Eco cars: the ten best

This might sound like jam tomorrow, but there are only limited measures you can take to save CO2 when you buy a new car. It might even be the best thing to hold on to the car you have and use it less, as according to Volvo, the amount of CO2 expended in making a car is some 13 to 15 per cent of its lifetime emissions and that doesn’t count the CO2 released when scrapping.

Nevertheless, if you need a new car, here’s our guide to what we think is the most practical environmental cars in every class. These might not be the cheapest or the most frugal, but in our opinion they offer the most practical driving utility and pleasure for your money while doing the planet the least amount of harm *.

Utility

Citroën Berlingo Multispace from £11,495 for 1.6 HDi 110 model, 41.5mpg/147g/km. Reviewed motoring July 11 2008.

Supermini

Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion, from £12,120 for the Bluemotion 1, three-door model 72.4mpg/99g/km. Reviewed in motoring May 12 2007.

Small hatchback

Honda Civic from £15,050 for a five-door S model, 53.3mpg/135g/km. Reviewed in motoring December 3 2005.

Saloon

Skoda Octavia 1.9TDi from £13,605 for Class model, 44.8mpg/132g/km. Reviewed in motoring May 22 2004.

Estate

Volkswagen Passat Bluemotion, from £19,000, 55.3mpg/137g/km. Reviewed in motoring May 7 2007 also see telegraph on same date.

Convertible

Ford Focus CC, from 19,287 for a 2.0-litre diesel model, 48mpg/156g/km. Reviewed in motoring September 23 2007.

Multi-purpose vehicle

Vauxhall Zafira from £17,290 for seven-seat 1.9 CDTi model 47.1mpg/162g/km. Reviewed in motoring July 23 2005.

Sport Utility Vehicle/4x4

Fiat Panda 1.2 4x4 from £9,885, 43mpg/156g/km. Reviewed motoring October 9 2004.

Executive

BMW 520d, £27,190 for SE model, 55mpg/136g/km. Reviewed motoring May 24 2003.

Luxury

BMW 730d from £54,160, 30mpg/192g/km. Reviewed motoring 11 October 2008.

Supercar

VW’s one-litre experimental car capable of 292mpg and valued at £2 million. Reviewed motoring July 5 2003.

* Toyota’s Prius is not included because it is being revamped at the end of the year with a claimed 99g/km carbon dioxide emissions - the new car will debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January and goes on sale next spring.

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Fireplace Heatsaver – Helping British households tackle fuel poverty

An English mans’ home is his castle, or so it seems when it comes to paying for the heating bill! Most hard-pressed British households have just received their latest fuel bills and as winter approaches the need to heat the home becomes more apparent. What more can one do, all the appliances are off but the heating bill is only getting bigger. Help is at hand in the form of a deceptively simple device from Wakefield-based business, Environmental Fireplace Solutions. The Fireplace Heatsaver could save the average household a small fortune on its heating bill – and cut its carbon footprint by as much as half a ton - in just one year.

Over seven million properties in the UK have fireplaces which act as a ‘vacuum cleaner’, constantly sucking warm air up the chimney and out of expensively heated rooms, drawing cold air in from the outside which then has to be reheated. The Fireplace Heatsaver is a lightweight and totally transparent acrylic shield that sits in front of an open fireplace or fitted gas fire when it is not in use, preventing heat from escaping up the chimney.

Launched in January 2008, the demand for Fireplace Heatsavers is growing daily, and the energy saving product has also been commended in Environment UK Magazine as a “simple and effective way to cut your outgoings and protect the environment”.

Alex Stacey, editor of Environment UK Magazine, says: “The Fireplace Heatsaver epitomises the old adage that the simplest ideas are the best. (It) is the best thing I never knew I needed. I am convinced that if this product had a money-back guarantee, no one would ever claim it.”
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The house doctor calls

EVEN though many of us try to save energy at home, often it’s the little things that are right under our noses, or above them as this family found out, that could save the most money.
One of the simplest suggestions for ways to make big savings was Alan’s recommendation to switch to low-energy light bulbs, which could save £35 a year. Mum-of-two Lucy said: "I have low-energy bulbs in the main lights of the house, but I didn’t realise that you can now get low-energy bulbs for other types of fixtures, like the light in our lounge, which holds five little bulbs.

While Alan praised Lucy for not using a tumble drier, despite having plenty of washing to do with two young children, he warned that clothes should be dried on a rack if the home’s radiators are to work to maximum potential.

"Tumble dryers are a massive drain on the energy meter as well as the finances, so it’s best to dry clothes outside where possible," he said

As 35% of heat escapes through walls, the savings on their energy bills would cover that cost within a year. As Lucy and Dave bought a new boiler recently, this has taken a huge strain off the amount of energy they use.

Highly efficient condensing boilers, like the one in the Rhodes family home, convert more than 90% of fuel into heat, compared with just 55% for some old boilers.

As the family are finding out, a new boiler could cut heating bills by up to 40% straight away, so you make further savings and help the environment over time.

Survey results

HOW energy efficient is your home right now? (Rating A-G, with A= very energy efficient)

The house is currently rated as C in terms of its energy use. It is thought this could be improved to a B rating with some simple improvements.

What do you already have installed?

Heating provided by a condensing combination boiler;

A room thermostat on the heating system;

A timer on the heating system

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Italian car designer unveils electric power

Italian contract carmaker and engineering firm Pininfarina has unveiled an own-badged electric car.

For decades, the firm has built some of the most stunning cars known to man, without getting much credit for it beyond petrol-head circles.

"This car is real," declares Paolo Pininfarina, grandson of the company's founder, as the covers are whipped off the sleek vehicle at the Paris motor show.

Pininfarina's electric car, which has been built in partnership with battery producer Bollore, is set to hit the road by the end of next year and should go on sale in the US, Europe and Japan by the end of 2010.

"It's 90% similar to how it will be built", which in turn, he insisted, means it is "the only real electric city car at the motor show".

Cost or technology

And so the electric motoring debate continues, with an abundance of yay and nay-sayers, so far achieving little more than confusing drivers who want solutions yet remain wary of cons.

Yet, amidst it all a consensus is emerging.

Cars run purely on battery power are unlikely to become mainstream for years to come, mainly because of their cost.

"It's not about technology," insists General Motors' chief operating officer and vice chairman, Fritz Henderson. "Its all about cost."

But petrol-electric hybrid versions that can be charged from the mains for most journeys are arriving quickly, and even Dr Paefgen is full of praise.

So expect niche electric cars to make inroads, and even more plug-in hybrid solutions to hit the road in the years ahead.

And if a plug-in hybrid emerges with a Bentley badge long before they become mainstream, do not be shocked.
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