The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is launching a new package of support to prepare SMEs (small and medium enterprises) based in London for the upcoming Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and to raise awareness of the opportunities which this brings homeowners....
The government’s Green Deal initiative is to be launched in October – perhaps? When it does emerge, it will enable homeowners to borrow up to £10,000, mainly through their energy supplier, to make energy-saving improvements to their homes. It will not be a government...
An Emergency Glazing Register to help property owners quickly find reliable and professional emergency glazing companies to make their properties safe and reasonably secure in an emergency, has been launched by the Glass & Glazing Federation. The main reasons for...
About 10% of UK’s houses have a cellar or maybe you’d prefer to call it a basement? Usually they can suffer from 3D – dark, dingy and damp – and consequently may be sadly neglected! But with the correct attention, a basement can easily become a ready-made ‘extension’...
A new survey of attitudes towards smart meters has found that the more people know about them the more likely they are to support their installation. The research was commissioned from Ipsos MORI by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) as the first of...
Low carbon innovation is being given a big injection of cash with the launch of a £16m fund for entrepreneurs to develop new ideas. The first phase of the Entrepreneurs Fund, part of a £35m fund announced earlier this year, is now open to applications. There is up to...
If you are a homeowner whose looking to move home no doubt you will have found that fewer than half of estate agencies in the UK have a mobile-compatible website! According to a survey by Move with Us, this is despite the growing popularity for mobile web surfing and...
Although climate change has been affecting our planet for a very long time, the real problem seemed to kick off in the 1980s with depletion of the ozone layer. Ozone is a naturally occurring molecule that forms a protective layer in the stratosphere between 20 and 30...
Gas Safety Week from 10 – 16 September is being highlighted by Carillion Plc with a special gas safety in the home awareness campaign among its 13,000 employees. The company is positively committed to the initiative by ensuring that all staff receive literature and...
When you are not busy home improving, you might like to keep your eye on the ‘mysterious travels’ of the great white shark and other magnificent marine creatures? A sleek, unmanned Wave Glider robot has been deployed off the US coast near San Francisco which is the...
The UK’s leading fuel safety charity, the Gas Safety Trust is supporting the All Party Parliamentary Gas Safety Group (APPGSG) by pledging to work towards the recommendations outlined in the Group’s recent report. The Trust has committed to working towards four of the...
Whether is a new ensuite bathroom, a shower cubicle in a loft extension or basement or a toilet under the stairs, a Saniflo system is the answer. It’s small-bore macerator pumping systems make it straightforward to add extra amenities almost anywhere. The unobtrusive...
DIY Doctor, a member of the National Home Improvement Council, has expanded it operations and introduced the new, subsidiary company - Home Improvement Doctor Ltd. This will 'overlay' DIY Doctor, which will remain the core member of the group. As it has grown over the...
These days, home improvement is focused on achieving maximum energy efficiency and minimum running costs but at the same time making sure that all work is completed satisfactorily, to the highest standards. This means paying careful attention to detail and ensuring...
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s richest men, has been contemplating toilets! He has challenged scientists to develop waterless toilets for the 2.5bn people around the world without access to modern sanitation. Some 1.5m youngsters die every...
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors is sponsoring this month’s Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival. This is part of the famous Fringe event and celebrates the city’s traditional buildings and the skills and materials necessary to keep them in good...
A £7m DECC loan to The Green Deal Finance Company (TGDFC) has been agreed that will allow the company to continue developing its offer of low cost finance, expected to be available early in 2013. Green Deal Providers will be able to access finance through TGDFC,...
The Energy Saving Trust is to approach social landlord winners of the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) competition to see if they want to bid for additional funding to make their tenants’ homes cosier, warmer, more energy efficient and less costly to run? This...
Family energy bills could soar by more than £300 a year because of the obsession with wind power, according to John Ingham in the Daily Express. He says a World Bank adviser claims our government’s green crusade “blunder” could cost £124billion. It estimates that by...
Even temporary rises in local temperatures significantly damage long-term economic growth in the world’s developing nations, according to a new study co-authored by an Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist. Looking at weather data over the last...