Eco Friendly Christmas - Gifts

It’s December and countdown to Christmas has well and truly begun! Last week we shared some great ways that you can have an eco friendly Christmas. This week we look at the perfect gifts for the eco warrior in your life.

Solar powered electric shaver

This neat little shaver is perfect for travelling. Not only is it compact in size, its solar powered which means you won’t have to buy international adapters to charge it.  

Grow your own bonsai

This is the perfect gift for the green fingered eco warrior in your family. The kit comes with enough seeds and pots to grow several trees.

Wind up racing cars with track

Two light up racing cars, 3.8 metre race track and no need for batteries or plugs! These wind up cars are a perfect gift for the small or big kid in the house!

Recycled wine glasses

Perfect for the wine lover in your family, these fair trade, recycled wine glasses are produced by a family owned company in central Bolivia.

Bamboo iPhone amplifier

Made from organic, fair trade bamboo, this natural amplifier is perfect for anyone who has an iPhone. It requires no batteries or plugs to operate and great for travel.

Image by Vanessa Fitzgerald

Eco Friendly Christmas - The Home

Christmas is round the corner and we're getting into the festive spirit.  The season for spoiling ourselves and each other can often create a lot of waste, but there are things that you can do to save the environment and money.

Each week we will be counting down to the big day, sharing with you our top tips on how to have an eco friendly Christmas. We'll be showing you how to prepare your home, buy the perfect present for the eco warrior in your family and even have an eco friendly Christmas day.

This week we're looking at how to prepare your home. Winter is the worst time of year for wasting energy, especially around Christmas, so we've pulled together some great tips on how to keep your home feeling festive while saving the environment.


Electricity

With the darker nights you’ll be switching on your lamps on earlier and also turning on your Christmas lights. If you find that you have a habit of leaving them on then it would be a good idea to invest in plug timers. By setting an on and off time, you no longer have to worry about leaving your lights on or devices on standby.

Batteries

Christmas is a time when you know you’ll need more batteries than you can store. Rather than buying lots of batteries, invest in a rechargeable battery pack. They charge quickly and are the perfect solution when your child’s toy runs out of juice, especially when its 6am and there aren't any shops open!

Heating

If you have central heating why not use a radiator booster? Hot air rises, which means it only heats your room on its way down from the ceiling. By placing a booster on top of your radiator you can distribute the warm air into your room quicker, meaning you can turn the temperature down, save energy and money. It costs approximately 50p a year to run and could save you around £140 a year (Energy Saving Trust).

Christmas Lighting

Being eco friendly doesn't mean you can’t have your Christmas lights! If you want to light up the outside of your house, why not buy solar fairy lights? And if you are looking for lights for your tree, make sure they are plugged in to a plug timer. If they are battery powered then make sure you are using rechargeable batteries!

There are lots of other things that you can do to ensure that your home is being as efficient as possible during the festive period. Why not invest in some draft excluders, insulate your home, arrange a boiler service, buy some energy efficient light bulbs, insulate your widows or buy energy efficient appliances? No matter how big or small, any change you make WILL make a difference.

Lights image by Philip Pena

How to Remove Damp and Mould

If you've done everything you can to prevent the buildup of damp and mould in your home, but still manage to find an infuriating dark patch and musty smell in your home, then follow our top tips on how to remove this ugly and hazardous nuisance. 

Before you attempt to remove the mould check if it is caused by sewage or contaminated water. If it is please seek professional help (contact your local council for advice).

The spores from mould can be damaging to your health, so it is advisable, especially with large areas of damp and mould, that you wear gloves, goggles and a mask that cover your nose and mouth. Close your doors and open the windows. 

The spread of damp and mould can vary - from the corner of a window all the way through to walls, mattresses and even toys in a childs bedroom. Have bin bags at the ready to place clothes and furnishings in. It can be hard to remove mould from furnishings; shampoo your soft furnishings and take your clothes to the dry cleaners. If you can't completely remove the mould, especially from childrens toys, bedding etc, the best thing you can do is dispose of them to avoid causing a health risk.

