Danfoss, a family owned global business and one of Denmark’s biggest industrial companies, manufacture, service and sell mechanical parts and electronic components around the world for a number of industries. Their products include heating solutions, air conditioning controls, and controls for appliances and water systems.
Danfoss have announced that they have launched a free new CPD seminar which will be called ‘The Complete Design Solution for Variable Flow Systems’. The new seminar, which will add to current seminars offered by Danfoss, will provide the opportunity for mechanical design engineers and contractors who are responsible for designing systems to benefit from two workshops, each lasting 40 minutes, covering the heating and cooling aspects of variable flow heating systems.
Variable flow systems are installed as a method of increasing energy efficiency of heating and cooling systems and should also help increase the lifespan of the systems that are installed. There is also increased value for money for customers because the pumps and amount of pipework required to install the system will be less expensive than alternative types of system.
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Despite reductions in the cost of wholesale gas an electricity, customers are still seeing price increases when their gas and electricity bills land on the doormat. In addition to this, energy companies have announced increased profits, which energy watchdog Consumer Focus has slammed, saying that energy prices should be cut in order to pass on the reduction in the price of wholesale electricity and gas to their customers.
Energy companies have, it has been unveiled in an Ofgem quarterly report, made profits of £105 for each dual-fuel customer in February 2010 compared to £75 for each customer in November 2009. In addition, with British Gas having announced profits for 2009 of £595 million, a £291 million increase from 2008 profits; and Scottish Power having confirmed pre-tax profits lying at £1,293 million, it is understandable that consumers who are struggling to pay their energy bills will be less than pleased with this news.
Consumer Focus is therefore calling on energy companies to be fair to their customers and pass on the benefits of reduced energy costs to reduce their energy bills. British Gas have advised however that if they were to cut their energy bills by 5% they would not be making any profit. Their managing director, Phil Bentley, commented that if this was the case, British Gas would not be able to offer services such as installation smart meters, assisting with insulating people’s homes and creating more jobs.
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A report launched today by Experian for the ‘Cut the VAT’ coalition, an alliance of 21 organisations including the Federation of Master Builders, the Modern Masonry Alliance, the Clay Roof Tile Council and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, has unveiled that as many as 55,000 new jobs in the building sector and construction industry could be created if VAT on labour for building work and home improvements was cut to 5%.
Creating Building Jobs
The Cut the VAT coalition believes that by cutting the percentage of VAT paid on labour for renovation and property maintenance work from the current 12.5% to 5% would help the current economic situation of high numbers of unemployed people, and would also have a number of social and economic benefits for the UK as a whole, including helping the Government reach its carbon emission reduction targets.
The report anticipates an additional 24,000 construction jobs could be created in 2010 alone, with this rising to nearly 35,000 building sector jobs by 2019. In addition, the report explains that the additional demand for tradespeople to carry out work in domestic properties will have a knock on effect for companies who supply materials to the trades as people decide to upgrade central heating systems, repair roofs, build extensions and rewire homes. As a result of making building work and renovation of properties more affordable for homeowners, this will in turn help people make their homes more energy efficient, reducing energy consumption and saving them money.
The boiler scrappage scheme, which was introduced by the Government in order to reduce UK carbon emissions enables homeowners in England whose boiler is an inefficient G rated boiler or worse, to apply for a grant of £400 towards the cost of installing a new energy efficient boiler.
Boiler manufacturers, Worcester, who are part of the Bosch group, are backing the Government boiler scrappage scheme by offering a further 12 month guarantee on their boilers.
There are a number of things you can look out for which will indicate whether your boiler is G rated or less:
- gas fired boilers 15 years or older
- oil fired boilers 25 years or older
- a constantly lit pilot light
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Being the coldest winter in 30 years damp and cold related illness is on the increase. In the UK damp and cold related illness costs the NHS an estimated £1 billion to treat each year so help keep your family healthy this winter by following some of the advice below.
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Many of us experience the misfortune of having to call an emergency plumber out in winter for various reasons. Boiler services, boiler break downs and frozen pipes are the main reasons for emergency call outs for an experienced plumber in the winter, but with some forward planning you can avoid these and save yourself the time and expense of calling out an emergency plumber.
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If you neglect to service your boiler to keep it in good working order this can result in a boiler breakdown and you can end up without hot water and central heating providing warmth in your home. That can lead to some uncomfortable times for you and your family. There are signs that your boiler will tell you, and if you listen to it and catch these early you can overcome the problem and reduce the inconvenience and expense of a broken boiler in the future.
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If you’re renting a property, one of the last things you want to receive is a phone call from your tenants to let you know there’s a problem with your house, but if there’s one thing that’s true in life, it’s that houses cost you money. Whether it’s installing new central heating or electrical rewiring, blocked drains or a jammed window, chances are when you rent out a property, you’ll experience plenty of housing dilemmas.
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Awareness week – Carbon Monoxide
Each year many lives are lost due to carbon monoxide poisening, CO-Awareness is a UK based charity that helps to raise the general publics awareness of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide, CO, poisoning they also help in supporting the families and friends of victims of Co poisoning. Read more…
Homeowners seriously risk their lives every day by using cowboy gas fitters to save money. Research undertaken by the gas safe register the people who took over corgi, shows a staggering 100,000 gas cookers and hobs are fitted illegally buy unregistered and untrained people every year. Read more…
