Archive for September, 2009
When it comes to installing double glazing, whether that is windows or doors, then you are making a real investment for your home. You’ll help to make it more secure, at the same time as reducing your energy bills. However, if you want to keep them working as well as possible then here are a few maintenance tips:
- When cleaning your windows, avoid doing so with washing up liquid. This could damage and degrade the seals,
- If you have sliding patio doors with friction hinges, make sure to keep the friction track free of dirt and debris using a damp cloth. Try to keep the mechanism clean and do not lubricate the track itself. You can adjust the friction by turning the screw, but be careful not to over-tighten it,
- Do not clean your glass with abrasive cleaners and always use soft cloths,
- It is important to clean your doors regularly, as they are exposed to the elements and dirt can quickly build up. Simply do so with warm water,
- When it comes to lubricating hinges, avoid using oil and use a silicone based lubricant instead,
- Cream cleanser could be a better choice to clean with than washing up liquid, as long as you never choose abrasive cleaners.
The good news is that our windows and doors require very little maintenance. As long as you keep on top of the advice given above, your windows and doors will stay in top working order for a long time.
As energy costs continue to rise, a number of businesses and individuals have been seen to react angrily.
The energy companies have been accused on multiple occasions of not passing down savings to their customers, and with winter approaching many will be struggling to pay their bills.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change put together a report, suggesting that average electricity bills will be £55 higher than this time last year, and gas bills will rise by £149. Those who pay by direct debit will save around £10-£25 on those figures.
Petrol prices are also rising, with health campaigners saying that the most vulnerable sections of society are being hit the hardest.
For those who want to take active measures against price rises, then paying by direct debit could help a little.
However, the main way of tackling the problem is simply to cut down on energy usage. This doesn’t necessarily mean living through a cold winter. Simply installing double glazing in your windows and doors can significantly increase the amount of heat that is kept inside the home, reducing the demand on your heating and your heating bills.
Many small businesses, who are also hard hit by the price rises, will be putting into place measures such as new windows, and intelligent use of energy to cut down on bills. This can also include using energy-rated appliances, and generally being more aware of what is used and what can be switched off.
The 10:10 campaign aims to cut down carbon emissions by 10% by the end of 2010, and politicians are doing their part by making a number of changes to their lifestyle.
The campaign, only recently launched, has already seen thousands of people sign up, as well as organizations including schools, universities and businesses. Among these individuals are the whole of the cabinet.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged to turn the heating down at Downing Street by one degree, as well as recycling more and making sure appliances are not left on standby. Mandelson is planning to cycle more, and other measures include installing solar water heating, cutting down on the amount of meat in their diets, using energy metres to watch consumption and more.
The shadow communities secretary, Caroline Spelman, states that she has already installed double glazing in her home, as well as making sure every single bulb is energy-saving, and increasing the insulation in her loft.
The leader of the Liberal Democrat party, Nick Clegg, stated that the 10:10 campaign is a “fantastic” initiative, and the minister for energy and climate change, Ed Miliband, stated that “it won’t just save CO2, it’ll save cash too”.
If you want to join politicians, and famous figures such as chef Delia Smith, actor Colin Firth and DJ Sara Cox then you can start your own energy-saving measures today. Double glazed windows and doors are a great place to start, alongside energy-saving bulbs and insulation.
By now you probably know that your windows are absolutely vital when it comes to keeping heat and energy inside your home. Unless you opt for double glazing, valuable heat is probably being lost all the time. But have you also considered replacing your doors with double glazing?
Our front door is typically a large source of noise into our homes. Not only can double glazing help to reduce the energy you waste and money spent on bills, it can also help to dramatically reduce the noise you get from the road and the street, when used in conjunction with double glazed windows.
All of the doors we fit use the same high quality glass as our windows, and can be designed to match your home exactly.
Your choices aren’t just limited to the front door, as more and more people are now opting for beautiful French back doors. An addition such as this to your home adds beauty, value and luxury to your home.
French doors are the perfect way to add extra light into your home without installing a whole conservatory. Switching your current windows for a new pair of French doors instantly adds a dramatic dimension to the room, with a beautiful view to the garden.
Whatever design you choose, double glazed doors are perfect for reducing noise levels and keeping heat inside the home. They are also extremely secure and, in the case of French doors, are perfect for letting in air without letting in the rain.
Central Scotland Joinery are proud to announce their sponsorship of Rosyth Civil Service Football Club. The team won its first ever league title in 2006/2007 season and Narrowly missed out on the title last year.
Management from left; Chris McLeod (Sales Director),
Jamie Haston (Managing Director), Mark Graham (Northern Sales Director).
Our commitment to local clubs, charities and associations contributes to our management policy of promoting positive behaviour both within our company and externally.
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has found that more homeowners would take measures to reduce their home’s carbon footprint if they were given financial incentives for doing so.
The findings have shown that most homeowners are not currently planning to make necessary upgrades unless they are given financial rewards. As a result, the FMB has called for more focus on the environmental issues of our homes.
The director of the FMB, Richard Diment, speaking at the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum, stated that government plants to help save heat and energy by 2030 will not work unless homeowners have a real incentive for doing so.