To remove mould from walls, use a simple solution of washing up liquid or soap used for washing clothes mixed with water. Dip a cloth in the water and wipe the mould off. Try not to rub too hard as you don't want to disturb the mould spores. When you have finished, use a clean, dry cloth to remove any moisture from the wall. Open windows and turn on extractor fans to ventilate the room and help dry the wall. Once finished, make sure you throw away all of the cloths, vacuum the floor and wipe down all of the surfaces to remove any spores.

In the bathroom, dip a toothbrush in bleach and run it along grouting for removal of mould. You can also try more natural solutions such as diluted vinegar, or a paste made from baking soda. Bleach can also remove mould from bath sealant, although this can be tricky to tackle and often result in the removal and reapplication of new sealant.

If none of the above suggestions work then you can buy a number of off the shelf damp and mould products from your DIY store or supermarket. Once you have removed the mould, make sure that you refer back to our damp and mould prevention guide to ensure that you don't have to deal with it again!

Image by Sanja Gjenero

Preventing Damp and Mould in your Home

Damp and mould caused by condensation occurs when moist air hits a cold surface such as a window, mirror, tile or wall. It is not only an eyesore, it can cause damage to your home and health. The best way to combat damp and mould is to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

Condensation is most common in winter months, but can occur any time of the year. Steam is a prime cause of condensation and can occur when you shower or bathe, cook food, boil a kettle or dry clothes without proper ventilation.

There are various ways to create less moisture in your home, such as covering pots when cooking and drying your washing outside. If you have a tumble dryer and it’s connected to a vent, make sure the vent is placed outside of the home, and if you do have to dry your clothes on an airer, place it in a room such as the bathroom, open the window and close the door.

Open your windows or use an extractor fan to release steam when cooking or bathing and use a cloth to wipe away condensation from corners, windowsills, around shower frames, tiles and grouting. It’s also important to make sure that your home is well ventilated and allow the air to circulate.

Condensation can also appear overnight when the temperature drops and form on windows, so make sure that you wipe away the condensation each morning, otherwise it can lead to damp, which can rot wooden window frames.

But condensation isn't the only cause of damp; leaking pipes, rain leaking through the roof and water overflowing from gutters can lead to damp. When these are the cause you should always seek professional advice.

If your pipes are leaking contact Maintracts.

Photo credit

How often Should your Electrical Appliances be Inspected?

All electrical appliances and installations deteriorate over time, so it’s wise to have them inspected to ensure that they are safe to avoid potentially fatal incidents. These checks are known as ‘periodic inspection and testing’.

An inspection will:

• Show if any of your electrical circuits or equipment are overloaded
• Look for potential fire hazards
• Look for potential electric shocks
• Identify faulty electrical work
• Point out lack of earthing or bonding
• Test wiring and fixed electrical equipment

How often you should have a periodic inspection varies depending on the property:

• 10 years for an owner-occupied home.
• 5 years for a rented home.
• 3 years for a caravan

Landlords should carry our an inspection every time new tenants are move in. They should also be carried out if you are selling or buying a property.

Who should carry out the periodic inspection?

Periodic inspection and testing should be carried out by a registered electrician. They will check against the UK standard for the safety of electrical installations, BS 7671 - Requirements for Electrical Installations (IEE Wiring Regulations).

When your inspection is complete, you will be issued with an Electrical Installation Condition Report, which will detail and observe any damage, defects, dangerous conditions, deterioration and any non-compliances with present day safety standard.

If anything is deemed dangerous the installation will be declared ‘unsatisfactory’, which means immediate action needs to be taken to remove any risks.

For more advice on electrical safety visit The Electrical Safety Council

Get in touch if  your are you in need of periodic inspection and testing.

A guide to energy efficient light bulbs

We are constantly being reminded to use energy efficient light bulbs, yet millions of UK homes still use the standard bulb that we are all familiar with. The EU have started to phase out this traditional light bulb and are encouraging us to invest in more energy efficient options. However, with rumours of high cost, mercury leakage and migraine inducing bulbs, what should you buy, and is an energy efficient bulb the right bulb for you?

