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House and Home

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:12:00 +0000

Information and Advice on Housing and Living With the essentials costing more and more each year, it is no longer good enough just to buy fuel and home furnishings without any thought. Here is some information and advice we have collected

Cheap ways to clear outside drains

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:12:00 +0000

Background WARNING: This is gross, I mean revolting disgusting horrible. Do not read if squeamish.

Getting an opening: remove an internal wall!

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 18:40:30 +0000

Knocking down an internal wall can be a great way to make your living space seem a lot larger. Making that decision needs to be taken only

Giving up Caffeine

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:48:15 +0000

Day 76: 10 March 2013 Breaking news, I've resorted to buying decaf tea bags (Yorkshire). They don't taste right, somehow, but I'm

More For Sale

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:48:44 +0000

American Radio Flyer SUV-version Little Red Wagon Imari style plate 2. Imari Style Plate 3. Lots of Unicef

How Good are Low Energy CFL Spotlights?

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:59:35 +0000

We have had all sorts of problems with a pair of B&Q low-energy kitchen lights that we bought back in February 2011. To save other

How to choose a new Family Shower?

Sun, 22 May 2011 17:15:59 +0000

If you are faced with the prospect of choosing a new shower unit for your family bathroon, then this may be for you! Our main shower room

Home Design Software

Fri, 06 May 2011 21:29:30 +0000

A decent home design software package can save you a lot of time, money and effort when you are considering making changes to your home interior

What is the most eco-friendly way to launder clothes?

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 08:34:23 +0000

Yeah yeah, I know, quite boring, but if you want to be a good eco-freak you need to think about the environmental impact of all your activities

Domestic Heating Oil Prices: Know the Market!

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:05:21 +0000

Domestic Heating Oil Prices Find out how to reduce your heating oil bill and avoid fuel poverty! We explore how to make it last longer, and also how to pay less: understand the latest heating oil price trends; get tips on energy efficiency

How does £1 a litre suit you?

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:05:21 +0000

The video below is of a phone conversation between a heating oil customer and a national supplier. The supplier is quoting 97 pence

Lower your heating oil costs with the Green Deal

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:06:46 +0000

If you own a home that could do with some energy-saving renovation, you could claim up to £650 from the Government's Green Deal scheme

Heating Oil Thefts - Stay Alert!

Sat, 19 May 2012 18:24:33 +0000

Do beware of thieves who siphon oil from tanks and sell it on at a discounted price. Now the

Police thumbs-up for oil tank alarms

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:11:08 +0000

Have you been a victim of heating oil theft from your oil tank? The best thing is for you to get an alarm fitted - at least, that's according

Cold weather alerts: be prepared!

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:07:41 +0000

Do you know what to do if your local weather forecast is predicting a spell of cold weather? The Met Office has issued a "100% probability

Beware of Non-standard Heating Oil Payment Methods

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:04:10 +0000

There is some consternation over a website offering discount heating oil prices, as long as you pay for it using relatively unknown payment

BoilerJuice is owned by...

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 05:24:50 +0000

... Welsummer Ltd (as of October 2011). Before then, it was owned by... ... GB Oils

OFT Report Concludes 'Fair Deal' on Heating Oil

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:57:11 +0000

As promised, the Office of Fair Trading has completed its study into competition within the heating oil market and has made its findings

The Autumn Dilemma for Heating Oil Consumers

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:20:52 +0000

October is a funny month. One day we can be basked in warm sunshine and wondering how long this 'extended summer' can last, and the next

BoilerJuice Discounting

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:41:12 +0000

BoilerJuice is a service that attempts to cluster individuals' orders together to create a small number of large orders. Here is their explanation

Boilerjuice to regain its Independence?

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:13:34 +0000

After a colossal volume of criticism about its impartiality and opaqueness, Boilerjuice may become independent once again. In

Costs and Benefits of Oil Buying Groups

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:55:51 +0000

Joining an oil buying group is potentially a great way to minimise the effect of increasing domestic oil prices. One community group in

Heating Oil Websites can be Deceptive

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 17:02:22 +0000

Impartiality in the heating oil domestic market can be as slippery to grasp as the heating oil itself. Last time you visited a heating

Off-grid Help for Renewables

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:33:26 +0000

The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is making it easier for off-grid customers to make their homes less dependent on expensive

Oil Thefts Almost Unchanged Between 2009 And 2010

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:25:07 +0000

Heating oil has been making the headlines a lot in the last seven months, as the price soared and more people reported thefts from their tanks

Reducing Heating Oil Costs with Renewables

Thu, 05 May 2011 20:22:24 +0000

Micro-generation of renewable energy has been quietly gaining interest in the home improvement world, especially with Government support

Wootton Oil Buying Group on The One Show

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 11:43:54 +0000

The village of Wootton in Oxfordshire has been quietly saving lots of money on home heating oil, and now has had a prime spot on the BBC current

Office of Fair Trading Wants to Hear from YOU!

