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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First off you will need to decide whether to fit the blind inside or outside the window recess. If you choose to fit the blind inside the recess, ensure that it is cut to the right size so that it doesn’t catch on the wallpaper, paintwork or other wall coverings inside the recess, otherwise you could end up damaging the blind and needing to redecorate more often because of the friction as the blind is lowered and raised.
If you have a fabric roller blind, this should be easy to cut, but it is better to cut the blind once, even if it ends up still being slightly too wide, then remeasure and trim to the final desired width of your window. Once you have cut fabric away, you cannot add it back on after all. Alternatively, you could hang the roller blind on the outside of the window recess, usually attached above the window, which is often a more practical approach because it means you will have more room on the window sill for things like pictures, plants or ornaments. You will just need to ensure that when you fit the blind, there is an equal amount of the blind at each side of the window, unless you cut it to fit.
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If you’ve decided to redecorate your home and want a new blind to add the finishing touch around your window, first and foremost you need to find what type of blind is best for you. If you are looking for a soft fabric look then ideally you are going to need roller blinds, these blinds can be adjusted to fit your window if slightly too wide.
Then there are venetian blinds that can be moved up or down dependent on the amount of light you want to have coming through them; upwards for a soft light and downwards for a reverse effect, or at times when you want privacy or you want to block out direct light from shining into the room, you can tilt the blind to achieve this. Venetian blinds come in a number of materials from wooden blinds to PVC and aluminium.
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Dormers give a house an extra room in the attic or loft space, often increasing the value of the house significantly as well as giving extra space if needed. A dormer window is similar to a sky light but rather than being flush to the roof it protrudes out giving extra head room and creating more space in the room.
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Whether to opt for single glazing or double glazed windows may seem like an obvious choice but there are reasons for single panes being a better option and situations where double glazed windows are not viable or acceptable. Read more…
When you need extra space to accommodate a growing family or you’ve just outgrown the space in your home and need another room, extending into a loft with an attic conversion can be an ideal solution. There are a number of considerations you should bear in mind however when planning your loft conversion so you can ensure your builders can give you the additional living space you want.
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There can be a number of reasons why you may need to rehang internal doors in your home. Redecorating and painting your door frames with satinwood or gloss paint can lead to layers of paint building up over the years. This can subsequently result in your doors sticking in their frames when opening or closing rather than swinging freely and noiselessly.
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When replacing windows in your home finding the right product for your home can be a major decision which can be based on certain factors.
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Money concerns are on many people’s minds but energy efficient double glazed windows could be the answer to save you money during the recession. Many people are choosing to spend money on their homes rather than look for new properties with the current house price slump, and investing in home improvements that increase your home’s energy efficiency and decrease your energy bill at the same time can only be a win win option.
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A local council in the north east of England, Hartlepool has changed its rules regarding upvc windows in properties with a historical interest or of special interest in its conservation areas. It has now decided that as long as it does not alter the size and design of the original windows they can be replaced with the modern upvc. Read more…