Halogen Bulbs

These bulbs are not too dissimilar to the standard bulb we are all familiar with. While they are still relatively cheap to buy, they are not cheap to run. Although the bulbs last twice as long as a standard bulb, they emit a serious amount of heat.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)

CFL bulbs are a much cheaper, and efficient, option. The cost of these bulbs start at around £2 and will last you up to five years - that's between 6,000 and 15,000 hours of light!

If you've bought a CFL bulb in the past you may have found that some omit a more yellow light than others. This is due to the 'colour temperature' of the bulb. Each bulb should have a reference to Kelvins (K) on the packaging. The higher the temperature (K) the whiter the light.

CFL bulbs contain a small amount of mercury, about 5 milligrams. Research has shown that a tiny fraction is released when bulbs break. For the mercury to reach hazardous levels it would need to be left exposed for several weeks. However, it is still recommended that you dispose of broken CFL bulbs in the right way (see the bottom of this article for advice on how to dispose of a CFL bulb).

CFLs are also deemed an enemy by some migraine sufferers. Fluorescent lights have what's known as a flicker rate, and although there have been rare cases, these flickers can trigger painful migraines. If you suffer from severe migraines it is advised that you invest in some LED lights.

Do not buy a CFL bulb if you have a light with a dimmer switch as they won't work!

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

The most energy efficient bulb is the LED, which uses 10% less energy than a CFL. LEDs contain no mercury, they reach their maximum light strength immediately, are migraine friendly and work with dimmer switches. One bulb will set you back around £15, however, it can last over 30 years. It seems the only downside is that LEDs are not as bright as other bulbs.

How to clean up and dispose of a broken CFL bulb

• Before you start removing the broken bulb, ensure all people and pets have left the room.
• Open all windows and air the room for up to half an hour.
• Do not vacuum the mess as you can spread mercury powder (and also damage your machine with broken glass).
• Scoop up all glass using card and sticky tape to pick up any remaining small pieces of glass.
• Place all pieces in a glass jar or in a plastic bag, including the tape you used to pick up glass.
• Dispose of all items used to clean up the mess (such as cardboard and cloths).
• Check with your local council if you can throw the bulb away with your normal rubbish collection. If so, double bag the bulb before throwing it away

Images by Chris Cummings

Are you wasting energy?

We're constantly being told to conserve energy and we know that energy prices are on the up. Aside from making sure that we don't leave plugs switched on or computers and TVs on standby over night, what else can be done to avoid wasting energy?

Here are some tips that may seem obvious, but are easy to miss.

Don't charge your mobile phone or tablet over night. Most will charge within a matter of a few hours meaning that while you're asleep you could have charged your mobile devices three if not four times over!

The nights have been cold, so no one would blame you for using a heated blanket, but try not to leave it on hours before getting in bed and make sure that you turn it off as soon as you wake up.

Have you left your plugs switched on?

Most TVs have a sleep timer, if you like to watch TV when in bed make sure you have your timer on so that it's not on all night while you are asleep. Many radios, even podcast apps on your mobile device, will have that function too.

If you have a draft coming in to your home, check windows and doors. Heavier curtains and draft excluders will not only stop the draft coming in, they will stop the heat getting out.

Don't put hot food in your fridge. Wait for your food to cool completely or your fridge will work overtime to bring the temperature down.

This one will seem obvious: don't leave your windows open when you have the heating on. If you like to have fresh air in the home, turn your heating off first. The more heating that leaves your home, the more likely you are to turn up the temperature and waste money. Also, if you have a thermostat that automatically adjusts based on the temperature of the room, you may find your heat going up without realising it.

This last one is the most obvious of all: if you're not using an electrical device and it doesn't need to be on then turn it of! Here are a list of things you might not think of:

• Mobile chargers
• TV
• DVD recorder
• Digital TV box (there is no need to leave it on if you are not recording anything)
• Broadband hub (check that you don't have any devices that rely on the internet before turning it off!)
• Side/desk lamps
• Computers/laptops
• Chargers – if they are not in use why are they still switched on?
• Speakers for mobile devices
• Kitchen appliances such as blenders, slow cookers and coffee machines

There are many ways to save energy. If you're looking for more inspiration read our winter money saving tips article.

