UK has second highest levels of fuel poverty in Europe – how can you reduce your bills?
We think of England as an affluent country, free from many of the social problems affecting smaller countries, but it’s simply not the case; a combination of factors has seen England have the second highest rates of fuel poverty in Europe, only behind Estonia in the EU. That means that between 10% and 12% of households in the UK can’t afford to keep their home adequately warm at a reasonable cost, given their income; that’s as many as 4 million households being left in the cold. So, what has caused this increase in fuel poverty? The issue of fuel poverty …
How easy is it to install a CombiSave?
If someone offered you the chance to save money, save time and help the environment, with minimum effort, it would be a no-brainer to do it, right? For the average homeowner, one simple device easily installed into your home could achieve all that with no fuss or great expense — truly living up to the old adage that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. The CombiSave device might sound too good to be true, but the award-winning British innovation is something that definitely lives up to the hype! How does it work? The CombiSave helps to reduce the amount of water …
Avoid a costly bill for a burst pipe this winter
Although the howling winds of Storm Brendan blowing through the UK over the past week might have felt chilly, we’re actually yet to experience our first deep frost and prolonged cold snap of the winter. However, don’t be thinking we’re out of the woods just yet! As we enter what’s generally the coldest part of the year, there’s every chance we’ll experience disruptive winter weather and a severe cold snap, as we have on an almost regular basis over the last few years. February is usually the coldest month of the year; in 2018 the average temperature for the month …
Why getting a KBB Fire Valve will give you peace of mind this winter
With all the stormy weather we’ve been having, there’s nothing more comforting when you get home from a long day at work than firing up the central heating or running yourself a hot bath. But if you live in one of the 1.5 million homes in the UK that relies on domestic heating oil to keep your home warm and water hot, have you ever thought about the safety of your oil-fired boiler? Around 400 domestic fires are started by central and water heating appliances each year in the UK; that’s a worrying high number, but what can we do …
Keep up your New Year’s resolutions by making some extra time
It’s that time of year where many of us are trying to get fit, quit smoking or take up a new hobby as part of New Year’s resolutions, but a few weeks into the month of January is normally when most of us falter and cast those resolutions by the wayside. The fitness app Strava have deemed January 19th as “Quitter’s Day”, the day that people are most likely to ditch their resolutions. One of the main reasons people give up resolutions is the struggle to find the time fit new activities into our daily routine. But our CombiSave device, …
Nine ways to reduce the environmental impact of your home in 2020
The start of any new year is a great opportunity to do things a little differently, to take up new hobbies, or simply make positive adjustments to how we go about our daily lives. When we think of new year’s resolutions, they can often involve massive change or upheaval; giving up chocolate or going from no exercise to regular gym attendance are two of the most common resolutions every time Big Ben welcomes in another new year. However, sometimes the smallest changes can often have the biggest impact and never is this truer than in reducing our carbon footprint and …
Five climate change facts you might not know
The devastating flooding in the Midlands and north of England, highest tides at Venice in more than 50 years and the widespread bush fires in Australia have all caught the eye in the news, with climate change blamed for all of them. Since reliable temperature records began in 1850, the world has become one degree Celsius hotter than before the pre-industrial period. The implications of climate change on humanity, animals and the environment are worrying; the Paris Agreement focuses on keeping the global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, in an attempt to avoid severe, …
Five things you might not know about your energy bills
The cost of living is something that is in the minds of many people; wages have generally plateaued for years while the cost of food, petrol, property and pretty much everything else has continued to rise and rise. With budgets becoming tighter and tighter for people, people are thinking more and more about their energy bills. In times gone by, people would stay with the same provider year on year, paying their bills without thinking about how to reduce their tariffs or lower their spending. Attitudes have changed though, with people looking more and more into how they can shed …
How PressureSentry can help your housing association save money this winter
The cold winter months are approaching, which means that people up and down the country are beginning to put on an extra layer, cosy up under blankets and fire up their heating systems for the first time in months. But cranking up the heating following a long period of inactivity puts added pressure on systems components, increasing the risk of boiler breakdown just when heating is needed most. It’s a worry for housing associations in the UK; with all their tenants flicking on the heating again, if a handful of those people encounter boiler problems it could lead to bills …
Heating homes is one of the UK’s biggest carbon challenges
Climate change is in the news most days, so we’re all aware of some of the major contributors; people are being encouraged to switch off lights and unplug all our gadgets to reduce electricity usage, drive less because of emissions from our cars and consider cutting red meat out of our diets. Our culture of flying all over the world for holidays is also under scrutiny, with the aviation industry also thought to be playing a major role in what many are now describing as a ‘climate emergency’. How much greenhouse gas does your home contribute? If you look a …
