Links

Throughout our projects, we’ve been helped along by information from other resources, charities, organisations, blogs and websites. Sharing what we have learned and found helpful is a core motivation for why we choose to write this blog. Here is a list of things we’ve found particularly useful, inspiring, worthwhile, or just plain cool. We’ve also included some routes if you wish to show support towards the costs of running the blog and some of the press coverage for projects we have been involved with. We’ll keep updating this and would love to hear about any other resources other people have found particularly useful too.

Referral Links and Supporting us

We have run this blog free-to-access since we started, but it does have running costs (e.g. website, hosting, outreach). If you use a company or buy a product you found out about through us and they have a referral scheme, please feel free to mention “Little Eco Blog” was how you found them or it.

We have specific referral links for some companies and products we have bought from and recommend, and these are listed below:

• Ripple Energy (referral code linked)
• Octopus energy refer-a-friend scheme (share £100 on refferal)
• Trillion Fund (linked referral site)
• Enterprise Refer-A-Friend scheme (Just DM or email if saying Little Eco Blog doesn’t work)

Alternatively, if you would like to directly show support financially, you are welcome to “buy us a coffee” via our Kofi page.

Other Blogs

The Yellow House – “1930s ex-council house into our environmental dream home”

GreenCottage – An eco renovation project on a 2 up/2 down terrace by @solar_bud

Westacre – A eco-renovation project on a 1930s detached house by @HildeWestacre

Open Energy Monitor – monitoring solar PV production, heat pump management, and EV charging

EcoTerrace – A Newcastle project on a Victorian terrace

Hockerton Housing – A successful co-housing project outside Nottingham

ShrinkThatFootprint  – A great blog with useful articles on subjects from lifestyle to climate change stats with a fantastic self-description of “squeezing more life out of less carbon”

Organisations

Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) – More information on everything eco than you can shake a stick at.

Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB)

Energy Saving Trust (EST)

Low Impact Living Initiative LILI –  Huge amount of info.

YouGen – Another fantastic source for all things renewable by Cathy Debenham. Also a great location for reputable installers/contractors.

BedZED – Eco housing development in London by the @BioRegional charity

Sheffield Solar Farm – Through voluntary submission, SSF manage a Database of micro-generation and provide insight into the network’s data

Carbon Coop

Forums

Green Building Forum – Fantastic forum, with lots of amateurs and experts.

Companies we would recommend

One Planet Solar – NE England PV installation company in a league of its own. (my review on YouGen)

The Oak Floor Company – A talented local company who laid our wooden floor, of which we are very fond.

Open Energy Monitor

Books & Resources

Sustainability Without the Hot Air – Renewables overview with extremely accessible & detailed approach by David MacKay available as a PDF

Eco-renovation: The Ecological Home Improvement Guide – “the book” on eco-renovation by Edward Harland (ISBN-13: 978-1870098526)

Low Energy Building Database (LEBd) from @ACEB –  Provides almost 200 case studies of retrofit projects

Press coverage

We have done and continue to do outreach both remotely and in-person to promote living more sustainable within homes as well as more generally. This includes giving talks at events, seminars, and interviews to support companies and organisations we have been involved with or in. Some examples of this are linked below:

• Rebecca O’Connor’s interview on micro-investing in renewables for Trillion Fund’s “Meet the lenders” campaign
• Telegraph article on Ripple Energy’s Graig Fatha Wind Turbine – “I bought a wind turbine – now I pay £1.50 a month for energy”
• York Press article on moving terraced house from a D to an A – “York property upgraded to slash energy bills – and it’s on the market”
• Ripple Energy’s press release video for the P3 solar community energy solar project
• Yorkshire Post article “This clever couple from York reveal how they slashed energy bills and made their terraced home cosier”