Archive for October, 2009
Due to the recession, and many people trying to save money wherever they can, more and more people have been opting to install measures such as double glazing themselves. However, the truth is that this is a professional job and is much harder than it looks.
Recent studies have shown that many major projects, such as installing conservatories and double glazing, are increasingly being installed by non-professionals. The problem is that people are not following correct guidelines and rules, leaving themselves worse off than when they started.
Adding double glazing or a conservatory is a great way of adding value to your home and making it more energy efficient. However, when done incorrectly it can actually make your home worth less, and lead to more headaches in future.
To get the best results with double glazing, windows and doors need to be installed by trained professionals with years of experience in the area. They will also take care of any regulations and planning permission to ensure your new installation won’t cause any problems further down the line.
Though the initial outlay to hire a professional double glazing company may seem high, for most this is more than paid off through cheaper energy bills and a more valuable property. You’ll also find that your home is more comfortable, warmer, quieter and more secure as a result.
As an added bonus, all of the installations performed by Central Scotland Joinery come with a ten year insurance backed guarantee to protect your investment.
There are many ways in which the government and organisations are looking to help us become more eco-friendly. However, technology is greatly advancing to the point where even our TV sets are watching the way we do things.
One new TV set has been fitted with a camera that recognises our faces. When watching TV, the screen will fade out when you look away from the screen. When you look back, the image also comes back.
When watching TV, it’s the picture that uses the most energy, rather than playing the sound. This new TV will help to save energy by reducing the amount of time that a picture is being produced.
Electricity from items such as our televisions is one of the large ways in which we use energy in our homes. Thankfully, all kinds of TVs are becoming more eco friendly. Other measures, such as energy saving light bulbs, are also helping us to reduce our energy consumption.
Even making the effort to turn off your plugs every night, and stop putting appliances on standby, can save valuable pounds from your electricity bills, and reduce the total carbon emissions of your household.
If you want to make the biggest impact, then measures such as installing double glazing, as well as loft and wall insulation, can help to make your home naturally warmer, helping you to spend less on your heating bills.
Whilst all of these efforts may cost money at the outset, ultimately they will help you to save money year after year.
The Energy Saving Trust has come up with a number of useful tips to help make sure you stay warm this winter, as well as saving a little money.
Watch Your Heating System
If you take a look at your heating controls then there are probably a few things you can do to save energy. Start by only turning on the heating in the rooms you are using, and keeping doors closed to ensure that heat is kept in the room. If you don’t have the right heating controls, get some installed. This will help to save you money in the long run.
Check Your Insulation
Insulation is one of the biggest areas when it comes to saving money and keeping your home warm. Check to see whether your insulation can be improved. Using thicker insulation could save you around £150 a year on your fuel bills.
Your walls are also a problem area. Using wall cavities could save you an additional £115 a year to install. It will only take around two years to recoup the initial costs of having it installed.
Checking your windows and doors is also important. By choosing double glazing, you will make sure that the heat is kept in and that the cold is kept out, helping to save you energy.
If you are looking to find the best energy deals for your home, then it may well be worth a look online.
The prices of standard plans have only come down by 4 percent this year. However, the figures online show that reductions amount to an average of 12 percent. Unfortunately, many householders simply do not know that these deals exist.
Lesser known suppliers have been competing with the big energy companies to provide better deals.
Energy comparison service, Uswitch.com, has said that the two cheapest suppliers are surprisingly not within the big six UK energy suppliers. They are actually from deals offered by First:Utility and OVO – two smaller firms.
Uswitch claim this to be fantastic news for consumers, as it proves that there are better priced alternatives.
The savings come down to the fact that smaller companies are able to react more quickly to drops in wholesale prices.
The Energy Saving Trust also recommends that consumers take a look at their heating habits, as well as the insulation in their homes. Installing measures such as double glazing in the windows can bring hundreds of pounds worth of savings on energy every year.
Another way to save on heating bills is to check meter readings for exact costs, rather than always accepting the price charged via direct debit. Taking other measures to save energy, such as using energy-saving light bulbs, also helps to save money over time.
Local police in many areas across the country have been issuing warnings after the clocks have gone back one hour. Since the nights will now be darker, this is the prime time for burglars to come out of the woodwork.
It is believed that criminals think themselves to be less visible now that the evenings will be darker, which is why police are reminding people to protect their properties from thieves.
Some of the tips given to help beat thieves include:
- Locking all windows and doors,
- Making sure that homes seem occupied even when you’re out,
- Never leaving valuables in sight,
- Using burglar alarms and security lighting,
- Not answering the door to unexpected visitors.
It’s also important to protect cars, where all valuables should be removed and the vehicle should be parked in a well-lit area.
Assistant chief constable of Cumbria Police, Jerry Graham, stated that ‘people play a vital role in reducing crime’ and that taking these simple steps can really help to reduce the likelihood of being targeted.
Thieves think they have less chance of being caught, simply because the dark nights are drawing in.
