The proposed government policy called ‘Green Deal’, designed to improve the energy efficiency of homes, will be consulted on by ministers later this month.
Under the scheme, apparently families will be offered ‘cashback’ of up to £150 as an incentive to get involved. Householders can then have their homes made more energy efficient by having loft and wall insulation fitted as well as double glazing, and pay for this in installments. This cost would of course be offset by lower energy bills.
The idea of ’cashback’ is under discussion as a form of incentive, although Labour’s climate change spokesperson Luciana Berger said that “it would be wrong to classify it as a true incentive given it would have to be paid back over time by consumers who took up the deal.”
High street electrical retailer Comet has been sold by their owner Kesa Electricals for £2. Kesa have also had to pay a £50m lump sum to the buyers, private equity firm OpCapita, for Hailey Holdings Ltd, but Kesa will be continuing responsibility for Comet’s pension scheme.
The majority of Kesa’s business is in Europe with their electrical retailer Darty, but Comet’s losses, which were £9m last year on top of their annual renatl bill of £90m, have reached the point of risking the future of the whole group.
Comet has 248 stores in the UK and 10,000 employees, but has struggled within the tough electrical retailing sector for quite some time. The sector is suffering considerably with the reduction in consumer spending, particularly on major electrical goods.
Thailand has been facing the worst flooding it’s seen in 50 years, and people there are coming up with some great DIY ideas to help in the most dire of situations.
A folding portable toilet has been developed by the Faculty of Engineering at the Prince of Songkla University. The toilet consists of a folding wooden seat and a plastic curtain hooked onto a steel frame. The frame can also be adapted to create a mobile shower unit if a water tank is connected.
Other practical help has included the automatic sandbag loading machine which has been created by the Faculty of Engineering at the Rajamangala University of Technology in Thanyaburi.
Plastic bottles have also been collected and used as buoyancy aids when water levels are high, as well as being made into life saving jackets and rafts.
Permaroof UK have just launched their new product range of Permaroof In A Box®. The first range is for shed roofs and the benefits are that it comes with a lifetime membrane guaranatee, and the kit contains everything you need to water proof your shed roof, all packaged neatly into one box.
The system comprises of a one piece epdm rubber membrane that is adhered to a timber surface using a safe water based adhesive. No joints to fail, and totally UV stable.
They come in 5 different sizes that should cater for most popular sheds but they also offer bespoke orders for larger sizes.
Also coming soon is a range of Permaroof In A Box® for domestic flat roofs, again in 5 different sizes – single garage, double garage, kitchen extensions etc and all packaged up so there is no working out what materials are needed.
All kits come with full easy fitting instructions. For more information, take a look at our Building a Shed project which includes Roof in a Box fitting instructions, and you can click through to purchase from Permaroof UK.
A health and safety instructor narrowly avoided serious injury whilst giving a demonstration on ladder safety, when he came crashing to the ground. The instructor, Paul Cavanagh, who works for a company in Tyne and Wear, was demonstrating how to work safely up a ladder by tethering yourself to it.
Unfortunately, he firstly forgets to put on his hard hat so has to be thrown it whilst up the ladder – not recommended!. Then as he is demonstrating how the safety harness holds him as he steps off a rung of the ladder, the ladder falls to the side and both ladder and Mr Cavanagh come down over a garden fence.
High street electrical retailer Comet has been sold by their owner Kesa Electricals for £2. Kesa have also had to pay a £50m lump sum to the buyers, private equity firm OpCapita, for Hailey Holdings Ltd, but Kesa will be continuing responsibility for Comet’s pension scheme.
A folding portable toilet has been developed by the Faculty of Engineering at the Prince of Songkla University. The toilet consists of a folding wooden seat and a plastic curtain hooked onto a steel frame. The frame can also be adapted to create a mobile shower unit if a water tank is connected.
The system comprises of a one piece epdm rubber membrane that is adhered to a timber surface using a safe water based adhesive. No joints to fail, and totally UV stable.