If you've followed all of our energy saving tips but still finding that your bills are still high then you may need a boiler or gas check. To find out more call 020 8682 2244 or visit www.maintracts.co.uk.

Image by Colin Brough

How to read an electric meter

It's important to get a regular reading from your electricity meter to ensure that your utilities provider is giving you the most accurate bill possible. Many people believe that the electricity provider can check your meter remotely – don't make this mistake! It could lead to you seriously overpaying or underpaying your bill.

Reading a meter can sometimes be confusing, but once you've established the type of meter you have and how to read it, you will be able to do a monthly reading, which you should be able to update online via your electricity account.

Note the difference with the numbers

Dial meter

A dial meter can sometimes be quite confusing to read, so it's important to take note of the slight difference in the dials.

The meter has five or six dials that look like clocks. If you have six you only need to read the first five. The slight difference in the dials, which can sometimes be missed, is that each dial (and set of numbers) alternate direction - clockwise and counter-clockwise.

The numbers on each dial run from 0 – 9. If the dial's pointer lands between two numbers, take note of the lower number. For example if it lands between 4 and 5, your number will be 4. If the pointer lands exactly on a number, record it as that number.

There may be times when the pointer lands between 0 and 9, in this instance you need to lower the number of the previous dial by one. For example, if the first dial is pointing at 5 and the second dial has landed between 0 and 9, then the first dial should be reduced to 4.

Digital meter

A digital meter has either one (single register) or two (two registers) rows of numbers, which can range from 0 – 9.

If you are reading a single register, simply take note of the numbers shown from left to right, ignoring the last number which is marked '0.1'.

If you are reading a two register meter then you will have two rows of numbers. The top row is usually your off-peak electricity usage and is marked 'low' or 'night'. The bottom row is your normal electricity usage. That is marked either 'normal', 'rate' or 'rate 2'. As with a single register, note both rows of numbers, left to right, ignoring the last number marked '0.1'.

Electric meter

Electric meters are the easiest to read and will always display the rate currently in use. Simply write down the rate displayed and submit it with your reading.

If you are still unsure about how to read your water meter then please contact your electricity supplier. And if you would like to find out ways to reduce your electric bills read our money saving tips article.

Image by Rober Linder

How to protect your pipes

The weather is getting colder and colder, so as the temperature drops it's important to make sure that your pipes are protected. 

Exposure to cold temperatures can lead to pipes freezing and bursting. There are some simple steps that you can take to ensure a warm and stress free winter.

Keep your central heating on low throughout the winter months. This will prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting.

Wrap up your pipes and water tanks with lagging – this includes those that are exposed to the elements on the outside of your home or business. Keeping your pipes wrapped up will help prevent them from freezing.

If a pipe does burst then you will need to know how to turn off the water. The stop tap controls the flow of water in your home, so it's important that you know where it's located. It can be found in your basement, garage, and more commonly, under your kitchen sink.

If you are in the unfortunate situation where a pipe has burst then you'll need to call your local plumber ASAP. If you need to contact an emergency plumber call - but make sure you turn off the stop tap before you call!

Photo by Andrey Volodov

How to recycle your electrical appliances

Have you recently had an electrical appliance break down on you? If you have, do you know how to dispose of it? You might be lucky to find a recycling bin for electrical goods on your street or in your local supermarket, but these are normally for smaller items such as mobile phones and batteries. So what do you do when you have a larger item such as a television or fridge?

Due to the amount of waste that electrical goods create (around a million tonnes a year in the UK*) and the hazardous substances they can produce, it's imperative that all electrical goods are disposed of correctly. WEEE (The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive) sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods across Europe. Items that fall within this directive - and should therefore be correctly disposed of - include:

• Household appliances
• IT and telecoms equipment
• Consumer equipment
• Lighting equipment
• Electrical and electronic tools
• Toys and sports equipment

Some councils offer a bulky waste collection services, however, many have now discontinued this option. One of the quickest and safest ways to dispose of your electrical appliances is to take them to a local recycling plant. You can find your nearest plant by visiting Recycle Now's recycling centre locator.

