Local Traders News » Greening Your Home

DIY Becoming Big Hit For Women

Phil — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 08:00:12 +0000

A survey by DIY chain giant B&Q showed that ¾ of women are now downing kitchen utensils and picking up the tool box to tackle DIY problems around their homes from decorating the house, putting up shelves, fitting laminate floors and even tackling small plumbing jobs. They report that the sudden change of heart is down to the recession, with the need to save pennies becoming a hell of a lot greater.

This has had a knock on effect on a number of things. Fixing bits and bobs around the house helps to make homes greener rather than the old knock it down and start again or pick up the phone and ring a tradesman, it allows you to take charge of your own home, it’s also brought the women’s institute to run DIY classes to give lessons in basic DIY skills, such as plumbing, wall hook mounting and tiling, there’s also the feeling of self sufficiency that is attracting women with general DIY classes in the UK have seen an increase in women signing up and it is having a massive social and financial impact.

This is not an entirely new way of thinking for the fairer sex as author Patricia Nicol wrote in her book – Sucking Eggs: What Your Wartime Granny Could Teach You About Diet, Thrift and Going Green. Here she goes back to a time when women were encouraged to pick up tools and become handymen during the war, with pamphlets being handed out on how to plumb, solder and use tools.

UK Government Needs to Act to Increase Energy Storage Capacity

Teresa — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:00:26 +0000

The government face major plans to increase its gas storage capacity over the next decade as the population is growing and the reliance on gas and nuclear power is getting greater by the day. They will need to invest billions of pounds into their new energy policy to steer away from depending on imported gas. The engineering employers’ federation (EEF) have accepted public money will not be able to cover the most costly plans in the world. They are now urging minsters to act up on this now to make sure planning permissions are adhered to.

The association energy action plan reaches a massive sum of 200 billion pounds but it is vital that we act now. We need to focus on energy security and cost effectiveness. The UK has only 16 days energy storage at present which is really low compared to Germany that have currently got a 99 day supply and also France which have a 122 day supply.

Energy companies will start making investment decisions in the next couple of years. The urgency of this major project is enormous and a clear energy strategy needs to be developed urgently as a result. Solar panels and evacuated tubes are a fantastic way to reduce home energy cost and is an investment that will be worth it in the end. Solar heating works all year around and is a really effective way to heat your home no matter time of year. To make an impact at home and help make the world a more energy efficient with solar panels or any other efficient heating systems please contact your local expert.

Home Improvements are not a Waste

Danny — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:00:12 +0000

Construction Excellence director of the waste project Paul Jennings has stated that Welsh homes are to be incorporated into the district’s waste management project. The ongoing commitment for creating a world class housing stock in Wales is sustaining its movement forward, at the same time; George Osborne is putting housing bodies under a lot of ongoing pressure, throughout England.

Energy efficiency is a major drive throughout Wales, with the Welsh government are announcing a £30 million scheme aimed at improving homes in the region. These are just a handful of projects created to hit the low carbon footprint targets and along with other similar projects, will meet Welsh Housing Quality Standards. Also throughout Wales, the (EST) Energy Saving Trust are well on the way to meeting their targets in teaching people the benefits and above all important values of wasting energy – or not wasting energy in this instance., and how a few simple instructions can make a great deal of difference to everyone.

This scheme is being backed by UK government schemes, like the (CESP), which is the Community Energy Saving Programme, and major energy providers such as British Gas, which are there to help home owners in social housing, to refurb their houses and flats. The above project is looking at a target of 200,000 homes, which are on the social housing register to refurbish by 2012. To give people an idea of the amount of waste within people’s homes, an average home kitchen that’s ripped out accounts for 65% of the waste of every house being refurbished. The majority of this is made up of timber, which only a small percentage qualifies for reuse or recycling.

The bathrooms only account for a small percentage of the waste, around 25-30%, with windows accounting for 7% but it all boils down to careful preparation and planning. Waste can be controlled and limited and the construction industry sector can save money in the process, which should be of particular interest to companies affected by the recession.

Green Funding Scheme Launched By Northern Gas Networks

Danny — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 08:00:57 +0000

Northern England will hopefully be a greener place following the announcement of a fourth year of funding for environmental projects by gas suppliers Northern Gas Networks. The energy company launched their scheme this week and are appealing for applicants who feel they can really make a difference in their local area. Funding will be awarded to schools, colleges, charities and community groups with a real focus on making a difference to their local areas and the planet on a whole. Funding totalling £60,000 will be handed out in grants of £5000 to successful applicants and the group with the most novel and effective ideas.

