Thursday, December 03, 2009

Does shedworking really reduce your carbon footprint?

That's the interesting question posed by Lynn Fotheringham of InsideOut Buildings at her blog. Here's what she says:
“If you work from home in a large, draughty house or semi-insulated cabin in the garden, either of which need heating heavily in winter and/or air-conditioning in the summer you are adding to the CO2 problem not reducing it, even if you are using your car less because you work at home. But, you could you reduce your energy use by working in a small, purpose designed, well-insulated office in the garden”
And she points to six ways in which InsideOut garden offices are environmentally effective:
1. They are designed to run on minimal electricity, insulated with either sheepswool or Rockwool breathable insulation, both insulations are made in the UK
2. They are clad with larch grown in the UK which doesn’t need any chemical treatment or maintenance.
3. The roofs are tiled with cedar shingles cut from waste wood that is too small to use for anything else.
4. They contain minimal amounts of plastic, but InsideOut do supply water butts as standard so that rainwater can be reused in the garden.
5. Building materials are UK sourced wherever possible to reduce carbon miles.
6. They are designed to last for 60+ years.

I'd be very interested to hear all your thoughts on the subject too. Photo of The Wonderful Green Shed by Sherlock77 on Flickr

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous11:07 PM

    Fotheringham's statement is not true. There are too many factors to consider: climate, how far you drive to work, heating/cooling method etc to be able to say anything conclusive.