Definitions - h

The living place or "home" of a particular organism or biological community.

In return, the landowner is permitted to sell credits to national or international companies or developers, enabling them to satisfy legal requirements compensating for the environmental impacts of their development projects in the region or elsewhere.

Although big in the US, where there is a $3bn market, habitat banking's global reach is nowhere near the size of carbon offsets.

Potential for schemes is particularly high in Central and South America, although concerns remain over monitoring and proving how effective projects really are.

A dust or sandstorm that forms as cold downdraft's from a thunderstorm turbulently lift dust and sand into the air.

Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass). Includes wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline.

Halogen bulbs are a form of energy efficient lighting that use around 25 per cent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs.

Like traditional bulbs, Halogen bulbs use a tungsten filament, but they use a halogen gas inside the bulb rather than argon or nitrogen, making the filament last longer.

Around half the size of traditional bulbs, they are most commonly used in fixed ceiling down-lighters.

It is expected that some lower-efficiency Halogen bulbs will be banned alongside incandescent bulbs under upcoming EU regulations, though the sale of higher efficiency models will still be permitted.

Bromine-containing compounds with long atmospheric lifetimes whose breakdown in the stratosphere causes depletion of ozone. Halons are used in firefighting.

Often abbreviated to just AGW. This is global warming which has been caused by human activity in addition to natural global warming.

The science around this is difficult to prove, as identifying a clear indicator of the human contribution which is independent of multiple natural causes is very hard to do in reality. The human element to global warming needs to be clearly and precisely measured against a background of natural global warming that has been occurring since the last ice age. 

The biophysical environment is the symbiosis between the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables that comprise the Earth's biosphere.

Wikipedia Entry

Distant lightning that illuminates the sky but is too far away for its thunder to be heard.

A heat pump is an electrically powered mechanical device that takes heat from one location and transfers it to another location. An air conditioner is an example of a heat pump in that it takes heat out of the interior space and then rejects that heat to the outdoors. However, a true heat pump can work in either direction, unlike an air conditioner; in that it can take heat out of an interior space, or it can put heat into an interior space.

The biophysical environment is the symbiosis between the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables that comprise the Earth's biosphere.

Wikipedia Entry

The biophysical environment is the symbiosis between the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables that comprise the Earth's biosphere.

Wikipedia Entry

A chemical pesticide designed to control or destroy plants, weeds, or grasses.

Heterotrophs are the organisms in an ecology which do not produce their own food. These are all the consumers, regardless of their level.

Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass). Includes wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline.

A Home Battery System is a system that is used to time shift cheap electricity to a more expensive time period by the use of a battery.

The atmosphere up to 80 km (50 mi) in which the proportionality of principal gaseous constituents, such as oxygen and nitrogen, is constant.

A "normal" wind turbine design, in which the shaft is parallel to the ground, and the blades are perpendicular to the ground.

A hot water recirculator is basically a pump that is put in at the furthest part of the hot water system in your house, this pump has a return line back to the hot water tank. A thermometer is used to control when the pump goes on, idea is that hotter water is kept in the pipe at all times, so reducing the time it takes for the hot water to 'appear' at the tap or shower head.

This is good for existing installations, but do make sure the pipes are well lagged. For new builds it is often easier to use a smaller bore pipe, so less water rests in the pipe so it draws from the hot water tank quicker. 

The human food chain is the chain of food producers and consumers from the first producer to human consumption.

Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass). Includes wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline.

The substance which results from decay of plant or animal matter. Biodegradable matters form humus as they decompose.

Energy Generation: A solar electric or photovoltaic system that includes other sources of electricity generation, such as wind or diesel generators.

Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass). Includes wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline.

The treatment of plant oils or animal fats, primarily with hydrogen gas in a refining process, for the production of synthetic hydrocarbons.

The living place or "home" of a particular organism or biological community.

The biophysical environment is the symbiosis between the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables that comprise the Earth's biosphere.

Wikipedia Entry

Hydronic flooring heating is where a network of water carrying pipes are embedded into the floor to transfer heat from a heat source (say solar hot water) to the floor - thereby providing a comfortable living environment. The only downside with such systems is that they depend upon the Sun to provide the warmth, this is often out of cycle with the demand for heat - i.e. you need to be warm in the evening and during cloudy days. Thermal mass can help phase shift the heating but you will often require additional back up heating as well.

This is often something which can only be done on a new build as you need to build the pipes into the structure of the floor. An option after build is to use a roof space heat recovery system to transfer the hot air from the roof into the living space by way of a filter and fan set up. The advantage with this is that such a system can also provide cooling air in Winter (as the roof space cools quicker than the living space below at night).

This refers to a product or service having minimal impact on the environment in its provision. Unfortunately how 'minimal' is determined is somewhat open to interpretation and often depends upon context. This is also a phase that is often hijacked as part of a green washing campaign; so double check any claims.

The totality of water encompassing the Earth, comprising all the bodies of water; ice, and water vapor in the atmosphere.

Often abbreviated to just AGW. This is global warming which has been caused by human activity in addition to natural global warming.

The science around this is difficult to prove, as identifying a clear indicator of the human contribution which is independent of multiple natural causes is very hard to do in reality. The human element to global warming needs to be clearly and precisely measured against a background of natural global warming that has been occurring since the last ice age.