One of the things you learn very quickly is that there is never one obvious eco-friendly choice, there are just greater or less than desirable options for you to deliberate on. Even on green building forums there is no consensus about ‘definitive’ eco materials. There are so many factors that have to be considered and how do you compare one against the other? There are those that argue in favour of concrete – it may be carbon-heavy in production but then you have a highly thermal efficient building which will ’payback’ that carbon in heat savings over its lifespan, which may be hundreds of years. Anti-concrete arguments include the fact that its production is one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions (some estimates put it at 10% worldwide) and that this isn’t acceptable, whatever its lifetime analysis. It’s also not reusable or biodegradable at the end of the building’s lifetime. So who is ‘right’? It comes down to informing yourself and then making the best choices you can with the resources you have. Any effort towards sustainability and energy efficiency should be welcomed.
This post is about a typical ‘more questions than answers’ scenario. We’ve been trying to source our kitchen and finding sustainability isn’t even on the radar. Only one manufacturer (Magnet) is working towards developing a sustainable unit ’soon’. Ikea, on the other hand, at least have a sustainability policy (and an agreement with the Woodland Trust to plant trees). But Ikea don’t manufacture their kitchens locally. To keep prices down they have factories in countries with low labour costs which transport the kitchens around the world. So, do we go for sustainable kitchen units with a lot of air miles attached or do we buy British-made units with no traceable source for materials?
Another issue, when you’re on a tight budget, is cost. Comparing the kitchen we want (including appliances) from Ikea to a similar one from Magnet, the difference is about €3,000 – even with Magnet’s very generous sale prices. Presumably what you get from Magnet is better quality workmanship so it should last longer – and longevity is important. But Ikea offers a 25 year guarantee on their units compared to Magnet’s 15.
Magnet only fit ultra-efficient appliances such as AEG and NEFF, while Ikea offer A-rated Whirlpool appliances. But what appliances to go for? The choice for cooking comes down to gas or induction hobs. Gas is more efficient than regular hobs (we can find figures for that) and induction hobs are more efficient than regular hobs (we can find figures for that too) but how to you compare gas and induction?
We know that grid electricity is hopelessly inefficient (for every 100 units of energy produced, only 22 are actually utilised by the end user) so do we go for gas, which is more efficient but is a non-renewable resource? Gas is also cleaner than electricity – 1kw of gas emits 0.194kg of CO2 versus an average 0.568kg per 1kw of electricity (depending on the source). But, what if you are signed up to a green energy tariff or supplier (as we are), making our electricity greener than gas? That would make induction seem a better option. Again, cost is a factor – the induction hob would cost around £500 more.
And what about future-proofing your supply? If gas and energy prices continue to rise and finite resources such as oil and gas run out, what will they be replaced with? We have already decided to stay on-grid as it is impossible, with our resources, to make a suburban semi self-sufficient in energy needs. Micro-renewables such as wind turbines and solar panels are not suitable for our setting – in a natural dip with little south-facing roof space in a fairly dark part of the world. There is much debate about whether it is an efficient use of resources to invest in ‘micro-renewables’ for individual households rather than in vastly more efficient wind farms or decentralised community-based energy schemes. We’re also hoping that biogas becomes a viable alternative to natural gas without disruption to the supply network.
Only one thing we know for sure and that’s what counter top we’re going for. Imported granite and timber from non-sustainable sources are obvious no-nos but what’s the alternative? We sourced a very funky counter top made from recycled glass. Not that this is a cheap option, despite it being made from a very cheap raw material, but this is one of the luxuries we’ve allowed for in the budget. It will be the centre-piece of the kitchen and boost our green credentials, whatever else we decide.
At the moment, we’re leaning towards Ikea and still debating the gas / induction issue. We would welcome some feedback on this - please do send us your tuppence worth.
