Top Tips on making your home more energy efficient in time for Winter

For many, winter is the most difficult time of the year. With the bad weather come expensive bills for running your home. This is often a time where most adults feel a big pinch in their wallets. However, before the frost begins to set, there are some things you can do to ease the financial hike. We will run you through our top tips for making your home more energy efficient and cheaper to run. We have included quick wins, such as swapping out your light bulbs, or investing in efficient shower heads; as well as larger, long term investments such as insulation and the benefits of renewable energy.

Let there be (eco-friendly) light! 

One of the quickest and cheapest ways to save money all year round is to change your light bulbs from traditional, inefficient light bulbs to efficient, energy saving light bulbs. Switching your lights to eco-friendly LED bulbs can save you as much as 85% energy compared to traditional bulbs. You can pick up energy saving light bulbs for as little as £2, which can save you much more money. If you aren’t using energy efficient light bulbs, every time you turn on the light you are literally wasting your own money.

Maximise Natural Light

What’s even better than low-energy lighting is making the most of natural light. Although it may seem like you hardly ever see the sun in winter, it’s important to make the most of what you’ve got. Having more natural light in your home will mean you’ll be spending less on electricity bills each month. Not only that but experiencing more natural light in the winter months has been shown to fight depression and keep people happier. Here are a few strategies to add natural light to your home. Here are some ideas on how you can maximise the light in your home.

Painting walls, ceilings and windowsills white

Painting the walls and ceilings in your home white will help to bounce all available light around your room. This is a great way to make the most of what available light you have during daytime hours. If you work from home, this is especially important. Natural light has been shown to improve concentration and productivity compared to artificial light.

Ensure your curtains aren’t thick or blocking windows

Having large, thick curtains can be one of the easiest ways to block out your room. Often, these large curtains not only make a room darker, but they also often make a room look much more dated than it is. If you currently have curtains which are blocking out the light from your room, you should consider swapping them out for thin, light curtains, especially if they’re located in a living room. Although curtains can sometimes be an expensive investment, it can work out cheaper in the long run if you’re saving money on your electricity bills.

Use Mirrors to bounce light into darker areas

Mirrors can be a great, cheap method of improving the light in a room. The reflective surface of mirrors can shift the sunlight from light areas to areas which are lacking in natural light. Not only will this mean you can use less electricity, but it also means your room will look more stylish with the addition of a mirror. However, make sure you choose the right mirror for your room. Before making a purchase, you should think about what wall space you have available and what shape of mirror you’re going to go for.

Reliable Insulation

Insulating your home with reliable, high-quality insulation is one of the most important components of an efficient home. Without good insulation, you’re literally allowing your money to escape from your home. High quality insulation will trap the heat in your home and stop it from escaping through the walls and roof. Having old or even low quality insulation will mean you’ll need to constantly heat your home in winter in order for it to be a comfortable temperature. This can be incredibly expensive and unsustainable to keep up. Although new insulation may seem like an expensive investment at first, it will result in you saving money for years to come.

Save Water

Although you may feel the pinch on your gas and electricity bills the most over winter, if you are more efficient with your water use, it can drive down water bills and t will help to cover increased costs in other areas. There are a few very simple changes we can make to save water. Ionic shower heads are a great way of saving up to 30% of water when you’re taking a shower.  This shower head from Shower Stream costs just £12.99 and it can save you money for years to come. Adding the latest water-saving taps to your kitchen or bathroom can also be a great way to save on your water bill. 

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy has been a steadily increasing domestic investment which people all over the world are making. Not only can you save money on your energy bills through renewable energy, but you can even eventually make money by selling unused energy back to the government. If you’re planning on making your home more energy efficient, you should definitely consider installing solar panels onto your home. However, if you’re looking to make your home more efficient on a budget, you should first implement the less expensive tips we have listed in this article.

5 Reasons to Get a Standard Home Inspection before Buying a House

A home is a valuable investment for many people where they enjoy memorable moments with family members and friends. Purchasing a new and well-constructed property brings excitement to the buyer. However, when buying a house, you should not judge the book by its cover. You need to perform research wisely to avoid losing your hard-earned money. Average home buyers cannot unearth costly problems. Therefore, it is advisable to hire the services of a licensed home inspection expert to check the condition of the building before signing a purchasing deal. 

You can encounter several problems by letting your building go uninspected by experienced professionals. Some of these dangers include the following:
• Broken roof trusses
• Blocked chimneys
• Missing siding
• Raised roof shingles, which allow water penetration
• Poor ventilation
• Illegal additions

Although home inspection steps may seem tedious, they are instrumental in the home-buying process. Below are important reasons to get a standard home inspection before signing a deal to buy a new house for your family. 

Helpful during Price Negotiations

A home inspection report is a beneficial tool that aids the buyer to negotiate the price of the property based on its current situation. It has crucial information about the building. Therefore, during price negotiations, the buyer responds to the seller’s questions using facts. 

Moreover, a home inspection report equips potential homeowners with the bargaining power, which helps them to talk down the price. It allows both parties to agree on a reasonable price. 

Reveal Illegal Additions 

The safety of your family members is a crucial thing to consider. Therefore, when purchasing a house, you should ensure that they will not face dangers. You should hire an expert to inspect a building before buying it to make sure that all the necessary measures were observed during its construction. 

Additionally, you should note that some investors build houses for sale in restricted areas. With the aid of a qualified home inspector, you will know the right house to purchase. Once the professional completes the inspection process, you will be aware of several legal issues concerning the building, which will enable you to make a solid decision whether to consider it or not. 

Budget Maintenance and Repair Costs

If you do not inspect the house properly before purchasing it, you may incur high repair and maintenance costs. To avoid these losses, you should hire a professional to check areas that require immediate repair. You will request the seller to cater for these expenses before acquiring the property. 