Another quick and easy way to dispose of your electrical goods is with 123Recycle for Free, who offer a free pick up and recycle service in and around London. Many retailers will also dispose of your item if you are buying another one, but check with the retailer before you buy.

Alternatively, if your existing appliances are working, but you want to upgrade, then why not donate them to a charity such as the British Heart Foundation? They will pick up most items from your home.

While they can't be recycled, you should also dispose of low-energy light bulbs properly. Low-energy light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury, if a bulb is smashed, it is advised to leave the room for at least 15 minutes to allow for any mercury in the air to settle. Once you have done this, wrap the bulb and place it in your domestic waste bin. If you take the bulb to a recycling plant ensure that the bulb is in a sealed bag.

* Source which.co.uk 

Recycling image courtesy of Bartek Ambrozik

Winter Money Saving Tips

It's predicted that this will be the worst winter since 1947. With Arctic winds, heavy snow and sub zero temperatures, this winter will not only be the coldest for the UK, but possibly the most expensive.

Here are some top tips to help you save money during the coldest of months.

1. Replace your boiler

Boilers contribute up to 55% towards your annual energy bills*, so it's worth looking in to whether you could benefit from a new boiler. Modern boilers work more efficiently by heating quicker while preserving energy.

2. Turn down your thermostat

By turning your thermostat down by 1 degree, closing your curtains, shutting doors and using draft excluders you can contain the heat and keep warm.

Use a 30 degree wash and save energy

3. Washing your clothes

If you are buying a new washing machine look out for the Energy SavingTrust Recommended logo. These machines will be far more efficient and cheaper to run.

Wash your clothes at 30 degrees. Most detergents work effectively at a lower temperature and by cleaning at 30 degrees you are using approximately 40% less energy than higher temperatures*.

You can also save on your bill by only washing a full load and not using a tumble dryer. Use a clothes airer instead and speed up drying time by placing the airer in a room where you have the heating on.

4. Water

A leaking hot water tap uses up more energy then you think (and can waste more than 5,500 litres of water a year), make sure that you check all of your taps an ensure that washers and taps are in a good condition. You can also make further savings by installing lower flow taps.

Take less baths – a standard bath fills around 80 litres of water, but taking a four minute shower (with a water-efficient showerhead) uses just 32 litres**.

5. Insulation

Insulating your water tank is one of the best ways to conserve energy and save money; make sure that you insulate any visible pipes for further savings.

6. Kitchen savings

Always make sure that your dishwasher is full and on an energy saving setting before turning it on. Make sure that all food is scraped off plates, pans and utensils and that salt and rinse aid are topped up to ensure a thorough wash.

Turn off your taps! A running hot water tap wastes more than six litres of water a minute*.

You can also save money by only boiling the water you need when using the kettle and investing in energy efficient appliances when you can.

Have you checked your radiator?

7. Upgrade your heater

Storage heaters are well known for wasting vast amounts of energy. You could install a new central heating system, but if that's not possible you can upgrade your current system. You can install storage heaters which have better controls or fit thermostats to make your heating work more efficiently.

8 Turn off your plugs

Leaving your electric appliances on stanby can significantly contribute to a higher energy bill. Unplug and switch off your appliances to save between £50 - £90 a year*.

9 Replace your light bulbs

For the biggest savings invest in some LED or CFL bulbs. They use much less electricity and last for 15 – 20 years.

10. Switch suppliers

This winter has seen the majority of energy suppliers increase their rates. There is still time to change supplier and save some pennies. Visit U Switch to compare prices and see if you can save this winter.

Contact us if you would like to find out more about replacing your boiler or upgrading your heating.

*source: EnergySaving Trust

** source: WaterWise

Radiator image courtesy of Jon Doc
Washing machine image courtesy of Dave Kennard