Diment said that there needs to be more encouragement towards low carbon utilities, insulation and double glazing. Special programs would help to spur interest in going green. As it stands, homeowners’ priorities lie with job security and simply getting by financially.
The founder of whatgreenhome.com, Gordon Miller, also stated that money is a huge factor in whether people will look at how carbon friendly their home is. He claims that one successful way in getting people to act will be to show them the savings they’ll make on energy bills.
Diment gave some concrete examples of the way in which the government could ensure changes are made to homes. These include cutting VAT rates and giving council tax rebates to greener homes.
These changes will help the government meet targets, including a 15% cut in annual emissions by 2020. Diment also claims the strategy can help to secure a large number of jobs in the construction industry.
An author has recently encouraged homeowners to consider carefully the design of their property in order to reduce carbon emissions and become more ‘green’.
Author Terence Conran, who wrote Eco House Book, states that many houses in the UK are not designed and decorated with green living in mind.
The good news is that consumers can make small changes to their home as a way of reducing the energy they use, and the impact that their lives have on our environment.
Measures that can help homes become more eco friendly include simple changes such as using energy-efficient light bulbs, installing devices that can help to save water, installing double glazing in windows and doors, and insulating lofts and walls.
Just making a few small changes can greatly reduce carbon emissions. For those that cannot afford large changes, small actions are still important to the future of the environment in Britain and across the world.
Conran also urges homeowners to consider generating their own power. The government is considering similar measures in the next few years, where owners will be allowed to sell off excess power generated to the national grid.
Conran stated that “good intelligent designs and green design are one and the same”.
Recently the European Union has introduced a ban on traditional light bulbs, encouraging people to make use of energy-saving bulbs in their homes – just one of the steps recommended by Conran.
As the summer officially comes to an end, now is the time to start thinking about your finances as winter draws ever closer.
As soon as the temperature starts to drop around this time of year, it seems easy to turn the heating on. After all, we all want to be comfortable in our homes. The only problem is that the costs soon add up.
However, there are a number of ways to start saving money on your gas and electricity bills. Simply changing the way you pay for your heating bills can save you money every month, or you could turn the thermostat a few degrees lower and start wearing more layers of clothing.
In fact, research has shown that you could save over £100 a year simply by switching to an online tariff on a different energy provider. Paying by direct debit can save over £30 every year.
All homes now for rent or sale also have energy performance certificates as standard, with each property being rated from A to G for energy efficiency. You can get your own certificate for a small fee, or you can simply start looking at various areas of your home to start saving money.
Some things to look out for include drafts that could be blocked, using loft insulation to stop heat being lost through the ceiling, and double glazing to stop heat being lost through the windows. All of these will ensure your heating bills are kept to a minimum.
With winter quickly approaching, it’s well worth taking these measures if possible.
Two experts have recently compiled a list of what individuals should focus on if they want to help reduce their own carbon emissions.
Edwin Datschefski and Katharine Robinson state that taking just a few steps in your own household is the key towards green living, and could result in reducing your carbon emissions by tonnes.
This list, published at BioThinking.com, has identified the biggest areas of daily life that emit carbon into the atmosphere.
Each point on the list is said to help save a tonne of CO2. Some of the tips include:
- Fly one less long haul flight,
- Fly three less short haul flights,
- Drive 3000 less miles every year,
- Give your house a thermal makeover (by insulating walls and windows, washing on cold cycles and more),
- Start buying low carbon goods.
The creators of this list have stated that “anyone can do four of these to save four tonnes”.
Not all of the points on the list are going to be easy, but making some small sacrifices and changes to the home can really make a huge difference in terms of carbon emissions each year.
Double glazing is just one way of helping to cut down the carbon emissions in your home, but being part of the important ‘thermal makeover’, helping to reduce the amount of heat that is lost through your windows and doors. Over time, this can also mean reduced heating bills – especially through the cold winter months.
Edinburgh University is one of 10 universities to sign up to the 10:10 campaign, which encourages both individuals and organisations to cut their carbon emissions by 10% by 2010.
The university itself now has a population of 35,000 across its three campuses, using around 400,000 tonnes of CO2 each year. The buildings themselves are historic, meaning certain energy-saving measures have been banned in the past.
However, a new block (home to psychology, language science and philosophy departments) has been built to be low-carbon. It includes digitally operated lighting, energy efficient glass windows, and an excellent rating for its energy efficiency.
The university first proposed energy efficient strategies in 1990, and have since been able to reduce carbon emissions by 31% – despite the fact that the university has tripled in size since then.
The older buildings are now being fitted with sensor-controlled lighting, double glazing and insulation. The university has also installed heat and power plants in three of its main campuses, that can provide electricity, heating and cold/ hot water. The remaining energy used is taken from renewable sources where possible.
The main problem faced by the university comes in the rise of students with computers. From 1,000 computers ten years ago, there are now over 16,000 computers linked to the network. These lifestyle changes are perhaps the toughest challenge in its energy efficiency measures.
Another area that is yet untouched upon is the overseas travel, essential for many of the students and professors of the university. However, in the next 18 months, new plans will see every single student and member of staff asked to cut down the energy they use. This is what they believe will take them to their 10:10 goal.