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:30:50 +0000

After a brief period of consultation and scoping, the OFT (Office of Fair Trading) is inviting heating oil consumers (and other off-grid customers

No-Go-Locate Fuel!

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:11:55 +0000

What do you do if you place an order for heating oil, and none arrives? This is what happened to Go Locate customer Martin Armstrong, in

The Broadband Selection Guide!

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:30:30 +0000

The Truly Comparative ADSL Guide The best broadband providers are hard to find, as everyone offers a vague 'up to x Mbits service'. Fortunately, thinkbroadband.com gives us the ability to rate our ISP according to speed, reliability and

Solar PV Electricity

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:43:33 +0000

Solar Electricity (PV Technology) If you are interested in becoming a micro-generator, by putting solar panels on the roof of your home, then the articles and information here should help you out. Solar electricity (generated by converting

Feed-in Tariffs explained

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:43:33 +0000

Homeowners with spare cash and a desire to help meet UK carbon emission targets have been through some tumultuous times. As with all new

UK Government backtracking on FiT cuts?

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:58:20 +0000

Has the Government backed down on its feed-in tariff cut? On 29 December 2011 it published a report (for the benefit of the EU) entitled

Could oil be the magic ingredient for solar power?

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:02:21 +0000

In what seems to be an ironic twist of fate for that environment bad-boy, oil, the next big thing in solar cell production may depend on

Solar PV Spreadsheet

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:32:13 +0000

Here we investigate how to work out the economics of the returns you might get from a domestic solar photovoltaic installation.

Checklist for a Solar PV Installation

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:11:39 +0000

Getting a solar electricity system installed in the UK is a fantastic idea, but there are many things you need to be aware of. Here is

How to Clean Solar Panels

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:44:04 +0000

Solar absorption is a critical factor in getting your solar panels working efficiently and producing lots of useful electricity. The last

Solar PV expected and actual generation

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:37:18 +0000

Will update this section as the numbers roll in. For now, to get started, here is a plot of two sets of expected Solar PV generation compared

How to Use the SMA Sunny Boy Inverter

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:59:01 +0000

SMA is a German company that makes some of the best solar pv

Our Leap into Solar PV

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:43:54 +0000

After a lot of procrastinating and fretting over the initial costs, we decided to go for it and install solar electricity panels on the

Solar PV set to become Less Affordable?

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:55:02 +0000

Clouds are appearing on the horizon in the solar photo-voltaic marketplace. Just as the UK resident has become used to the sight of solar

Solar Field Emerges in North Norfolk

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:24:44 +0000

A new field of solar PV panels is being built on the outskirts of North Walsham, North Norfolk. After a lengthy search on the North Norfolk

Free Solar PV: What's the Cost?

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:21:37 +0000

I had the great pleasure in receiving an unsolicited call from a UK company marketing their 'free solar panel' deal. Since I'm interested

Compare Solar PV Installers

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:19:45 +0000

Below is a list of Solar PV installation companies, most of which we have contacted for a quotation. We have included a diary of responses

Good Energy Recommends Solar Suppliers

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:17:38 +0000

Which solar supplier? 100% renewable electricity supplier and micro-generation evangelist Good Energy has provided a small list

Solar-powered Facebook Data Center

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:02:57 +0000

Facebook has opened a new datacenter, to house thousands of servers that power its immense web platform. This one is in Prineville, Oregon, and has been designed from the ground up with efficiency and sustainability as key objectives. It uses 38 percent less energy to do the same work as the company's existing facilities. One feature of the new build is a huge solar pv array. It doesn’t power much of the datacenter, but does reduce power requirements for some of the other buildings on site. What this means is that this solar field is more of a token effort than a sea change. Most of Facebook's power comes from the local utility company, with a very high level of coal-based generation. Greenpeace is on the case; read its report, Facebook's First Data Center Has Bad Energy. You can also view a panorama of the solar array, taken by tech evangelist extraordinaire Robert Scoble.

Internet Access

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:14:08 +0000

Internet Access What do we need to get access to the Internet nowadays? The hardest part is choosing an access provider (otherwise known as an ISP), but it certainly isn't hard to get cheap internet access any more. Once upon

Dodgy connection? Don't just blame your ISP

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:14:08 +0000

ADSL is a proven, reliable technology, and on the whole it delivers a decent service for its users almost all of the time. When things

Your wireless router may be vulnerable!

