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Dimplex has successfully defended statements in their online leaflet against claims that they were misleading.

The list of ‘Electric Storage Heating Facts’ included the following which were reported to the advertising watchdog as misleading:

1. The performance of a Dimplex storage heater will not deteriorate over time
2. Running on off-peak electricity Dimplex storage heaters will always be cheaper over a 16 hour day than direct acting heaters on the day-rate
3. Dimplex storage heaters, like other electric space heaters are 100% efficient
4. Static Dimplex storage heaters have no moving parts and are maintenance-free for life

GDC Group Limited who trade as Dimplex, defended their claims to the Advertising Standards Agency who reported their decision on 30 January 2013. We look at the decisions in more detail.

1. The performance of a Dimplex storage heater will not deteriorate over time
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) agreed that the performance of a Dimplex heater would not deteriorate over time. They concurred that “the product would always function at an efficiency rate of 100% from electricity to heat”, and that “the passive components in the heater had been designed to function at the same level for the lifecycle of the product”.

2. Running on off-peak electricity Dimplex storage heaters will always be cheaper over a 16 hour day than direct acting heaters on the day-rate
The ASA ruled that Dimplex’s claim that storage heaters were cheaper to run was fair, because they can take advantage of off peak electricity. Storing heat when energy tariffs are low and distributing heat during the more expensive tariff hours.

3. Dimplex storage heaters, like other electric space heaters are 100% efficient
The ASA ruled that most consumers would understand the implied meaning of ‘traditional’ heating methods to be appliances fueled by fossil-fuels. By comparison with such appliances it agreed with Dimplex’s claims. While it accepted the complainant’s claim that generating electricity for the National Grid does mostly rely on burning of fossil fuels, it agreed that the individuals consumers experience was what Dimplex was referring to.

4. Static Dimplex storage heaters have no moving parts and are maintenance-free for life
The ASA agreed with the complainant that the heaters did have some moving parts but as they do not ‘routinely move during the operation of the appliance’ the claim by Dimplex was admissible. Perhaps more controversially the ASA also upheld Dimplex’s claim that their products are ‘maintenance-free for life’ referred to the fact that the heaters do not require regular servicing and maintenance required to keep the appliance working effectively, rather than never going wrong.

See a great thread debating the merits of Gas Central Heating or Electric Night Storage Heaters on our DIY Doctor Forum. You can read our forum without being a member but if you want to contribute we ask you to register. It is free, but registering our users helps us to moderate the forum effectively for your safety.

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Organised by The Chartered Institute of Marketing Construction Industry Group (CIMCIG) the Construction Marketing Awards showcase creativity, innovation and effectiveness in marketing and strategy. After being short-listed for two awards, the Natural Sparx brand was announced winner of ‘Best branding and Positioning’ at the awards ceremony in London.

Why Natural Sparx

In a growing renewables market, electrical distributor Rexel saw an opportunity to provide a superior service to renewable energy professionals through an online store that provided flexible delivery, direct to their door.

Offering a complete range of Solar equipment and accessories and now also Biomass products, Rexel branded the new division http://www.naturalsparx.co.uk and developed a range of benefits for installers to enhance the offering, including a flexible delivery service and highly competitive pricing.

The brand identity needed to be easily recognised within a highly competitive market and gain momentum quickly, conveying the benefits of engagement, simply and clearly. The new offering and brand was to be marketed through an integrated approach, combining on and off-line channels, to raise awareness and encourage account registration.

Working with their creative agency ThinkTank, Rexel were able to achieve this aim and the result was a high impact brand identity that stands out within the renewables space, one that usually features a lot of blue and green in brand identities and advertising.

The brand and online store, were launched at Ecobuild in March 2012 and the integrated launch campaign, combining social media, email marketing, trade advertising and point-of-sale continued throughout the year.

The launch of Natural Sparx was a major initiative for Rexel and it required the correct level of impact to quickly gain momentum in a very competitive market. Even though the delivery is visually simple it was a challenge to convey the core benefits, which were complex in nature.

