Scientists claim they will grow tree-homes in a decade

Humans may one day be returning to the forests to live in ecological homes grown from tree roots.

Scientists from the U.S and Israel have proposed building the ingenious 'tree-homes' in cities and towns as a way of saving the planet.

Using the advanced techniques of aeroponics, the green-fingered researchers are confident the first prototype home could be ready in just ten years.

Aeroponics is the science of growing plants in an air or mist environment - without soil. Some plants, such as orchids that grow on trees in tropical rainforests, grow this way naturally.

Plantware, the organisation behind the technology, said it has already enjoyed success creating bus-shelters, park benches and traffic lights using its unique growing techniques.

Each home would be constructed from actual tree roots to any design specification and come equipped with a host of eco-friendly features such as solar panels and wind-harvesting fans.

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Thermostat Regulation 'Cuts Bills by 10%'

Turning home thermostats down by one degree Celsius cuts heating bills by ten percent, new analysis from the Energy Saving Trust has suggested.

The campaigners also said today that keeping tabs on hot water in the home is one of the key ways in maximising energy efficiency - and that proper regulation can lead to £300 of annual savings for the average household. If all UK homes followed the advice, the body claimed, a total of £962 million would be saved.

By way of comparison, this figure is larger than the government's entire recently-announced national autumn energy plan, for which £910 million will be spent. The scheme, unveiled earlier this month by Gordon Brown, includes a 50 percent discount on home insulation installation in UK homes.

Paula Owen, energy doctor at Energy Saving Trust, said: "You only need to heat main living areas to around 18 to 21 degrees Celsius - although it may need to be higher if there are young children, elderly or frail people in the house."

She added: "Check your hot water tank thermostat isn’t set too high, or it will be wasting money. It only needs to be at 60 degrees Celsius."

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Wind farms fail to deliver value for money, report claims

Excessive subsidies make them an expensive and inefficient way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a study by the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) think-tank says.

The report comes amid mounting disquiet over the number of wind farms planned for Britain.

Energy companies want to erect more than 3,000 turbines over the next five years, leading to fears that hundreds of acres of rural landscape will be blighted.

Critics insist that wind energy is too inefficient to replace the creaking network of fossil fuel power stations. Even with modern turbines, wind farms are unable to operate at full capacity because of the unreliable nature of Britain's wind.

The industry admits that for up to 30 per cent of the time, turbines are idle because wind speeds are either too low to turn the blades, or too high, risking damage to the machines.

Without any suitable method of storing the excess power produced when winds are blowing but electricity use is low, many turbines also have to be turned off for fear of overloading the grid.

The report says that wind farms are unprofitable and rely on hefty subsidies that ultimately come from consumers in the form of rising energy prices. This cost comes on top of increases in gas and electricity prices caused by the high price of oil. They risk leaving the poorest members of society struggling to heat their homes.

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Energy giants still up to ‘dirty tricks’

The government was last week accused of letting energy giants off the hook on a series of rip-offs from inaccurate billing to punitive rates if customers pay by cheque.

Gordon Brown, the prime minister, unveiled a £910m package including free cavity-wall and loft insulation for low-income households and pensioners and 50% discounts for everyone else.

However, energy giants continue to engage in “dirty tricks” that can cost consumers hundreds of pounds a year, wiping out the benefit of the government’s energy-efficiency measures.

Over this weekend, German-owned Eon has stopped allowing customers to switch to its cheapest deal, the Extra Saver Version 8 tariff at £903 a year, through comparison sites in an effort to restrict the number of customers getting the tariff.

Critics also said that consumers will ultimately pay the cost of the government’s package. More than half the new money in the fuel plan — £560m — will be raised from suppliers to expand the Carbon Efficiency Reduction Target which obliges them to set aside money for improving energy efficiency in homes.

Energy companies pass on the costs, adding about £38 a year to bills — up £29 from last year. Although the government has said it does not “expect” the extra allocation to be passed on, there is no guarantee. Mark Todd of comparison firm Energyhelpline said: “It would have been better for customers if the extra cash was passed directly on to customers who need it.”

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