I Should Not Be This Excited About Dirt.

Upgrades To Make Your Home More Eco- Friendly

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We all know the importance of saving the environment and reducing our carbon footprint. And there’s plenty you can do to live a more eco-friendly life, right from the comfort of your own home. Not only will these things help the environment, but you’ll save money on your energy bills too. Planning to live a more eco-friendly existence? Consider adding these upgrades to your home!

Solar Panels

While you have to pay a fairly large cost up front to have solar panels installed, with the money you’re able to save on bills they pay for themselves completely within a few years. And not only do you save money, but you’re also helping the planet too. Unlike the fossil fuels burned to power your home in the traditional way, solar energy is clean and renewable. You can be happy in the knowledge that powering your home is causing no pollution or damage to the environment.

Private Water Source

Water boreholes provide you with your own private supply of water from your land. This not only saves you money on your water bills but gives you clean water, and also means you don’t have to adhere to water restrictions and hosepipe bans either. Adding a private water source will reduce your carbon emissions, as water companies burn fossil fuels during the cleaning process. Your own private water source from a borehole or spring does not come into contact with any surface water or contamination, so is already safe to drink. It’s not just large rural properties that can tap into this, even townhouses in busy cities with tiny gardens are able to reap the benefits. So get a private water supply if you want to make your home more eco friendly.

Insulate Your Loft and walls / Install Double Glazing

These two kind of go hand in hand, they’re all about reducing the amount of heat that is lost in your home. It comes back to burning fossil fuels again, these are what are burned to heat your home and the more heat that is lost the more you need to use. Not only does this mean your heating bill is through the roof but it means you are using up more of the earth’s resources. Double glazing with good quality upvc frames will prevent heat escaping from around the windows, and cavity wall and loft insulation will prevent it from escaping everywhere else.

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Compost and Recycle

Even without huge home renovations, you can make your home as eco friendly as possible by these kinds of small things. Every day the things we throw away pollutes the earth, but by recycling wherever possible and composting biodegradable waste it reduces the amount sent to landfill. Don’t ever feel like your actions are too small to make a difference as every bit matters. Hopefully in time more people will come around to the idea, and will be more mindful with what they throw away

Switch to Energy Saving Bulbs

Energy saving bulbs generally use anything from twenty five to eighty percent less energy than traditional light bulbs- incredible! They also last anything from three to twenty five times longer too, so not only are you spending less on energy but you’re spending less buying the actual bulbs too. Using less energy again equates to less fossil fuels burned which is kinder on the environment. Again these are the small things you can do in your home which don’t require a lot of money up front or any building works to take place.

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Whatever steps you take to make your home eco friendly will all make a difference to the environment as well as make your bills less expensive. Even if you can’t afford to spend a lot, just do the best you can with what you have.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2016/08/upgrades-to-make-your-home-more-eco.html

Teaching & Learning In a Whole New Way – Haven 2016

The Most Common Issues With Windows And What You Can Do To Get Them Sorted

Getting Stuck

If your window is hard to open or close it could be that the frame is expanding or shrinking due to the weather. Heat will make wooden frames expand, making is harder to get them open in the summer. While the cold usually make them shrink, if they are porous and have soaked up any moisture, and that freezes, the ice can also make the wood expand and the window stick.

To fix this, you can use brute force, wait until the temperature changes, or use use the thin blade of a putty knife and jimmy the window open. Be very careful not to damage the frame, though!

Leaks

You need to be very wary of leaks around a window and where they are coming from. If it is the window itself, then plug them if possible or replace them if you have to. Be careful that the leak isn't coming from the areas, though. Check that the signs that you can see are not from rising damp or a crack in the water sealant on the outside of the wall.

Moldy

Moldy windows are unsightly and unhygienic. They can cause health issues, especially breathing problems. Mould occurs around window frames and sills mostly due to condensation. This is when moisture in the air is turned back into liquid when it hits the glass of your window. You can prevent this by making sure your home is aired out. Open the windows or use a dehumidifier. Make sure that you always put the extractor on after a bath or a shower to get rid of any excess moisture in the air.

Drafts

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Drafty windows are not a good idea. Not only is it unpleasant to live in a drafty home, but they are also costing you money too. If you have a draft, then air can get in, that means the hot air that you are paying for can also get out. Drafty windows are not energy efficient because it takes more energy to get the room to the same temperature as the heat is escaping. If possible block small drafts with caulking. If there are bigs gaps, it means the window no longer fits properly, and it's time to invest in some quality double glazing.

You are always cleaning them

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Cleaning the windows is a big chore, so reducing the amount that we have to do this, is a good thing. But how can you clean your wonders less without getting stuck in a dark and dingey room?

The secret is to minimise the amount of dirt that they come into contact with. Of course, you can stand outside your home with a leaf blower distracting any stray speck of dust away from your precious windows. But people may think you have lost it, and you'll never get anything done.

Instead keep to these easy rules. Don't burn candles or your BBQ near to your windows as the door will stick to them. Also, make sure that if you are using the oven in the kitchen that you have the extractor on. It's so easy for grease to stick to your windows which will in turn act like a magnet for any other dirt or dust in the house!

