Help Make Carbon Monoxide Alarms a Legal Requirement

Posted on by Posted in Useful Resources

cod2

Join Us in Helping to Change the Law — Make Carbon Monoxide Alarms a Legal Requirement!

Carbon Monoxide poison has been an issue for so long now, on average 40 people each year lose their lives to this silent killer, and approximately 4000 people are hospitalised with symptoms. When it comes to protecting you and your family, there is no excuse for anyone to not have one, especially with how low priced they are.

Take part and help change the law in England and Wales, to protect every household from the silent killer. 

It is already a legal requirement to have CO alarms in homes in Scotland and Northern Ireland when a new or replacement boiler, heater, stove or fire is installed and now it’s time for a change in the law in England and Wales. We need 100,000 signatures on the e-petition to have this debated in parliament with a view to changing the law. For more information about carbon monoxide poisoning click here. To sign the e-petition click the banner below

If you do not already have a detector and would like to know where to get one from, feel free to check out our website for affordable and reliable CO detectors.

Tagged with: , , , ,

Kaldewei supply sensational seamless solutions

Posted on by Posted in Bathrooms and Kitchens

Kaldewei-bathKaldewei presents as a new range available from June 2014. The new free-standing baths with enamelled panelling feature a seamless finish with a linear expression of style.

In a new approach to production using modern technology for deep drawing steel, Kaldewei applies precise handcrafting for a smooth transition from panelling to bath. The Meisterstück Asymmetric Duo is a highlight of this technique.

With smooth enamelled panelling, as if made in one piece, it provides a modern design says Kaldewei that echoes in its clear lines and puristic styling. Its panelling at the same time underlines the linear interior of the bath. The design is rounded out by a flush waste cover made of steel enamel.

Initially, three bath designs are offered in Alpine White ‘Meisterstück’ version: The Meisterstück Centro Duo Oval is available in the two sizes 170 x 75 cm and 180 x 80 cm. The Meisterstück Conoduo comes in the size 170 x 75 cm, while the Asymmetric Duo bath icon in Meisterstück version measures 170 x 80 cm. As an exclusive and separate segment, the new “Meisterstücke” take on special significance in the Kaldewei range and will in future be joined by other products made of Kaldewei steel enamel.

Kaldewei’s head of marketing, Arndt Papenfuss said:

“Our new ‘Kaldewei Meisterstücke’ segment opens up a new chapter in our production of exclusive baths allowing us once more to underline our status as a pioneer and style icon,

“Our ‘Meisterstücke’ are geared to high-end housing such as premium penthouses, and to the operators and investors of five-star hotels.”

www.kaldewei.com

Tagged with: , , , ,

Water Label shortlisted for its sixth award

Posted on by Posted in Bathrooms and Kitchens

waterlabelThe Bathroom Manufacturers Association’s Water Label project, seen on bathroom and kitchen products in over 30 countries across Europe, has been shortlisted to receive an award in the UK Water Efficiency Awards 2014.

The awards ceremony takes place at WWF Living Planet Centre, said to be one of the greenest buildings in the UK, on 16 June 2014.

Yvonne Orgill CEO of the BMA and drector of The Water Label Company said:

“We must be doing something right,

“The Water Label is proving to be an extremely useful tool for anyone choosing new bathroom and kitchen equipment. This is the sixth shortlisting and needless to say we are absolutely thrilled!”

The European Water Label is a voluntary labelling scheme administered by the BMA for the Water Label Company and now includes almost 8,000 products listed on its database.

The BMA launched its original Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme in 2006. The scheme, through its recognisable labelling and online database, simply and graphically showed the water-using characteristics of bathroom and kitchen products so that would-be purchasers could choose those which ideally suit their circumstances.

In 2012 the BMA upgraded and enhanced the scheme. A separate not-for-profit Water Label Company Ltd was formed. Following intense negotiations with partners in Europe the scheme was adopted throughout the EU 28 countries, plus Turkey, Israel and Russia, and in 2013 support from major European builders merchants and retailers and two European trade bodies (CEIR and FECS) was announced.

The European Water Label has reached its tipping point says the Water Label Company and looks forward to the future, predicting that the scheme is poised to grow faster and further.

www.europeanwaterlabel.eu/

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

3D printing breakthrough claimed for construction steelwork

Posted on by Posted in Useful Resources

3dprinter1Engineers from Arup claim to have come up with a method for 3D printing structural steelwork components.

Arup says that its team is pushing the boundaries of 3D printing, taking technology “firmly into the realm of real-world, hard hat construction”. Using additive manufacturing, popularly called 3D printing, the Arup team has produced a design method for critical structural steel elements for use in complex projects.

They claim that their research also shows that additive manufacturing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector. Arup created a redesign of a steel node for a light weight structure. The complex geometry of this kind of node makes them an ideal showcase of the possibilities of this new technique, Arup says.

A traditionally produced steel node (pictured below right) is still cheaper to produce today, but this is expected to change imminently. 3D printing becomes more cost-effective the more complex the node (below left, for example).

3dprinter2

Team Leader Salomé Galjaard, Team Leader said:

“By using additive manufacturing we can create lots of complex individually designed pieces far more efficiently. This has tremendous implications for reducing costs and cutting waste. But most importantly, this approach potentially enables a very sophisticated design, without the need to simplify the design in a later stage to lower costs,”

Arup funded the development work and collaborated with a number of partners to realise the designs, including WithinLab (an engineering design software and consulting company), CRDM/3D Systems (the additive manufacturing partner) and EOS, who worked on the early development of the technology.

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Over 55% of Homeowners Request cash-in-hand to avoid VAT

Posted on by Posted in DIY, Heating, Home improvement

brianberry2More than 55% of all homeowners have requested cash-in-hand building work to avoid paying VAT, according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said:

“This research confirms what we already suspected – too many otherwise law-abiding individuals are asking their trader to carry out cash-in-hand construction work at zero per cent VAT, in order to cut costs. What’s more, when the professional trader refuses, the homeowner will all-too-often find a rogue trader that is willing to operate within the black economy. That’s when homeowners inevitably become ensnared in nightmare situations with sub-standard refurbishment work that has been carried out with little or no regard for health and safety.

“Research from Experian shows that the black economy in construction is worth almost £10 billion a year, but this is a conservative estimate and our latest research suggests the real figure is much higher. If government wants to limit the activity of rogue traders operating in the black economy it should reduce the rate of VAT to five per cent on all housing renovation and repair work leaving almost no competitive advantage for those disreputable builders. Not only would this help eradicate the black economy, it would also boost the economy by more than £15 billion over five years to 2020 and create more than 95,000 jobs.

“Charging the top rate of VAT on home refurbishment serves no purpose other than to put money in the pockets of rogue builders and perpetuate the culture of home owners requesting cash-in-hand work. It makes criminals, and often victims, out of families and individuals who are struggling with the cost of living and acts as a barrier to growth in the economy.”

Paula Higgins, chief executive of HomeOwners Alliance, a consumer group championing homeowners, said:

“Homeowners shouldn’t ask to avoid VAT and builders should neither offer it nor accept it. Having a high rate of VAT on repair work creates a black market, which is bad for homeowners, traders and other taxpayers. Lowering VAT will help cash strapped families living in cramped homes in a state of disrepair with leaking roofs.”

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Top