Energy Saving and Home Improvement
Double Glazing Energy Efficiency – U Values
The U value is a measure of energy efficiency that is, how effective this particular element is at retaining heat, and is used for any kind of home construction. The lower the U Value, the more effective the unit is at saving energy because of its greater insulating quality.
So, in terms of double glazing the U Value can be used as a method of comparison of different types of unit in terms of energy efficiency
Double glazed windows and double glazed doors have a much lower U Value than single glazed windows have. The benefit of using the U Value to compare different kinds of glazing is that it gives an index of energy efficiency. Cutting down heat loss, reduces heating bills which in turn reduces carbon dioxide emissions overall by as much as 50% when replacing single glazed windows by double glazed units. [Read More...]
Double Glazing saves energy and money
It’s not just that fitting energy efficient windows saves energy – and a lower energy usage means smaller bills, it’s also that having double glazing fitted to your home means no more draughts and much warmer rooms. Any heat you put into the room is not dissipated through the windows.
Depending on the size of your house and the number and size of your windows, replacing single glazing with energy efficient double glazing will save up to £200 a year – and as energy prices go up these savings will increase. [Read More...]
Cavity Wall insulation
We had cavity wall insulation fitted last year and got a government grant toward the cost of the work. Two of my friends had mentioned in passing that they had the work done, and it appeared to be Ok, so we went ahead. First of all a surveyor came to check that the cavity was in good condition and not blocked by any rubble etc, and then the man came to put in the insulation. First of all he drilled holes in the outside wall of the house (which was the inside wall of our two porches). Then he had a blower to put the mineral wool into the cavity. The mineral wool looks like light feathery cotton wool – we found this out as there was a gap in our interior wall in the loft we didn’t know about and some mineral wool blew through. Luckily we noticed right away and the man fitted a barrier and continued. He then filled in the holes with cement. Our house walls are white and the holes looked like little beige spots, not really noticeable except to the purist. Purist hubby went round with a little brush on a stick and painted them white again. We have a built-out bedroom that has walls on three sides. The cavity wall insulation has made a marked difference to the heat retention in the room. It is south facing so warms up during the day, and now the room remains warm for most of the night too.
DIY
Technology: Power Tools
There are a wide range of power tools now available and choosing one from all the long list of electronic components can be difficult for someone who just wants a drill. Ah! But what kind is best?
Choosing the drill bits – Two kinds of drill bits (those parts of the tool that actually drill the holes) – SDS (Special Direct System) and normal ones. SDS drill bits with their special ridges are needed for most hammer drills –the ridges fit into grooves in the drills holding part, the chuck. [Read More...]
Home Improvement
Cavity Wall insulation
We had cavity wall insulation fitted last year and got a government grant toward the cost of the work. Two of my friends had mentioned in passing that they had the work done, and it appeared to be Ok, so we went ahead. First of all a surveyor came to check that the cavity was [...]
Technology
Active versus Passive 3D TVs
There are two kinds of 3D TV available currently: active and passive. Active 3D TVs came first in 2010 and Passive TVs came later in 2011. The major perceivable difference is in the technology of the glasses needed to view the 3D image. The Active (shutter) glasses use LCD shutters running on batteries whilst Passive [...]