Working with our creative agency, The Think Tank, we were able to develop a brand identity that met the needs of the launch and provided a creative platform for future development. We were able to develop the complex messaging around the brand in a way that was simple, concise and easily understood by the audience, communicating with them in a language they understood.

The simple but eye-catching brand identity has made its mark on the sector, providing considerable standout and recognition whilst also helping to secure considerable levels of sales

Carrie Davis, Digital Marketing Manager, Rexel

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With news of a Royal baby on the way we have turned our thoughts to ways to make a home more childproof.

However can we just point out here that RoSPA have actually recommended that the term Childproofing is misleading and in fact it can lead parents to thinking their environment is perfectly safe. This can lead to parents feeling they do not have to be as vigilant, leading to a lessening of supervision. This can be dangerous in a very young child’s life, when they are exploring with no understanding of personal safety.

So let us use the term child safe or child friendly.

It is still sensible to fit certain devices around the home if only to make it harder for children to hurt themselves, which may slow them down long enough for you to catch up with them to stop them drinking shampoo or throwing themselves downstairs.

Hopefully Kate and William will read this in time to buy their  stairgates and door catches.

Fit stairgates

There are a number of different fittings for stair gates

Mumsnet provide a useful review of stairgates rating them on how easy they are to fit and use (essential info for DIY fans), and whether they are good value for money. It includes pictures so you will see how they might look in your home too. Click on the picture below to find the Mumsnet stairgate review.

Fit child safety catches on cupboards
Although you should store any dangerous chemicals, objects and medicines well out of children’s reach they can still get pretty messy and bruised by pulling out all of your cooking and baking ingredients out on themselves.

It is probably good for their development to be able to get in amongst the saucepans and bash a few ‘drums’ but where you want to restrict access it is a simple DIY job to fit safety catches, which are widely available and you can buy them in our online shop.

Fit fire guards
A fireguard will keep children away from open fires, stoves and gas sires. Pick a fireguard that conforms to British Safety Standard BS 8423: 2010 and make sure you secure it firmly to your wall to the wall. We have a whole project page on fixings on the site, if you are unsure what to do.

Fit smoke detectors/fire alarms
Fit at least one smoke alarm on each floor of your house, and make sure it complies with BS EN 14604 2005. Check it regularly to make sure it works, and replace batteries as soon as they need replacing. You should keep spares in stock for this purpose.

This is one of the most simple DIY tasks and yet so important. Read more about smoke detectors and how to fit them here.

Fit Carbon Monoxide detectors
Known as a ‘silent killer’, because it is a gas with no colour or smell, carbon monoxide (CO) is a serious threat to health, to read a good blog about the subject visit Riley Marshall.

Thermostatic mixer taps
Hot bath water causes the highest number of fatal and severe scalding injuries in  young children. Around 500 children are admitted to hospital every year, with a further 2000 attending Accident and Emergency as a result of bath-water scalds.

When running a bath turn the cold water on first and always do that trick to test the water temperature with your elbow, before you let your child get into the bath or shower.

You can fit thermostatic mixer taps which regulate the temperature of the water as it comes out of the tap, to prevent running a bath full of really hot water. This makes the incidences of scalding much less likely. Although very young children have sensitive skin and you should still test the water before immersing them.

Fit window restrictors These restrict the width that windows will open, helping to ensure that children do not fall out of high level windows. They are typically made of steel, and restrict the opening angle to 305mm (12inches) for safety. The one shown below is suitable for both top and side-hung windows.

Use glazing which conforms to safety standards
Ensure that glass panels conform to British Safety standards BS 6206 (laminated, toughened or glass which passes the impact test). This should be a matter course if you replace broken windows, but you may consider replacing any panes that are at low level and that don’t conform, once you have a baby in the house.

They don’t stay immobile long and could crash through that French window on their toy truck. Glazing which complies carries a safety kitemark.

Make sure your electrical equipment is safe and working Residual current devices (RCDs) are standard in modern wiring systems, but your house may not be fitted with the best electrical safety devices. For more information about fuses and RCDs click here.

You cannot DIY this electrical work so find a good tradesman registered with the NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) and ask them to prepare a report. You can find Trustmark approved tradesmen through our site.