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2016/08/the-most-common-issues-with-windows-and.html

Simple Secrets For Lowering Your Home Energy Bills

If you groan when the electricity or gas bill lands on the doorstep, then you are not alone. Our utilities are essentials for sure, but they aren't the most fun thing to spend our money on are they? So are there any ways to lower our bills and save some money? Keeping reading to find out.

Slow cooker

Firstly a hearty warm family meal is never a bad thing, right? But what if you could make it cheaper and easier to cook one all in one go? Well, you can. The way to do this is to get yourself a slow cooker.

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Instead of running your oven on full blast when it's dinner time, to get the food ready for the hungry masses, use a slow cooker. It uses a small amount of energy throughout the day to cook. Just prep your ingredients and bung them in for a tasty and convenient one-pot meal. Easy and delicious.

Wash on eco or at night

There are ways to save on your water and electricity bill when doing the family's laundry too. You can do your washes on the eco setting. Or if your electricity provider offers better rates at night, make sure your loads go on just before you go to bed each day. Then they will be ready to hand out to dry in the morning too, which is very convenient.  It is also possible to wash at a lower temperature which saves electricity because you use using less to heat the water. However, make sure that you get the right washing liquid for this as lower temps aren't always as effective in getting out stains and smells.

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Common sense

There are some pretty easy things that you can do to save on your utility bills. They aren't secrets, more common sense. But people still act like they've never heard of them! Try things like wearing socks, slipper and jumpers if it's cold, rather than running around the house in a t-shirt with the heating up full blast. Limit loads of laundry to one or two per person a week. Hang your wet laundry outside in the summer to save on the cost of running a tumble dryer.

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Double glazing and insulating

Another key aspect of lowering your utility bill is to get quality double glazing to minimise the heat lost through your windows and doors. They also insulate against outside noise like busy roads and they can be more secure and act as a deterrent to burglars.  

Some people even goes as far as to add more insulation to their walls with products like cavity wall insulation. This traps more of the heat in and makes their home much more energy efficient and eco friendly. Remember the more energy efficient your home is then less it will cost you on utility bills

Get a meter

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Lastly, a splendid way of lowering your energy bills, so you have more money to do other stuff, is to get a meter installed. In this way, you can keep an eye on how much you are using. This will encourage you to minimise unnecessary usage and save water, gas and electricity and so your cash too.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2016/08/simple-secrets-for-lowering-your-home.html

Em’s New Home, and Introducing Buddy!

11 Brilliant Outdoor Lighting Ideas

Confession: I have a thing for cafe lights. I know — it’s crazy, since these things are so ugly, they don’t add any ambiance whatsoever, and I’m totally lying. I like them as much as I wish every morning started with a huge pot of coffee and a basketful of puppies. And since I seem to not be the only one in blogland with a fondness for them and I’m planning on doing some major overhauling of the back yard soon, I have found quite a few ideas to ogle on an almost daily basis. Here are some of my favorite ways designers and bloggers have used them in their outdoor spaces.*

*Note: the pin-it button has been turned off on this post for most of these since they have original sources elsewhere; please click through to the individual project if you’d like to pin them!

My sister bought me two sets of outdoor cafe lights last Christmas, but I’m pretty certain I’ll be adding to that number once my outdoor space is planned out. Chatfield Court did an excellent job in her tutorial for how to hang several strings of lights together in one space (and without it looking like a tangled mess of wires or extra hardware). Saving this!

Most cafe lights are strung overhead, but my friends Jacque and Matt from The DIY Village changed things up and added some to their deck along the railing. I can imagine this adds a nice little glow at night!

One of the things that I’m taking diligent notes on are how people create the posts that the lights hang from. I took out a bunch of trees last year, so I have fewer spots around the yard that are up high enough. Posts, poles, and hardware are going to play a big role in my own yard transformation (when the time comes, of course). Design, Dining and Diapers used metal poles and added a wooden topper for a little polish, while blue i style covered in extensive detail (my favorite kind of detail) how to plan for them (spacing, type, etc.).

And how cute are these? Alexis from Persia Lou added some sweet little tassels between each light, which in her words “definitely upped the magic factor.” Since these are paper, they won’t last as a permanent addition, but I’m keeping this idea in mind for the first party I throw outside.

Most of the pictures I’ve found for cafe lights are strung underneath a ceiling or pergola, just like this patio makeover from Table and Hearth.

I am also digging smaller light projects, like this Anthro-inspired hurricane created by Sadie Seasongoods.

Elizabeth Joan Designs only spent $30 on her patio makeover, but the lights are my favorite part. And that pegboard luminary is so clever! I think I’ll have to make a few of those myself.

In my case, I will need to probably do the pole version and figure out an interesting way to blend them into the surroundings. I am simply in awe of Brittany’s transformation to her patio. Her lights are installed with copper pipe… and you all know how partial I am to copper!

Ultimately, I just want to create the kind of charm and cozy feeling that French Country Cottage did with her outdoor setup. Simply lovely… I just want to grab a blanket and a glass of wine and curl up.

Sometimes when I’m finding it difficult to get started on a big project, keeping my mind on some of the accessories I get to add at the end spurs me through the tedious parts. I’m sure I’ll be coming back to look at these ideas over and over until the back yard makeover is complete. Can’t wait to finally see these in my yard!

The post 11 Brilliant Outdoor Lighting Ideas appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/11-brilliant-outdoor-lighting-ideas/