Green Deal update. Due to changes in Government policy Green Deal funding is no longer available for customers. We will update this page when we are have further information about any alternatives. There's an old saying that "an Englishman's home is his castle", but the problem is that, just like [...]
The world has become an increasingly ‘smart’ place, with in-built intelligence and enhanced functionality now coming as standard features in everything from bombs to phones – and now it seems the race is on to smarten up the grid too, and change the way we get our electricity forever. It [...]
The idea of providing a large proportion of your heating with a cosy wood burning stove may also seem like an attractive idea but when it comes to the bottom line, are you likely to save money and how soon can you expect to claw back the cost of your [...]
Bottled water has become a sort of fashion accessory during the last few years both in America and Europe, where the water that comes out of the tap is extremely clean and safe. It has become the thing to do in the office, on public transport, in the car, in [...]
The concept of working from home and telecommuting has not yet become as widespread as it could, but having people working from home, either permanently, or on some days of the week, has the potential to save both money and environmental impact. A worker who is at home has more [...]
The Roberts family live in a large Edwardian terrace in Reading, close to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, where Chris used to work as a midwife. “When I turned 50 a couple of years ago, we calculated that I could retire early; I have been suffering from a bad back since [...]
Feed in tariffs are mentioned quite often in articles and discussions about renewable energy, but what exactly is a feed in tariff? Essentially, this term describes the situation in which a household uses renewable energy, or an energy efficient boiler, to provide for its own power needs. The small energy [...]
If you live in an ordinary house it is not that easy to be environmentally friendly and few of us can claim to have homes that are carbon neutral. Having a larger house makes things more difficult, so how would you approach becoming more environmentally friendly if you owned or [...]
The boiler scrappage scheme follows on from the UK government’s recent initiative on car scrappage. It’s a scheme to encourage people with older, low efficiency boilers to invest in newer, more efficient models. The incentive is a £400 cheque towards the cost. To be able to qualify for the scheme, [...]
With rising fuel bills from all suppliers and future predictions that fuel will become even more expensive in the near future, we all have to think more carefully about how we heat a home. Gas prices particularly have shot up in price and the average home is now paying a [...]
You might think that when you switch an electrical appliance off, it uses no power, but you could not be more wrong. Many appliances now have a 'standby' function that allows them to be turned on again quickly, without starting up from scratch. The appliances that have a standby facility [...]
Until fairly recently, everyone got their gas through British Gas and their electricity through their own regional electricity company. In the late 1990s, the British government decided to deregulate electricity companies and British Gas and allow competition from different companies to supply domestic utilities. It was a move designed to [...]
Since their introduction in August 2007, Home Information Packs have certainly caused a stir in the property market, and opinions have clashed from those who love – or hate - the idea of HIPs and their contents. Crucially, though, the introduction of Home Information Packs has had significant implications on [...]
House building is taking a greener turn, if recent government policies are anything to go by. That means the days that architecture, house design and construction of homes in the UK were completed without consideration to the environment, and the larger issue of global warming, will become a thing of [...]
With green issues high on the agenda this year there’s a lot being talked about and introduced to tackle one of the biggest contributors of climate change – our homes. With 27% of the UK’s overall CO2 emissions coming from our homes, reducing energy in this area of our lives [...]
No 21st century household would be complete without a range of gizmos and gadgets to help make quick work of day-to-day tasks. These items make our lives easier but most of us don't realise how much damage our bad energy habits are having on the environment – or how we [...]
The kitchen is the centre of most households – where meals are prepared eaten and enjoyed, and where much of the housework takes place. Of course this high level of activity tends to mean that a high quantity of energy is used up in order to make things run smoothly [...]
Household chores are a daily – or at least weekly - task for most of us from vacuuming rooms and cleaning the bathroom or kitchen to doing the laundry. Getting the housework done is something probably nearly all of us do reluctantly, but, like many other things in the household, [...]
Keeping your house comfortable and cozy particularly during the winter months is one of the biggest preoccupations in any household. As such, energy bills are one of the biggest expenses, even after recent announcements that many of the energy companies would be lowering their costs for customers. This is why [...]
Fancy getting green fingered in the garden but don’t know how to get started? Establishing your own home composting system at home is a quick and easy way to begin your outdoor quest to tame your garden. Making your own compost – fertile and nutrient soil - will really kick [...]
Saving energy in the home is much more than switching lights off and unplugging appliances. There are more unusual and less obvious ways that you can reduce your household’s carbon footprint: in the garden and when making home improvements. These can be equally as effective and further help to combat [...]
When trying to use less energy in the home it’s important to choose energy saving products to support your efforts. If your boiler’s on the blink, washing machine’s is broken, or you’re just considering investing in more energy efficient products, help is at hand to find the best appliances for [...]
When the long sunny summer months arrive, it’s time to get out of the house into the garden and the outdoors. It’s not the traditional time for thinking about saving energy and reducing your home’s bills. However, there are still things that can be done to keep your energy usage [...]
Reducing outgoings is top priority for most households. But short of unplugging the phone and turning the boiler off, saving money on your bills is easier said than done. That said, rethinking your finances can really make a difference to your wallet. Take a Closer Look at Your Energy Bills [...]
When the nights draw in and the chill of winter hits our homes it’s the time to wrap up warm and enjoy the indoors. Unfortunately, it’s also the season that we tend to rack up high energy bills – especially after all the major energy companies raised their prices throughout [...]
