14 DAY TRIAL // It is often said that, once folks pass a certain age, change is pretty much out of the question. It turns out this is not exactly true, at least not as far as London's famous Big Ben is concerned.
Thus, word has it that members of the House of Commons are now looking into the possibility to have the British landmark undergo an extreme green makeover.
According to Business Green, the idea that's been going around their heads for quite a while now is having solar panels installed on Big Ben's clock face.
The same source tells us that, as surprising as this may sound, the idea to accessorize good old Big Ben with some shinny solar panels belongs to a parliamentary passholder.
Apparently, the latter came up with this suggestion last month, when he and his colleagues were asked to take part in a brainstorming exercise and come up with ways to improve on the Palace of Westminster's energy efficiency.
More precisely, it would appear that the end goal is to make said building about 34% more energy efficient than it currently is by the end of the decade.
“These ideas will now be discussed, reviewed and prioritized by the Environment Team with a program of initiatives to be developed in future months,” a spokesperson for House of Commons told the press in a recent interview.
Apart from the fact that it is thinking about installing solar panels on Big Ben's clock face, the House of Commons wants to insulate at least part of the Palace of Westminster's roof using sheep wool.
This is because, as shown by a recent research carried out by specialists at Leeds University, this material is surprisingly efficient when it comes to reducing heat losses and consequently reducing energy consumption.
Besides, it would appear that flat portions of the building's roof are expected to be fitted with solar panels in the not so distant future.
“The project is expected to ensure that the roof remains serviceable for another 150 years, and will give us the opportunity to improve our environmental performance ratings and fire safety systems,” the House of Commons spokesperson explained.
He further detailed that the House of Commons wishes to also invest in voltage optimization technology intended to reduce energy wastage, replace existing lights with low energy LEDs and keep an eye open for whatever other changes can be done to the building in order to improve on its ecological footprint.