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 10:15:19 +0000

Does your wireless router have PIN technology? This is where you can connect your computer to the router by pressing a button on the router

The State of UK Broadband

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:10:46 +0000

As part of the Digital Economy Act 2010, Ofcom has a duty to report on the state of the UK's telecoms infrastructure every three years. Consequently it has now published the UK Communications Infrastructure Report 2011 that reports on fixed line and mobile telephony and broadband, digital radio and digital terrestrial TV. It reports that the average home with broadband downloads over 15GB of data per month - that's over 10 hours of video. For more details on the state of UK broadband, go to Ofcom's Broadband Speed Report 2011. They have also produced an interactive map, at UK Fixed Broadband Map 2011.

Most home wi-fi networks are insecure!

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:36:19 +0000

A survey has found that over half of all home wi-fi networks in the UK are insecure and can be hacked into in under 5 seconds. A lot don't even

Wind Turbines

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:05:17 +0000

Wind Turbines This is all about harnessing wind energy, with

Our Windsave Wind Turbine is No More

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:05:17 +0000

After four years being mounted on the end of our house, the Windsave 1kW wind turbine has finally been taken down. It was dismantled by

North Norfolk Wind Turbine Needs Support

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 10:12:47 +0000

North Norfolk farmer John Mack (& son David) need your supportive comments for their Genatec wind turbine planning application. Consultation

How about a DIY Wind Turbine?

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:28:18 +0000

You can build a wind turbine yourself! And Hugh Pigott appears to be the man when it comes to DIY wind

Solar Water Heating

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:08:13 +0000

Solar Water Heating Here you can read up on domestic solar water heating. Solar heating is a more effective way of saving money, and having hot water at all times. Read on to find out more! Types and Parts of a Solar Heating system

Solar Heating Installers

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:08:13 +0000

Even a northern climate like the UK can give year-round water heating from the Sun, as long as the system is efficient and installed correctly

Combined Heating and Power (Co-generation)

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 07:18:03 +0000

Combined Heating and Power (Co-generation) This is actually a pretty old concept. It's immensely logical to be efficient in how one uses energy. Why use Energy source A) to heat your house and Energy Source B) to put electricity into

Do It Yourself!

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 10:33:22 +0000

Do It Yourself! Doing it yourself is a great way to save money, re-use things and have fun at the same time! There is a huge array of skills that you can acquire as a DIYer, but your learning curve can be as steep or shallow as you like

Solid Fuel Stoves and Central Heating

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:54:34 +0000

Solid Fuel Stoves and Central Heating We used to have a regular (small) open fire in our house, and started investigating the options for making more of the wood we burn. We looked at solid fuel stoves, the suppliers and installers, and

Oil Buying Clubs

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:13:08 +0000

Oil Buying Clubs This is an overview of the various oil buying groups in the UK.

Propane Prices

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:00:54 +0000

Propane Prices As with all forms of domestic utility supplies, you should shop around to get a decent price for your propane gas supply. Propane prices are prone to unexpected and extreme fluctuations, so keep a regular eye on prices and don

Electricity

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:44:00 +0000

Domestic Home Electricity

Oil-Fired Boilers

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 07:55:24 +0000

Oil-Fired Boilers The boiler is an essential component of an oil-fired heating system. With oil prices at all-time highs - and only set to increase as supplies become more scarce - it is very important that you pay attention to your boiler

Guide to Home Heating Oil

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:44:28 +0000

Guide to Home Heating Oil

Lower Energy Bills

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:55:57 +0000

Lower Energy Bills Hints and tips on reducing your monthly expenditure on home energy.

DAB Radio

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:52:28 +0000

dab radio reviews dab radio reception dab radio uk dab radio stations DAB Radio DAB Radios are the next big thing in radio broadcasting. It stands for Digital

Double Glazing

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:20:11 +0000

Double Glazing: Is it Worth it? Getting double glazing installed is extremely expensive on even a modest-sized house, so the potential benefits and drawbacks must be understood before you decide what course to take. The instant gain

B and Q

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:39:43 +0000

B & Q Delivery: The Smallprint If you're considering making use of B and Q's home delivery service, available from in-store (as opposed to their on-line service), take note of the following points.

Sustainable Living

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:52:51 +0000

Sustainable Living Living off the Land, that's what most people would call sustainable living. However, most people in the UK will be unable to achieve this, but what measures can we take to make the most of what we have, so that we

Washing Machine Costs

Sat, 19 Nov 2005 10:43:06 +0000

Washing Machine Costs

Using ADSL

Sat, 07 May 2005 19:45:00 +0000

Using ADSL