Tag Archives: environment

Ways You Can Easily Reduce Your Energy Costs By Draught Proofing Your Sash Windows

Posted by on August 30, 2010 Comments Off on Ways You Can Easily Reduce Your Energy Costs By Draught Proofing Your Sash Windows

Those of you living in North America, Europe or in fact anywhere with cold, wet winters, will no doubt be aware of just how horrible a house or apartment can become in winter if the windows are not sealed properly. Luckily you do not have to endure this: the process to draught-proof windows again is quite simple and can be done by anyone with the necessary skills. Not only will you have a much more livable house, but you can also reduce your energy costs by draught proofing your sash windows.

Draught-proof windows have one major benefit: it keeps energy (mostly in the form of heat) to remain in the room, where you want it. Windows that are not sealed properly will allow all the heat in the room to escape over time, causing hugely inflated energy bills. The easy solution is to draught-proof the windows round the sills, sashes and jambs. If you have experience of this type of work, you can attempt to do it yourself, but it’s probably better to leave it in the hands of a professional.

The process has more benefits than just energy conservation. One such benefit is that properly sealed windows will not allow dust to enter the room. Over time the seals round sash windows wear out and eventually are no longer able to keep dust out.

When new seals are fitted during the draught-proofing process, the windows will be as good as new again and your living space will once again remain dust free. This alone justifies the relatively small cost of draught-proofing.

Having the windows of your house/flat made draught proof has the additional benefit of prolonging the life of older windows. Parts round the jambs, sills and sashes that easily wear out are replaced during the draught-proofing process. This has the advantage of prolonging the life of the sash windows by an additional three to five years.

A further major benefit of draught-proofing your sash windows is noise reduction. Windows that are not well sealed will allow a not more noise to enter any room than ones which have been sealed properly. When you draught-proof a window, the seals around the window are replaced, resulting in superior noise isolation, which is especially important if you live in a very noisy area.

Anyone who has faced the hefty energy bills during winter that is quite usual when you live in Europe or North America, should therefore consider this alternative. As we have shown above, the benefits far outweigh the costs and you will not just reduce your energy costs by draught proofing your sash windows, you will enjoy a quieter, cleaner life as well.

When it comes to making a good insulation for windows, you won’t find any other company like the sash window insulation company. They also have a secondary glazing London insulation that helps keep you warm and keeps energy cost at an all time low.

Bamboo Flooring – A Sensible, Environmentally Friendly Alternative To Hardwood

Posted by on August 26, 2010 Comments Off on Bamboo Flooring – A Sensible, Environmentally Friendly Alternative To Hardwood

There are many different flooring materials available today including one of the most beautiful and environmentally friendly, a bamboo floor. No, this isn’t taking round bamboo stalks and lashing them together to make a floor for your home. Bamboo flooring in one of the most durable and unique flooring materials you can get for your home today.

Many hardwood floors feature a nice grain and wood look that is very pretty especially in the various colors and patterns. Bamboo flooring however features a much more subtle graining pattern and because of the way it’s manufactured, features more of a pronounced ring like pattern. So you have a grain that suggests a direction and every so often a uniquely bamboo ring pattern. Bamboo can also be stained and finished just like regular hardwood flooring.

Bamboo is actually a grass like plant that grows quickly and is usually considered an aggressive plant. That is, it tends to grow rapidly, overwhelming many of the other plant life in it’s immediate area. This makes for a very sustainable resources as a full bamboo crop can be harvested in less than 7 years. This is a much better alternative to hardwood trees that can take upwards of over 20 plus years to mature.

Bamboo, traditionally thought of as an Asian but specifically Chinese plant has found a new home in products for the west. As bamboo has gained in popularity, many more people are protecting bamboo forest areas and are much more concerned about conservation. The growth of bamboo use for furniture, blinds, many home decor products, and bamboo flooring has created a robust economic incentive to grow natural products instead of clear cutting to make way for farming.

Bamboo flooring is comparable to hardwood floors in durability, looks, and installation. It has broad appeal and beauty that will not easily go out of style. Due to the interest in bamboo flooring, you can now find it in commercial buildings, hotels, restaurants, offices and many high traffic areas.

Another great benefit of bamboo flooring is price. Due to the rapid growth rate, the cost of fully stained and sealed bamboo floor material can be found for less than half the cost of planked hardwood. Bamboo floor can be installed using any of the usual hardwood flooring installation methods. These include a floating floor where the floor is simply glued together to form a single piece, straight gluing to the old floor material and a basic nailing method.

If you’re looking for a uniquely beautiful flooring material that will provide years of ambiance and warmth to your home, look no farther than a high quality bamboo floor.

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