Oak Furniture

Ah, the first signs that spring could well be on it’s delayed way have begun.  There is much bird activity outside – the various food containers I’ve been hanging out are being visited more frequently and at last it seems as though my efforts are paying off.  There is nothing quite as spirit enhancing than the sight of sunny gardens, birds whizzing about from tree to fence to tree again.  We have to be very careful these days about saving energy – gone is the free time we had of leaving doors open and not worrying a jot about who was picking up the heating bills.  It’s not just a question of finance – it is literally a question of ensuring we don’t waste even the tiniest bit of power into our homes, offices, public transport network etc.  We buy in much of our energy source and nowhere near enough comes from renewable sources. Efficiency at home is required!

What do we mean by an efficient home interior – it can mean all kinds of things these days.  I take it that the home has got serously good triple glazing in very modern frames – the latest version of what we used to know as upvc.  They will be neat, completely sturdy but unobtrusive.  Easy to operate but impossible for small fingers to negotiate.  Then there is the size of the windows – in the 1970s and 1980s there was a massive move towards huge picture windows so that we could bring the garden inside, or just enjoy looking out on the world.  Then after the 9172 6 days war in the middle east, those terrible fuel shortages caued massive power outage and a general mistrust of having to rely on oil as a main utility.   Smaller, lightweight windows became the norm.  Skylight windows that have self shaded glass went down a storm.    You pays your money and takes your choice.

What we all think of as efficient homes and lights is actually a matter of opinion in many cases.  I remember rather casually telling someone that our gas fire at home was an efficient – big mistake – this chap was a proper engineer, one who’d got degrees coming out of his ears and knew a thing or two about gas fires and their very famous lack of efficiency.   I never made that error again.  It would be interesting now to meet up with him again and ask his opinion on the efficiency of the average homestead.  Looking around at my neighbours, they are all currently sporting enough lights outside to keep the planet alight from the space station.  I imagine with all the Christmas bulbs twinkling away madly, planet earth must be equal tothe sun for brightness.  The efficiency levels dipping rather dramatically then.  It was quite funny listening to the nearest neighbour bemoaning the size of their last electricity bill.  I wonder if I should mention anything . . . .

I happily hold membership of the three main heritage charities in the uk.  Although I don’t make as much use of the cards as I could, it fills me with a warm glow that I am helping to maintain some of the most important and lovely properties on this earth.  They have such a hard time garnering funds to keep up their maintenance and preservation programmes.  I read constantly about how this house is now selling up their much loved paintings or furniture, so as to offset tax demands or other costs.

When we have a house that needs preserving even down at my simple 4 bed detached level, it is critical that we use the most efficient systems available to us today.  This will not only keep our own costs down, but will help with the running of the planet for the next generation.  I seek out information online and research whatever I can.

An efficient home interior is just one of the things we are all urged to acquire these days.  An efficient exterior would be just as useful int erms of limiting our wastage of utilities.  I have always wondered about the need for those huge patio heaters that were all the rage a couple of years ago.  True, our summer and early autumns are not always warm enough to sit out comfortably on the patio, but lighting one of those large portable gas fired gizmos does seem a little excessive – a stout coat, hat, gloves and thick boots will keep some cold out and not wreck the plant.

There are all sorts of fancy decorative items in the garden centres these days for heating the outdoor space.  There must have been a niche in the market a year or so ago – we now hear of fire bowls, barbeque space heaters etc.   Cut them out and save the botled gas and the greenhouse ones!

On a recent trip out to a somewhat more rural location than my home town, I was quite taken with the eforts the owner of our hired cottage had gone to to make sure the utilities were not squandered away at her expense.  There were various devices in place to ensure the heating came on only when really necessary – there were warm rugs on the floor, wonderfully warm woollen blankets and throws in the main sleeping and sitting quarters.  We noted the discrete requests to turn off all unecessary lights and ensure the cooker and kettles were not switched on any more than standard use.  At first I thought the owner was just being ‘tight’.  However, having commented out loud, I was rounded on by said daughter, who reminded me that we were in the most gorgeous part of the country and it was our duty to save the planet and peak district at all costs!

We hear such a lot about changing over supply companies, the big switch that the government has spearheaded but seems rather slow to be taking off.  There are obviously good reasons to make a switch over to a cheaper company, they never seem able to offer the special low deals to their existing loyal customer base.  If everyone took up the option of switching to another company, either the cheapest of all will be totally inundated by all this new custom, or we will just be doing a dance, swapping to all the same companies, but as new customers, getting their super new deals.

The most efficient way to save money though is to look at the way we run our homes -do we ever look at the efficiency and how we can improve any of it?  The best option is to engage the services of efficient home experts to get this ball rolling.

There is something unsettled about the weather lately.  Not so good for getting out the oak garden furniture.  But when it gets dark it’s often still warm enough to stop outside a while.  At least the outdoor lighting schemes will be well  used.  The week before last we had torrential rain every day and there was a problem with rain not running off the gardens fast enough.  Last week was the opposite – glorious hot sunshine and no rain at all.  So baking that there was talk of folk being careful with water.  No wonder we Brits are obsessed with weather.

When we do have the best of conditions we need to be able to get out into the garden and enjoy.  Garden furniture, patio sets, there are some fabulous combinations to be had these days.  And when it darkens, we lovely lights to illuminate those gorgeous trees and garden features – oh and light up the patio for the Bar-B-Q!!

What do we mean by efficient homes – that is such a good question.  One man’s efficiency is another man’s mean streak.  There is no doubt at all in my mind that we use far too much energy in the wrong areas.  You only have to go for a walk in the evening to see all the lights on in every house on the estate.  Quite often the curtains and blinds are not in place so it is possible to see right in and witness all the goings on – that is one point but also means that the family will be cooler because curtains and blinds compensate for the cold coming off the windows.

To really appreciate all the changes that can be made to make my home more efficient, I can engage with companies that offer this sort of soltion.  Just a case of browsing online to find the help I need.

The spring has arrived at last. . . .  it did seem a long winter this time.  The weather has been totally grim, with at least three major storms disrupting lives and causing absolute havoc.  Mind you, they have not been as bad as some had first feared, which is a blessing.  One of the more worrying aspects of winter storms is if the power is knocked out because of flooding or perhaps a gas main has been damaged.   This is when a new efficient home interior really comes into its own.

When a home is built with efficiency considerations during the design and build stage, it is easy to get the best possible materials in place.  Even the most reasonably priced new housing developments incorporate the best ideas available to the developer and most are able to include some in each design.  There are some very good ideas out there and to get a grip on an efficient home, get browsing.