Sustainability Advice - cat.org.uk Sustainability Advice Free, independent and impartial advice on a wide array of topics relating to sustainability and sustainable living: renewable energy, green building and renovation, water and sewage treatment, organic growing, and more. Email Sign up Energy Heat Pumps Heat pumps are the best current option for reducing the carbon emissions from home heating in most UK homes. Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Panels The price of Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels has dropped rapidly in the last ten years. A domestic PV array can now be cost effective without any subsidy. Solar Water Heating Solar water heating (or solar thermal) uses sunlight to heat the water you’ll then use in your bathroom or kitchen. Even in cloudy Britain, solar energy can meet more than… Wind Power The UK is the windiest country in Europe. Wind farms are therefore a great way for us to meet our energy needs without carbon emissions. Small-scale wind… Wood-Fired Heating For some homes wood-fired heating could be a good alternative to fossil fuel. Whether it makes sense for you will depend on your location, the appliance… Micro-Hydro Power Micro-hydro turbines can be a very efficient and convenient form of small-scale renewable electricity. The best locations will be on steep hills, with fast-flowing… Battery Storage We need energy storage and smart controls to reduce the use of gas-fired power stations. It will allow electricity from renewable energy to be stored and fed… Eco-renovation Whole House Eco-Retrofit In CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain report, we promote a mass retrofit of all existing buildings, to greatly reduce heating demand. Renewable energy can then… External Wall Insulation Almost one-third of all UK houses have solid walls, and we’ll be living in these homes for decades to come. If we don’t improve these houses, it will be difficult to… Internal Wall Insulation Most of the houses we live in now will still be homes decades from now. However, it will be difficult for us to meet their current heating demand with only renewable… Windows Replacement glazing will be one of the most expensive parts of a renovation, so making good choices is important. Your choice will also affect the environmental… Airtightness and Ventilation Reducing heating demand in our homes is one of the most important steps to a zero carbon future. It’s then far easier to install enough renewable energy to meet our… Keeping your home cool Extremely hot summer spells are becoming common in parts of the UK. Rapid global action to reduce carbon emissions would reduce the chance of periods of extreme… Building Natural building materials At CAT we’ve been using natural building materials for many years, and there are many examples around the centre. We also run hands-on courses and workshops… Low-energy buildings Ever since CAT first started, one of our main aims has been to construct low energy buildings. Reducing heating demand is vital when building or… Planning permission for an eco-building project Getting planning permission for an eco-building project will often be no more difficult than for a conventional building. It will depend on the location, and whether… The WISE Building WISE, the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education, is a state of the art educational facility. It is home to CAT’s postgraduate courses on renewable energy, building… Green Living Energy saving at home Domestic energy saving measures are vital if we are to achieve the goal of a zero carbon future. Reducing the UK’s energy demand will make it much easier to meet… Transport and Travel The need to take action on climate change is more pressing than ever. Transport is one of the main causes of the problem: making up a quarter of the UK’s… Carbon calculators, ecological footprints and offsets Calulating where your carbon emissions and other environmental impacts come from is a very useful starting point for… Water and Sanitation Reducing water use The average domestic use of water in the UK is 150 litres per person per day, but it is easy to reduce this to 70-80 litres per day. Reusing Rainwater and Greywater There are high-tech ways of capturing and reusing rainwater and greywater (the wastewater from showers & sinks) in place of mains water. However, the best… Sewage Treatment If you don’t have mains sewerage, there are many treatment options you could consider. Ecological sewage treatment usually involves a combination of… Composting Toilets A composting toilet treats sewage onsite, recycling nutrients into fertiliser that you can use it on the garden. There are many types of composting toilet, from… Nature and Growing Home Composting Home composting is key to sustainable and organic gardening, as well as being the ideal way to recycle waste. CAT’s gardeners have tried out all sorts ofl… The Edible Forest Garden A forest garden takes as its model the most wonderfully healthy and productive organic system in Britain – the deciduous woodland. It consists of trees and shrubs… Saving Water in the Garden As we start to feel the effects of climate change, droughts are expected to become more common in the UK. Hosepipe bans are therefore likely in many areas… Growing Year-Round Traditionally, summer is salad season, and root vegetables are the main winter crop. However, with a little planning you can extend the growing season and plant… Organic Gardening To look at the thriving gardens at CAT it is hard to imagine that 50 years ago the site was mostly bare slate waste. Hard work and a lot of compost has resulted in… Sustainable Woodland Management Sustainably managed woodland can be both productive and beneficial to the environment. Broadleaf woodlands full… Did you know we are a Charity? If you have found our Free Information Service useful, why not read more about ways you can support CAT, or make a donation. Read more → Donate Now → Email Sign Up Keep up to date with all the latest activities, events and online resources by signing up to our emails and following us on social media. And if you’d like to get involved and support our work, we’d love to welcome you as a CAT member. Email SiGN up Support US Loading Comments...