Cleaner Air and Green Home Initiatives Across Bristol (Latest Roundup!)

We once told you that London is losing more than 1,000 people to Bristol every year. That statistic was calculated prior to COVID-19 and before an exponential rise in remote working. It is logical to assume that a continuation of remote working will lead to more people swapping the big smoke for leafier regions, including Bristol.

But these latest events are not the only thing attracting professionals and families to Bristol. An array of cleaner air and green initiatives are making Bristol an even more appealing abode. Read on to discover the latest on environmental projects and green strategies across the city.

Bristol Is Tackling Vehicle Pollution (And Traffic!)

Bristol is in the middle of a long fight with CO2 emissions in the city centre. In fact, Bristol’s air pollution was over the legal limit for some time and strategies have been ordered to improve air quality. Thus, Bristol is becoming the first UK city to implement a ban on diesel cars in the city centre.

Some vehicles like taxis and lorries may be subject to daily fees if they want to enter part of the central zone around the diesel-ban zone.

But pending changes may speed up how quickly Bristol can reduce emissions to legal levels, and then overtake many other cities as an example of how to clean up air pollution.

Proposed Changes to Bristol’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ)

The Government is not totally convinced by Bristol’s initial clean air scheme and wants to swap out the diesel ban area for a much bigger zone that charges private diesel car owners to enter. This has been met with opposition because it could negatively impact low-income families who want to travel to Bristol centre and consequently local businesses.

The latest information available suggests the UK Government and Bristol Council are now working together to fine-tune a new hybrid model including both a diesel ban zone and a secondary zone. It will be similar to the original plans but ‘bigger and bolder’.

The hope is that the improved plans by all parties will speed up the time it will take to significantly reduce carbon emissions in Bristol. The details of the improved scheme have not yet been released.

Greener Modes of Urban Transport

Many cities across Europe have already adopted electric scooters as a way to make transport convenient and help the environment. Now Bristol is getting in on the act as a way to help bring down illegal levels of emissions and reduce noise pollution.  

The strategy is being supported by an electric scooter company called Bolt. Electric scooters will provide an innovative touch to the city and mitigate the need to use polluting forms of transport, which could be followed up with electric bikes as they did in Paris.

Some residents may be worried about using electric scooters due to safety issues. But the people behind Bolt have installed a helpful guide to riding these scooters within their associated app and even created a beginner riding mode, which reduces the maximum speed you can travel at.

Green Initiatives Start at Home!

As the winter chill starts to creep up on us again, and as we spend more time at home, we might be concerned about rising energy bills. The best way to bring down our heating bills and simultaneously do good for the environment – 14% of all UK carbon emissions come from our houses – is to retrofit our homes.

Retrofitting is when we install eco-friendly lights and apply loft and cavity insulation into our homes to make them more energy-efficient. The government did back these measures years ago but uptake in the home insulation scheme has declined by over 90% in the last eight years.

Currently, over 120,000 homes in Bristol have already been retrofitted, saving energy and money for these homeowners. And a string of initiatives are up and running to contribute to this trend, such as Future Fit Bristol, Warm Up Bristol and Replicate Bristol.

If these schemes manage to continue in getting locals to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, it could save 180,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. This level of emission saving equates to a return flight from Bristol to New York over 110,000 times – every year!

Building Greener Houses Too!

Bristol has been blessed with a number of programmes and schemes to build more eco-friendly homes in the area. There are multiple examples of greener homes planned to be built in 2021, including the Shaldon Road Development in Lockleaze.

The project will consist of 50 new homes that will need to be self-finished by each owner. The owners will be responsible for fitting kitchens, mouldings, doors etc. But the most attractive aspect of this new development is undoubtedly the homes’ eco-friendly characteristics.

There are a number of design and architect features which make these homes eco-friendly, namely:

• Ground heating pumps which transfer heat in the ground to the home
• Solar panelling to make use of solar energy for heating and hot water
• Electric vehicle charging stations (across the development)
• Separate pedestrian and cycling routes to encourage more walking and cycling
• A local car-sharing scheme to help reduce vehicle pollution
• A designated green space for biodiversity, such as places for bats and bees

This is just the latest example of many eco-friendly housing projects in Bristol, which also contributes to more affordable housing in one of the best areas to live in the UK.

Are You Moving to Bristol?

If you are excited to relocate to a greener and more environmental Bristol, you’re not alone. Families are flocking here with the help of Bristol removal companies. We at On the Dot Removals are on hand to make moving less stressful and get you settled into your new family home.

Call us now to receive a free quote!