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Beware of Rogue Traders

Every year 89,000 householders are fleeced by rogue door to door home maintenance traders masquerading as professionals. Rogue traders often choose winter montyhs to cold call homeowners as they know it's the time of year when people are considering home improvements for the coming year. All trade organisations recommend that you never employ anyone who cold calls at your door. Do not engage in conversation with cold callers. If they can start immediately there is usually a reason. If they deal only in cash they are unlikely to be a legitimate company and will not have the necessary insurance cover should anything go wrong. If you employ cowboys, it could cost far more to get the job rectified when it all goes wrong. 

Warm Up Your Home

With winter fast approaching the coming feezing temperatures and icy winds will not only chill your fingers and toes they will also test your home insulation and heating. Rather than simply pressing the override button on the heating system, you should consider other ways of warming your home.

25% of heat escapes through the roof and 35% through the walls. You can make a big difference to the temperature of the house and keep heating costs down by increasing the insulation, fitting draughtproofing on windows and doors and upgrading the boiler and heating system.

Quick DIY jobs include fitting a jacket on the hot water tank, draughtproofing around windows, doors, letterboxes and between floorboards.

But to really make a difference, its worth giving us a call so that we can discuss with you about insulating your loft, cavity wall insulation or solid wall insulation, double glazing, underfloor heating and installing heating controls for each room.

The Energy Trust suggests a few simple tips for immediate warmth and savings:

• Have your boiler serviced
• Bleed your radiators
• Close the curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows
• Set thermostats correctly
• avoid placing furniture infront of radiators