People have argued that adaptation to climate change and its impacts are essential and Northern Gas say that they are launching the scheme to support a wide and varied range of projects aimed at restoring the natural balance of nature. Ideas received so far include restoration of parks and gardens to larger projects such as restoring woodlands and grass lands. The areas to receive funding are across Cumbria, Northumberland, Scottish Border regions, North of the River Humber and across Yorkshire. If you want to make a real difference to the local area the application for funding could not be made easier. All groups thinking of applying need to complete a short application form detailing their plans and how they feel they could make a difference to their area with funding.

Application forms are available online from the Northern Gas website. So why not apply and help improve the environment.

Home Insulation Pushes Light Subsidies to be Scrapped

Danny — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 08:00:55 +0000

The Government is to switch their focus to the subsidy of all types of insulation- roof insulation, cavity wall insulation, under floor insulation – and are stopping the subsidy of energy saving light bulbs from next March. Chris Huhne, the Climate Change Secretary, is insistent that energy suppliers stop their promoting of energy saving bulbs such as compact fluorescent bulbs in DIY stores and supermarkets and start to instead promote more efficient methods of energy-saving, especially insulation. The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) scheme will see the subsidies scrapped in 2011. The CERT are to shift focus to the insulation of UK homes and energy suppliers will be required to spend on promoting professionally installed loft insulation, cavity insulation and solid wall insulation.

Huhne states that the lowest income households – those that are more at risk of fuel poverty- will comprise of 15% of homes helped by the new scheme. He said: “Our plans will give a huge boost to the insulation industry during the economic recovery as we pave the way for the start of the Green Deal. This is the beginning of a massive and urgent increase in home energy insulation for the nation. We are demanding that energy companies work harder to make homes warmer, more environmentally friendly and cheaper to run, especially for those who need it most.”

Huhne predicts a £550 annual saving by households properly insulating their homes. The minister states that 3.5 million more homes across the UK are likely to gain under the scheme, a further 1 million rise on the 2.5 million homes insulated under the scheme since April 2008.

National Insulation Association chief executive Neil Marshall said: “We welcome this bold move by Government and recognition of the critical role that insulation has to play in reducing energy bills and tackling climate change. The introduction of a minimum level of insulation that must be carried out by the energy suppliers along with other changes such as stopping the promotion of CFLs will ensure there is a major increase in the amount of insulation undertaken.”

Community Fight Against Climate Change

Danny — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:00:37 +0000

As the fight against climate change heats up, green-fingered volunteers in Cheshire have taken matters into their own hands. A public kitchen has been constructed in the grounds of Mickle Trafford Mill just outside Chester as part of the Carbon Army campaign, giving a modern take on the traditional allotment.

The campaign, which has been devised and supported by the British Trust Conservation Volunteers, is hoped to encourage people in the area to grow their own fruit and vegetables and provide a practical approach to solving the problem of Climate Change. The BTCV supports communities across the UK to grow their own food and learn how to become more sustainable.

One of the volunteers taking part in the project is mum-of-two Amy Edwards from Hoole. She said that although she has been growing her own fruit and vegetables for years, due to family commitments she now doesn’t have time to commit to an allotment. The Kitchen Garden project provides an excellent compromise by enabling the workload to be shared amongst the local community but still have lots of quality, fresh produce to take home.

Tom Flood (CBE) who is chief executive of BTCV fully supports the project, reiterating how easy it is to get started, “it only takes a few minutes to get going and then you could be harvesting fresh fruit and vegetables all summer, but more importantly “we are taking a stand against climate change” and if this concept spreads across the UK then it can only be a good thing in the long run.

Old Trafford Installing Rainwater Harvesting Technology

Teresa — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:46:42 +0000

One of lifes most precious and needed resources is water and it is our responsibility to ensure that we preserve it, especially with the effects of climate change and the effect it will have on reduced levels of rainfall, it is important that we act now.

Every year that goes by, the available drinking water reduces and the planet’s population is growing, causing urban development to increase, and this makes it harder for the rain water to filter into the ground and join watercourses.

We can all help reduce the risk with simple water storage and filter devices which can also reduce costs associated with treated mains water that we use for all types of things such as flushing toilets and watering the garden. Harvesting our own water could also reduce the cost of household bills by half if homes are fitted with a water meter. Mains water only really needs to be used for all hygienic duties like cleaning, drinking and cooking.

StormBank have a range of rain water harvesting systems from small domestic usage through to large domestic, commercial and even industrial use. As part of an initiative to reduce their carbon footprint, Old Trafford Cricket Ground is installing rainwater harvesting technology and as a result, is going to be one of the greenest events locations in the UK. The eco friendly rain water harvesting system is going to be completed by June at a venue that will be able to accommodate 1000 people.