Moreover, if the budget goes high, the seller may decide to cut down the initial price of the house. You will get it at a lower price and save thousands of dollars. If you have plans to resell it in the future, you can use this money to renovate it and make profits. 

Checking for Structural Defects

If the house that you intend to purchase has structural problems, a home inspection expert will inform you at the right time before negotiating its price. You can hardly see hidden structural defects in the house, even if you take a walk around it for hours.

However, professional inspectors will guide you to ensure you get a home that will meet your expectations. 

Uncover Safety Issues

Some houses have several safety issues that you cannot realize without the help of a home inspection expert. If you want to uncover them before buying a house of your dreams, you should hire the services of experienced home inspection professionals.

They will unearth these issues and guarantee your family members safety.

Conclusively, getting a house inspected before buying it brings peace of mind to the buyer. After completing the inspection process, the buyer is confident that the new home is perfect for occupation by the members of the family and friends.

Common Plumbing Problems that Plumbers Should Handle

As much as we all like to handle our household problems ourselves, there are times when it's best to just call a professional. This is often the case with plumbing problems, but you still should remember when exactly you should contact a Tampa FL plumber.

image:thirdgenerationplumbing.com/services

Slow or Clogged Drains

While you can sometimes fix a slow or clogged drain with a plastic store-bought snake or a plunger, there might come times when the problem is just too big for you to solve on your own. In fact, trying to fix a stubborn clog by yourself could be making the problem worse. Plumbers are better equipped and trained to handle a clogged drain, so give them a call if you can't solve the problem by yourself.

Leaky Pipes

Plumbers are routinely called in to deal with leaky pipes, and for good reason. Once a pipe starts to leak, it's usualy because it is damaged beyond anything you can fix by yourself. If you see things like standing water in your basement, water damage on your walls or floor, or if you actually see a pipe spring a leak, place something to catch the water dripping from the pipe, shut off the water in your home, and call a plumber.

Inconsistent Water Pressure

You should have pretty good control over the water pressure in your home; modern faucets are simply designed this way. If you turn on your kitchen or bathroom faucet and all you get is a weak trickle, you obviously have a problem somewhere in your home. This could be a clog in the sink itself, or it could be something more serious in your main water line. In any case, the cause of the problem is almost certainly beyond you to solve. The best you can do is check the other faucets in your home to see if the water pressure is that low elsewhere. The more information you can give a plumber, the more likely they will be to fix the problem.

These are just a few of the scenarios that might require you to contact a plumber. Since plumbing is far more complicated than people realize, it's always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your pipes. If there is any doubt in your mind that you need a plumber, don't hesitate to call one near you.

Roofing Contractors Wyandotte Michigan is best for your roofing needs, Call now!

Roofing is one of those factors you do not ever think about until you have standard water dripping down the bedroom wall and over the headboard. In addition, if that is the new you have discovered a flow, you have got no a chance to waste. Roofs and surfaces do not begin to show inundating until they have been soaked and which implies the flow in the top could have started months ago.

 

Are they insured?

If you do not ask this basic query and get evidence from the contractor, you could be responsible for any accidents that may fall upon the contractor when he is on your home. To add offend to injury, the roofing contractors Wyandotte Michigan that would put his employees up on home without being protected plan is the same contractor that would probably neglect most safety specifications. All of that have an amount and perhaps the one thing you did ask is: "How much will the repair cost?" If that is your only requirements for deciding, you could be in trouble.

Is the roofing contractors Wyandotte Michigan you are considering protected and licensed?

Again, in urgent method, this is an often-neglected query. Being certified and protected gives to the reliability of the organization you coping. Licensed generally indicates the organization has approved certain levels of training required to operate their tasks successfully and properly. To become certified, organizations must pass proficiency assessments displaying a knowledge of the business, the rules. They also must have a clean criminal background. Connection is the firms protect against poor artisanship, robbery and harm. Licensed Wyandotte Michigan roofing contractors are not actually protected - you need evidence of both!

 

Licensed and Bonded does not assurance excellent work! References!

Your homework for finding sources should begin online. If you ask a contractor for sources, you are likely to get some excellent ones. It is entirely possible that they could be family members or friends! Anybody can comprise referrals. If you cannot discover sources both positive and negative for a particular contractor, you are going to move on. The web is a wonderful source for sources. Check the customer's own website, Angie's List, BBB and even Search engines MAPS or Search engines Places. Be aware that a disappointed customer is nine times more likely to post a review than a happy one! So do not platform your choice completely on the existence of a negative review.

Avoid Anxiety Mode and Make A Sound Decision.

You can prevent an anxiety situation by getting home examined by a professional roofing contractors Wyandotte regularly. That would help you prevent panic method. Many excellent roofing organizations will examine your home without charge you for it. Further, you should consider examinations after major weather that includes high gusts of wind and come. Insurance companies only give you so much time after this type of harm happens to make your claim. If you do end up in urgent method, do not panic. Call a professional roofer to get a quotation. Follow the rules above. Very often, the most severe harm or flow can be protected by short-term actions while you do your homework. Then, reduce, do your research to get the organization you understand. Do not platform your choice on smallest price without sources. Must price range specifications starts with a quotation. Most reliable organizations will examine your home devoid of charge and help you understand the destruction issues and the price range specifications. Once you have that information, you are able to shop organizations. You are not required to buy from the contractor that does the examination. That said, it is a great way to get to know whether it is an organization you want to perform together with. So choose a contractor with reasonable sources (a bad referrals or two should not prevent you from a choice of a contractor who has absolutely obtained excellent reviews). In addition, ensure that the contractor is certified and protected and can determine your needs and specifications prior to any choices.