Oliver Heath's top tips for being greener
Eco-designer Oliver Heath will be on hand to advise on creating a 'greener' home at the Ideal Home Show at Earl's Court this week
1) Green in the garden
Get a kitchen caddy and recycle your domestic waste in a compost – this is great for growing things and can be used in the garden or household plants. Also, make sure you have a tub in the garden and save rain water to water your plants and grass in the summer.
2) Insulate your HomeMake sure your home is fully insulated so that you are not wasting energy on heating. Insulate your loft and cavity walls and make sure you have sufficient daft excluders around the doors. Double glazing is great but fitting it is not that environmentally friendly. I use plastic temporary glazing in the winter in my house which is very good and can be removed for the warmer summer months.
3) Make room to recycleMake room in your home to store items that are waiting for collection or to be taken to the recycling. Make sure you also look on your council web site and check collection times and what exactly can be put in the recycling as this differs form council to council. Then make sure you have room to store the items as sometimes collections can be as long as two weeks apart.
4) Energy efficient productsChange all your light bulbs to energy saving light bulbs but also check that your white goods have an “A” energy rating. The ratings run from A-F. “A” graded products will cost slightly more initially but will save you money in the long run as they will be more efficient. They will also be of higher quality than the cheaper lower rated machines and will therefore last longer too, so it’s worth investing the extra.
5) The Electrisave meterThis is a handy gadget that takes five minutes to clip to your electricity meter. It allows you to monitor how much electricity you are using at any given moment - if you switch a plug on or off, you will notice a change in the reading. You can use it to establish a base level for your home and check that you are not “leaking” electricity by leaving things plugged in. The infra red monitor can be placed by your front door so you can check it every time you leave the house.
6) Eco paintsEco paints contain no toxins or VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). VOCs are in all traditional paints and are found in highest volumes on high gloss and egg shell paints that are used a lot in bedrooms. It’s a lot kinder to yourself and the environment if you switch to eco paints.
7) Buying sustainable materialsLook out for things made from sustainable materials and try to avoid all items made of petra chemicals like nylon or acetates. Items around the home like carpets, bed linens and cushions can all be made of natural materials like unbleached cotton, wool, felt or cork.
8) FurnitureLook for the FDC (Forrest Stewardship Committee) logo on all the furniture you buy. The committee make sure that all the wood comes from well-managed, sustainable sources, not from rain forests.
9) Buy recycled productsRecycled furniture and soft furnishings are really fashionable at the moment and they are obviously eco friendly too. My own website, ecocentric.co.uk , carries a range of items including bags made of leather belts and vases made from paper.
10) Switch to green energy provider
Do some research into where your energy provider sources its energy. Some providers use renewable sources or donate money towards renewable energy sources, and these are becoming more and more popular. 
The Daily Mail Ideal Home Show is packed full of fantastic ideas for the home and garden - to find out more, click here
This article was created: 12 March 2007.
This article was last edited: 25 April 2007.
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