Rainwater harvesting is now widely being accepted and due to this, more and more new build properties are having the systems incorporated into their design. We can all do our bit to be eco friendly so why not start now by speaking to a local drainage firm about installing rainwater harvesting technology at your home.

Bee Friendly Gardens

Danny — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:45:23 +0000

Well the sun is finally out and the time has come for us to start thinking about our overgrown gardens. When sprucing up your garden this year consider the materials that you are using garden think about what flowers you are using. Are they bee friendly?

Bees play an important role along with many other insects in pollinating flowering plants and are crucial to our environment. They carry pollen from flower to flower causing the plants to pollinate. However they are also important for pollination of vegetable plants and fruit trees, as varieties that are not self vertile require flying insects to pollinate them in order to produce crops for us to harvest.

The world’s bee population is a risk due to parasites and other diseases, but we can help to save this by thinking bee friendly when renovating our gardens this year. Bees can forage in the smallest urban spaces if we help them. Global stone paving are a Colchester base garden suppliers their wide range of products consists of bee friendly plants and a natural stone collection. Their main stone products come in sandstone, limestone, slate, Yorkshire stone, travertine, granite and artisan all available in a variety of natural colours rather than using inking dye. Global stone garden makeovers incorporate simple structures and blooming flowers, such as Salvia, Agastache and Sedum, the flowers attract bees by the beautiful red clover lawn. Bee friendly plants will be launched at Chelsea this year.

You can get advice from local traders experienced gardeners so you can turn your garden into a bee friendly environment this summer.

Save Money With Energy Efficient Windows

Danny — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:24:02 +0000

In an economy where everybody wants to save money and in a world where people are talking about CO2 emissions and being green one of the best ways to save money is to install energy efficient windows. People seem to overlook windows as a good way to save money and energy and focus on insulating lofts and walls, which is important but an average household can lose 30 % of its energy through its windows alone.

Windows are mostly double or single glazed as we looked at in the post Single Pane or Double Glazed Windows but there are also triple glazed windows and various forms of glass coatings available to make the windows more efficient that ever. When choosing your new energy efficient windows you can check its energy efficiency buy looking at the Energy Saving Trust logo and the BFRC energy label. The Energy Saving Trust endorses windows rated C or above and the higher the energy rating the more money and energy you will save. The most glass for windows is low emissivity or Low-E glass as its widely known, this has an unnoticeable layer of metal oxide on the internal panes that lets sunlight and heat in but reduces heat and energy getting out.

At the moment there is nothing inplace that enforces window manufactures to put theses labels on, but if you do buy windows that have been labelled and rated and installed by a FENSA registered installer then you can be rest assured that your windows are energy efficient and are complying with building regulations.

Reduce Your Carbon Emissions and Electricity Bills With a Baxi Ecogen Boiler

Phil — Sat, 08 May 2010 08:00:44 +0000

Homes in the UK are now responsible for over a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions produced each year through consumption of energy used to run our homes. The only way that we can combat this is to use environmentally friendly products as much as possible.

This is where the UK’s leading heating systems manufacturer Baxi comes in. They have developed a way to combine your home’s heating and power called the Baxi Ecogen boiler. This provides efficient gas central heating and hot water but also generates cheaper electricity for the home, through a process known as Micro Combined Heat and Power or Micro CHP. Also allowing you to manage and control how much heat and hot water you use to help reduce your bills and ultimately your carbon emissions, the Baxi Ecogen could be the ideal investment for reducing your home’s carbon footprint.

Although this kind of dual system has been around for some time, in commercial industries like hospitals and schools, Baxi have managed to scale it down for use in the home. The Ecogen looks like an everday wall hung boiler and uses the same technique as a conventional boiler to heat your home and your hot water. The difference comes in the Stirling Engine inside the Ecogen that generates 1kw of electricity at the same time as heating the water for your central heating system and to give hot water for your taps.

The way it works, is helium inside expands and contracts, so that the pistons inside the boiler move up and down in between a copper coil generating the 1kw of electricity at 50Hz single phase. This means that whilst your home is being heated, it is also generating electricity for your use making better use of the gas being burned and reducing the amount of electricity needed in your home.

Overall you can expect to save up to £600 on your electricity bills depending on the current efficiency of your boiler, and reduce your carbon emissions up to 40% as a result. Although more expensive than other A rated boilers, the cheaper electricity produced, which is also more efficient than energy produced at a power station and fed into your home via cables, can save you considerably on your electricity bills helping pay for the investment. In addition, any unused electricity can be sold back to your energy company through a feed in tariff at a rate linked to inflation, meaning you benefit for every kW your boiler produces.