However, if you really want to do your best to reduce the chance of any burglaries then installing double glazing in your windows and doors can help to deter any intruders. Double glazing is very hard to break, making your home extremely secure even in the dark winter evenings.
Local energy expert, Christian Vassie, has stated that a wind farm should be built in York on public land.
He stated that the public needs more short term visions rather than long term goals such as those given by the government. Instead of arguing about the solution, we should do something now.
In the city of York, a lot of surrounding agricultural land is owned by the council and this is where, according to Vassie, the wind farm should be built.
This talk came as the council signed up to the 10:10 plans by the government against climate change. Many individuals and workplaces are involved, pledging to reduce their emissions by 10 percent by 2010. This is one area where the goals are short term, rather than long term.
Labour’s Ruth Potter, who set 10:10 in motion, stated that the campaign is a good way to get everyone involved, whether that means individuals, businesses, universities, council and schools. Everyone has one aim: to reduce emissions by 10%.
However, Potter also claimed that it is just the beginning. The message is that the public must act quickly to combat global warming.
Vassie himself also called for a number of other energy saving measures, including the installation of energy-efficient street lights across the city, and insulating double glazing on civic buildings such as the Guildhall and the Mansion House. Improving the energy-efficiency of council housing should also be a high priority.
Three different housing projects, based in the north and north-east, are to share a grant of £470,000 to help improve energy efficiency of buildings.
This comes as a result of the first Energy Efficiency Design Awards by the Scottish Government, designed to cut bills of those living in fuel poverty, as well as helping to reduce carbon emissions.
Three schemes to have won the award include Sky and Raasay, Macduff and Westray in Orkney.
Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association are using their £163,315 to improve 14 semi-detached properties. Measures they will take include insulation, and fitting double glazing and draught proofing.
£140,241 was given to the Westray Development Trust, who will be helping 9 homes on the island. They will be insulating lofts, adding draught proofing and treating external walls with special insulating paint.
The beginning of Energy Saving Week saw the announcement of two other projects in Fife and Kirkcaldy who would share a total of £203,000 as part of the scheme.
John Swinney, Finance Secretary, stated that ‘we all need to take steps to cut the energy we use’. This means helping to combat the high fuel prices, and reducing emissions. This is particularly important as around a quarter of all properties in Scotland are seen as hard to treat.
The Energy Efficiency Design Awards were designed to encourage innovation in energy-saving solutions, and Swinney stated that all of the winners have demonstrated a ‘unique approach’.
After stumbling across a collection of unusual houses from around the globe, we thought it would be nice to share them with you. Here’s our top five…
An Unusual House in a Tree Trunk
A "House in the Clouds" in Thorpeness, Suffolk
Unique House inside a Rock!
Dome Shaped House
A Village House in Candovan, Iran
Which one is your favourite?
If you’ve got an unusual house and need double glazing in Scotland ask us for a free quote!
Kirklees council in Yorkshire recently offered its residents free cavity-wall and loft insulation, as well as providing a free carbon monoxide detector and energy saving light bulbs.
This scheme, offered to all residents, was extremely popular, and was hailed as a great example to other authorities across the UK. It also helped to cut annual carbon emissions by 28,000 tonnes.
The initiative, known as Warm Zone, was first developed in 2007, and since then insulation work has been done in 32,000 homes. The average reduction in their fuel bills has been an annual £200, and over 100 jobs were created as a result.
Local residents have been extremely impressed by the scheme, which aims to help people make their homes warmer. Retired teacher, Pauline Pedley, said the work was done quickly and efficiently and, with the combination of insulation and double glazing, she rarely even turns the heating on.
Warm Zone has enjoyed support from many parties, and has £11 million worth of funding coming from Scottish Power, to help reduce carbon emissions.
Spokespeople for the council have said that Kirklees is very proud to have set a standard for schemes that could help to reduce carbon emissions nationwide.
Over 100,000 have signed up to the scheme, which is still running. The council see no reason why other councils across the country can’t follow suit, and effectively reduce carbon emissions as well as help to cut poverty in local communities.
Making your home more energy efficient is something that’s talked about all over the media these days. This includes saving energy, recycling more and, most importantly, reducing your carbon footprint.
The Energy Saving Trust recently stated that an average household in the UK could end up saving as much as £340 each year by taking a few measures to make their home more energy efficient. This amounts to 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
Many of us are trying to find ways to help save money, so reducing the costs of energy in your home is the perfect place to start.
There are many simple ways of doing this, including using energy saving light bulbs and efficiently rated appliances.
The truth is that making your home more green can also make it more attractive to potential future buyers. Energy Performance Certificated (EPCs) were recently introduced, showing buyers the energy efficiency of homes at a glance. This includes values for the boiler, and windows, where double glazing will help to score higher.
Going the extra mile and making sure that walls and windows are well insulated can help to cut heat loss by a third, meaning heating bills can be dramatically reduced.
Whilst all of these measures cost money to begin with, they will all add value to your home in the long run, helping you to do your bit for the environment and making it more attractive to buyers in the future.
