Emission Impossible?

'Carbon Coach' Dave Hampton Helps Homeowners Fight Global Warming

By ISIS ALMEIDA

World-wide concern about global warming is hitting home as more and more people try to make their houses and businesses eco-friendly and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
courtesy East of England Development Agency
Dave Hampton, a k a the 'Carbon Coach.'
With the European Union estimating that commercial and residential buildings are responsible for 40% of the EU's total CO2 emissions, governments around the continent have turned to homes to help achieve Europe's goals of reducing 60% to 80% of CO2 emissions by 2050.
In the U.K., the government has adopted the Code for Sustainable Homes, which aims at ensuring that all new homes built in the county be "zero-carbon" by 2016. The Code assesses the sustainability of a house on a six-point scale, with six being a "zero-carbon" home, meaning its usage of energy from renewable sources offsets its carbon emissions. The EU has yet to adopt specific regulations for low-carbon housing.
For Dave Hampton, a Cambridge-educated engineer and self-described "carbon coach," the new emphasis on emissions cuts represents a business opportunity. After working on energy efficiency for over 20 years for numerous firms, including British Gas, engineering consultants WS Atkins, Building Research Establishment and ABS Consulting, Mr. Hampton set himself up in business as a consultant who specializes in helping individuals reduce their carbon footprint. "My aim is to show people they can halve their carbon shadow just by making simple changes," he says.
Mr. Hampton started by setting his own example. He has completely refurbished his own house in Marlow, outside London -- making it more eco-friendly by installing solar panels to heat water, insulating all the walls and wooden floors and installing a heat-recovery system that exchanges the air without wasting energy. He even changed to LED light bulbs, which require 2 watts instead of 50.
"After the changes in my house, our total utility bills went down to £80 a month," he said. "Were it not for the alterations, we'd be paying almost three times more," he added.
We spoke to Mr. Hampton about how he advises people to become "carbon healthy."
Q: You left your job at ABS to become "the Carbon Coach." What made you do that?
The discrepancy between my ideas and companies' views. I'd tell CEOs we needed to reduce their company's footprint by 90% in the next 30 to 50 years and they'd say a 10% reduction could be possible, but stabilizing emissions was more realistic. Being a consultant who was helping firms stay still felt very inauthentic, frustrating, even wrong.
Q: Reducing your own emissions is a fundamental part of your business. How well has your family adjusted?
There is always conflict in every family relationship and it's no different in my house. But as my kids grow older, their take on our lifestyle changes. At the moment, my two daughters are extremely supportive. The tension is more evident with my oldest son. Tom is 18 now and he wants to see the world. Last holidays he went on a round-the-world trip, flying to Hawaii and New Zealand. That trip alone added 10 tons to our family's footprint. My wife plays probably the most important role. Whilst she has always been in favor of a "carbon healthy" life, even engaging in a competition to see how many miles per gallon we can achieve on my Mini One diesel and her seven-seater Volkswagen Sharan diesel, she is also the one that keeps my ideas in check.
Q: You no longer fly. Isn't that a bit of a radical measure?
It is radical to ask others not to fly. That's why I can't stop my 18-year-old son. In my case, I think it adds to the authenticity of what I do. Living a carbon-low life is at the heart of being "the carbon coach." When advising others, however, I aim at reducing their carbon shadow in a way that they will no longer be "carbon obese," but I also won't make their life miserable by turning them into "carbon anorexics."
Q: In 2007, you submitted a petition requesting that U.K. cabinet ministers disclose their annual CO2 emissions. Did it have any effect?
The petition gleaned quite a lot of attention. At least 500 influential individuals have signed it. It still hasn't had any practical effects, but that doesn't mean it won't. Just as Prince Charles decided to disclose the carbon footprint of his estate, which is a true sign of leadership even if his emissions totaled 3,425 tons in 2006-2007 and 2,795 in 2007-2008, cabinet ministers may still decide to do so. Next year I'll be spearheading a new project related to that.
Q: How much does it cost to make your house low-carbon?
Although the changes in my house cost me £20,000, I don't expect a regular family to do the same. That spending was my marketing budget. Estimating a price is dependent on how much carbon is cut. Simple measures can make a huge difference and cost very little. Changing 12 tungsten bulbs to fluorescent costs only about £35 and saves £100 and half a ton of CO2 for every 1,000 hours of use. In terms of heating, adjusting the clock programmer and setting the thermostat down a fraction to reduce the load on the boiler can slash £250 off a £1,000 annual gas bill and lower emissions by two tons.
Q: How green do you think people are willing to be in times of credit crunch?
Some say people are not willing to spend to be green. But I prefer to believe that this is actually the best time to reduce your footprint. After all, is there anything better than being environmentally friendly and reducing your bills at the same time?