Apr 16
There have many reports in the press over the last few days over the government’s Green Deal. A core group of Tory ministers are attacking the Green Deal as they say that due to current economic situation for most householders in Britain, the Green Deal could force many people to spend more money than they can afford on insulation etc. There is also confusion over part of the Green Deal which could mean that people wanting to build an extension, repair a boiler or replace windows would also have to spend money on energy efficiency as they would have to sign up to the Deal to get planning permission for the other work.
The group of of ministers trying to block the Green Deal include the Chancellor George Osborne, the Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, Housing Minister Grant Shapps and Employment Minister Chris Grayling.
The Green Deal is set to be launched in October 2012 and was the work of Chris Huhne who resigned as Energy Secretary in February. He has said “The green deal means that home insulation is funded from the savings in home energy bills so people are better off, not worse off. Top Tories should stop posturing on green plans that help hard-hit households.”
Feb 03
Natural floorboards shrink and expand with the seasons. This means the best time to fill the emerging floorboard gaps are when they are at their largest.
Through the past months central heating systems may have caused traditional floorboards to shrink opening up wide gaps. These gaps can let cold draughts intrude into rooms making them cold and uncomfortable as well as increasing heating bills.
Now, when the gaps are at their largest is the best time to fill them. DIY gap fillers like papier mache and glue are not able to withstand the movement of the wood and will eventually drop through the gaps. As DraughtEx is very flexible it will expand and contract within the floorboard gap leaving you with peace of mind for years to come.
The same flexible properties also allow an easy installation in a wide range of gaps. Old Victorian houses often have wooden floorboards with strongly varying gaps. Our three different versions of DraughtEx will allow you to cover a gap range of 1-11mm width. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to receive more information or visit our website www.draughtex.co.uk
Jan 17
Figures released by the government show that the new Green Deal, which is due to start in October, will cause a big drop in the number of homes having loft insulation.
It is estimated that the number of lofts being insulated will fall to only 70,000 a year, whereas the climate change targets are 2 million. Cavity wall installations are likely to drop from 510,00 per year to only 170,000 whereas the target is 1.4million.
At the moment there are government schemes which subsidise the costs of insulation, but under the Green Deal these subsidies for most people will go, and a loan will replace them which will enable the homeowner to pay for the up-front costs using the savings made on their heating bills.
It is unclear how the apparent gap in take up will be solved and in December the government’s official independent advisors warned that the scheme was looking like only reaching 2-3 million households instead of the targeted 14 million.
You can find more information about the Green Deal from the Department of Energy & Climate Change’s website.
Jan 02
With the colder weather upon us, and some parts of the country suffering more than others, householders should make sure that their pipes are insulated sufficiently. If they are not you could suffer the nightmare of a burst pipe.
This happens when water in your pipes freezes, as the frozen water then expands with nowhere to expand to, your pipe splits. Then as the ice thaws, you end up with a leak.
We have a project on this very subject which talks you through what to do to fix your pipe if you do find yourself with a burst pipe, or indeed if you have accidently put a nail through a pipe, as the same process applies to either, so take a look at our Repairing a Burst Pipe project.
Dec 30
Winter maintenance for your home is vital. We have a project identifying several jobs to be done at this time of year. These include:
- clearing you gutters - we know, no-one likes doing this, but it is worth it if it avoids blockages which could cause water to freeze and cause damage to pipes and buildings
adding drain tidys to keep leaves etc from blocking your drains- cleaning paths and patios to avoid them getting slippery and dangerous
- ensuring you have adequate outside lighting, ideally fitting PIR’s which will turn themselves on when they detect movement
- check your roof for missing tiles or damage
- go round the house filling any gaps you find round doors and windows as well as between floorboards
If you need to get a professional tradesperson in to do any home improvement jobs, you can get free quotes via our Find a Tradesman service, which finds appropriate, insured tradespeople in your local area .
