Home Improvement

Everyone loves the relaxing glow of a fireplace, whether it is in your living room or at a camping spot in the woods. One trend that has come on strong in recent years is the outdoor fireplace – either stand-alone, portable units (fire pits) or a brick structure that is in itself, a decorative addition to the home.

One of the key advantages to having an outdoor fireplace is being able to extend the use of your patio into the cooler months. If you build your fireplace within a covered porch area, it can even be used on rainy days, or for the very hearty souls, when the snow flies. Continue reading ‘Outdoor Fireplaces – Adding Flair with Flame’ »

What is green plumbing? Well, green plumbing when applied to residential plumbing layouts, would mean plumbing that reduces your energy and or water wastage; an efficient plumbing system.

There are a variety of products out there that can save you water, but some are counter productive and some are a pain in the you-know-what. Others are certainly worthwhile and can even save you money. Continue reading ‘Going Green? – Water Conservation Products’ »

It is safe to say that the current economic climate has not been easy for the heating industry. Nonetheless, installers should not be put off by the economic downturn. They should not be discouraged and wait around hoping for the situation to get better. Installers have a number of opportunities available to them. It is just about spotting these opportunities and making the most of them.

Unfortunately many installers fail to recognise these opportunities that come to them and take advantage. One particular area is the radiator market. This area of the market has grown in popularity over a period of time and there are many products available. Continue reading ‘Specialist Radiator Market’ »

When you set up shop in your first new home it isn’t unusual to be lacking in some very vital areas like household tools; while you are moving in, as well as for day to day living, a well stocked tool box is a great resource to have.

The first thing that you will need is a container to put your tools into though you may want to gather together all your tools first so that you know what size of container you’ll need. Many toolboxes are made of metal though there are some good quality ones that are made from heavy duty plastic as well. You can also just buy yourself a small plastic tote to keep your tools in as well. Continue reading ‘Setting up Your New Home: Essential Tools’ »

We forget that solar power comes in many guises. Stand alone solar lighting can provide simple efficient lighting to the outdoor areas of your home. Either installed as off the shelf or a DIY solar panel hook-up, it can provide garden, garage or porch lighting for home security and enhance your homes appearance. When it comes to solar, we are so used to seeing solar hot water systems and solar panel electrical systems, that we forget that the suns heat and energy can be used in many other ways.

Home designers these days are well versed in passive solar design. However, these features are not always adopted unless asked to do so by the client, or unless required by local regulations to implement them as energy saving measures. If you are considering a new home, you are well advised to discuss the many design features that would make your home highly energy efficient and practically free of heating and cooling costs, simply by applying good design. Continue reading ‘Putting Solar to Work – Solar Energy is Not Just About Making Electricity, It’s for Heating & Cooling as Well’ »

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Looking for an easy project that you can do to improve your home? How about going green with your plumbing? By making your home more energy efficient and water efficient you’re are improving the resale value of your home and providing yourself with reduced water and energy bills and added convenience.

If you have to wait for an extended period of time to get your hot water you are a good candidate for one of the many instant hot water systems. Most don’t really provide you with “instant” hot water, but can considerably reduce your wait time, and can even nearly eliminate running water down the drain while you wait. Continue reading ‘Easy Home Improvement Project – Go Green with Your Plumbing’ »

There have been many stories in the newspapers surrounding the tragic consequences of unsafe gas work. There have been reports of people suffering from brain damage and paralysis from carbon monoxide exposure. Often this would be a result from faulty fitted or badly repaired gas appliances. Unfortunately the sting in the tale is that most of these tragedies could have been prevented, had the correct safety measures been in place.

The relevance of the Gas Safe Register

The basis for the Gas Safe Register is to make sure that the public is protected at all times from unsafe gas work. This involves keeping track of all the reports that come in outlining faulty appliances and repairs. The Gas Safe Register takes all of these reports that threaten gas safety very seriously. Continue reading ‘Unsafe Gas Work’ »

Offering efficiency levels of over 85 percent condensing boilers are by some distance the most energy efficient type of central heating boilers currently available in the UK. In comparison a new standard boiler will be at most 78 percent efficient with older systems being as little as 60 percent efficient.

A condensing boiler makes better use of the heat that it generates from burning fuels such as gas or oil. They work by recovering the heat that would normally be wasted by conventional boiler systems. In a conventional boiler some heat is lost because the boiler releases very hot waste gases from its flue. Instead of wasting this energy a condensing boiler uses some of the heat from these waste gases to heat water returning from your central heating system, so it requires less heat from the burner. This makes your condensing boiler more efficient. Continue reading ‘Condensing Boilers – A Quick Guide’ »

With the economic slump that everybody is now experiencing there are people that are looking into more ways to save money. To save more money it is a great idea to make your home energy efficient. By doing this you will decrease your monthly power bill.

To keep your home at a good comfortable temperature insulation is needed. If you have the right insulation put into your home you will see your power bills drop. But to have your home insulated well you must also have your floors, ceiling, basement walls, overhangs, and interior walls insulated. When air can leak in it is costing you money. So you need to be sure that all cracks and crevices are sealed tight. Continue reading ‘Ways You Can Make Your Home Energy Efficient’ »

There are a lot of home improvement ideas floating around out there, and every one has his own opinion of what a good home improvement idea is. Well I think instant hot water from your fixtures is a great idea! It will save you not only time, but thousands of gallons of water, and it can save you energy too.

Saving water and energy means you are reducing your carbon footprint and taking steps to going green. Help yourself and help our planet at the same time. Continue reading ‘Instant Hot Water! – Home Improvement Idea’ »