fill a bath in one day alone. Make sure taps are properly turned off or replace washers on dripping taps if necessary. 

• Save water by putting a flush saver, brick or weight in your toilet cistern. Please note: you will need to ensure the cistern is not already a low capacity type as problems could arise with the drainage system. You also need to ensure the brick will not break down in water and cause damage to the flushing mechanism.

• Don't leave the tap running when brushing teeth – this wastes ten litres of water each time.

• Have a shower instead of a bath and you will only use only two-fifths of the water. This does not include power showers as they can use more water than a bath 

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Bedroom

• Turn the heating thermostat down on your radiators if you are too warm. Turning it down 1°C can save you up to 10% of your annual heating bill.

• Remember to turn off your PC and monitor when they are not being used. Leaving your PC on can waste huge amounts of energy.

• Reuse or recycle your printer cartridges.

• Close curtains when it starts to get dark to stop heat escaping through your windows. Thick curtains will obviously provide more insulation.

• Try to use recycled paper stationery and remember to recycle any paper that you use. If possible print on both sides of the paper. Use any scrap paper for notes before you recycle it. Reuse envelopes.

• Try to mend clothes instead of throwing them away. Look out for good second-hand deals; buying second-hand can also save you money. Take old clothes to a second-hand shop.

• Take unwanted books to a local second-hand book store or charity shop.

• Pot plants in your home can help to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals your PC or printer release into the air. Some of the recommended air-cleaning indoor varieties are: peace lilly, dracina, mother-in-law's tongue, English ivy, Chinese fern, parlour palms. If you have more light then choose spider plants or flowering plants (eg. chrysanthemums, azaleas).

• For more information on where and what you can recycle, visit the Recycling section of this website.

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Lounge 

• Avoid leaving appliances such as televisions, videos, computers and even cordless phones on “stand by” or “charging” when not necessary. A TV left on standby is still using 80% of its power.

• Close curtains when it starts to get dark to stop heat escaping through your windows.

• Can you feel a draft in the room? Contact the Energy Advice Centre on the details at the bottom of this page, for advice on the many cost-effective ways of sealing drafts.

• Try using energy-saving light bulbs, they last over 10 years and will give you a saving of up to £10 a year.

• Always turn off lights when you leave the room.

• Note: these points can apply to any room in your house.

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Kitchen 

• Only heat the amount of water you really need when boiling a kettle.

• Consider packaging when buying products. Choose products with less packaging or better still with no packaging, such as unpacked fruit and vegetables.

• Try not to put warm food in your fridge, wait for it to cool down.

• Defrost the fridge regularly and never leave the door open longer than necessary. Use re-usable containers for packed lunches.

• Reuse carrier bags or use your own cloth bag when shopping. Use old carrier bags for bagging your rubbish.

• Consider buying organic food or buy locally-made food from Islington Farmers' Market - Sundays 10am-2pm, William Tyndale School, behind Islington Town Hall. Organic food is not only better for you, but it is produced without the use of toxic chemicals and pesticides, thereby protecting our environment and also providing tastier and more nutritious food. See the London Farmers' Market website for a full list of London Farmers' Markets.

• Did you know that over 25% of the contents of your dustbin can be composted easily and quickly by using a compost bin? Fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells and garden waste can all be composted and the result is a great soil conditioner for your garden. See the Composting Section on this website for more information.

• Nearly 40,000 street properties are served by the green box recycling scheme. We collect newspapers and magazines, clear, green and brown glass, food and drinks cans, shoes and textiles on a weekly basis. If you live on an estate find out where the nearest recycling depot is to your home by visiting the Recycling section on this website.

• Check that dishwashers and washing machines are always full or set on economy wash. Try setting to a low temperature. Buy laundry detergent in concentrated form.

• A dripping hot water tap can waste enough water to fill a bath in one day alone. Make sure taps are properly turned off or replace washers on dripping taps if necessary.

• When replacing your fridge or freezer make sure they are energy efficient - an ‘A++' rating is best. Dishwashers and washing machines should be energy and water efficient. Instead of throwing away your old fridge/ freezer or other electricals why not recycle them? Under current waste regulations fridge/ freezers and certain other types of waste must be recycled and not go to landfill.

• Replacing a 15-year old central heating boiler could reduce your heating bills by over 20%. Hot water should be hot, but not boiling so make sure your cylinder thermostat is set at 60 degrees (C)/ 140 degress (F).

• For more information on energy efficiency in the home, visit the Green Energy page on this website.

• When making changes to your home please refer to the Green Construction SPG. 

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Garden

• Protect and encourage wildlife by making your garden a natural habitat for local wildlife. Build or buy a bird box and bird feeder, this will encourage birds to build their nests in a safe place where they are protected from natural predators. See the Biodiversity Action Plan, or contact the Ecology Centre on the details at the bottom of this page, for more details.

• Gardens support a broad range of wildlife; they are vital nectar sources for bees and butterflies and provide cover and food for numerous bird species. Garden ponds support frogs and newts. We are reliant on the efforts of individual gardeners to ensure that their gardens are wildlife friendly. Contact the Ecology Centre for advice on how to make your garden attractive to wildlife.

• Rainwater is better for plants. You can collect rainwater from your roof with a rainwater diverter and water butt. Use it in your garden or for washing the car.

• When sealing wood, oils are preferred over polyurethane for covering timber. Oils are used to seal pores and therefore stop water penetrating into the wood.

• Before purchasing new products consider if you may be able to hire, borrow or share things you don't use often, such as DIY tools.

• Avoid using chemical pesticides and fertilisers in your garden, these are both harmful to you and the environment. Speak to the Ecology Centre for more advice.

• Set up a composting area in your garden if you have the space, or order a compost bin or wormery from Get Composting. Call 08451 306090 or go to www.getcomposting.com/islington.

• Contact the Ecology Centre for advice on your garden.

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Dustbin

Islington Ecology Centre

Gillespie Park Nature Reserve
191 Drayton Park
London, N5 1PH
Tel: 020 7354 5162
Fax: 020 7288 1717
Email: islingtonecologycentre@dsl.pipex.com

Green Living Centre

222 Upper Street
London
N1 1XR
Tel: 0800 953 1221 / 020 7527 2410
Email: greenliving@islington.gov.uk