Circuit breakers in the garden Make sure that if you are working with electric items outside you install a circuit breaker. This will help to avoid electric shocks for you as well as your children.

These are cheap, they just plug in and if you need to know more click here where you will see a blog on garden safety subject and a link to a video about RCD external sockets.

So that’s the ten items we recomend you to get on with if you have a Royal, or any other baby on the way, but on the question of garden safety here is a taster of another safety blog to be posted next week. This time a bit more in depth advice if you have a garden pond and young children (if you will pardon the pun)

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Keeping the garden safe for young familes

Cover, fill or fence-off ponds
Very young children can drown in less than 6cm (2in) of water. A grille or mesh can be used to cover a pond. Make sure it is fitted above the highest water point in order to prevent a water hazard. To be perfectly safe you should fill in your pond, making sure you remove the lining material to enable it to drain. You can also fence off a pond, and for more advice on pond safety come back next week.

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Smoke Alarms

Every year in the UK, Fire and Rescue Services are called to more than 600,000 fires, which cause over 800 deaths and 17,000 injuries. Around 10% of these fires, 140 a day, are domestic house fires, which kill nearly 500 people and cause over 11,000 injuries.

Many of these deaths and injuries could be prevented if a smoke alarm had been installed, as they provide an early warning allowing people to escape in time. In fact, you are more than twice as likely to die in a house fire if you do not have a working smoke alarm installed in your home than if you do.

How many alarms should you install?

Simple: the more you have, the safer you’ll be. Ideally you should install an alarm in every room apart from the bathroom and garage, but as a minimum you should have at least one alarm on each floor, where you will hear it when you are asleep.

Choosing a smoke alarm

There are three types of smoke alarm available:

Ionisation alarms: these alarms are sensitive to fast flaming fires, such as chip-pan fires, and are the most commonly found alarms. They are also the cheapest. Best installed in bedrooms.

Optical alarms: these alarms are more sensitive to slow burning fires, such as over-heated wiring or smouldering furniture. They are also less prone to nuisance tripping. Best installed in hallways, landings, living & dining rooms.

Heat alarms: these alarms are best installed in kitchens, where the other alarms are more likely to be activated accidentally by cooking fumes and steam.

Installing and testing

• Always choose a smoke alarm that carries the British Standard Kitemark.
• In one storey homes, fit the alarm between the bedrooms and living area.
• In multi-level homes, fit alarms on each level, at the bottom of the stairs and on each landing at least.
• Alarms should be fitted on the ceiling, near to the middle of the room or hallway.  They should be at least 30cm (12”) from any light fitting.
• Alarms should be tested every week, so make sure they are installed where you can reach them.
• Gently vacuum your alarm every six months to remove dust from the sensor.
• Once a year, change the battery (unless it has a 10 year battery)
• When the battery is getting low, an intermittent beep will sound.
• All smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years.

Models

Many people forget to test their alarms regularly, so the safest option is to install an alarm with the longest life.

Battery alarms 

These are the most basic, and most common, smoke alarms: an ionisation alarm with a 9-volt battery. Optical alarms are also available with batteries, as are alarms with a light: these are suitable for someone with hearing difficulties and can also help to light an escape route.

Alarms with 10 year batteries are more expensive, but you save on the cost of replacing batteries.

Mains alarms 

These alarms are installed directly onto your mains electricity supply, and need to be installed by a fully qualified electrician. If there is a power cut, they have a battery backup.

Interconnecting mains alarms are also available, suitable for larger properties or people with hearing difficulties. These alarms are linked together so that when one alarm is activated, all the alarms will sound. 

Alarms for people with hearing difficulties 

Smoke alarms are available for deaf people or those with hearing difficulties. They can have a strobe light, and often a vibrating pad to place beneath your pillow.

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This is the Evatronic chauffage soufflant iris – it has been voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer.

If you have bought one of these trendy-looking heaters you should NOT USE IT, they have been recalled because they are a fire hazard.

Models affected FH802
In green, turquoise and white
Made in China

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