The HSE has launched their new microsite as a one-stop-shop to help Landlords understand what they should be doing to keep tenants safe.   Being Landlords ourselves and having many Landlord clients, we know how important it is to have happy and SAFE tenants.  We would never live with ourselves should anything happen because we had forgotten or been ignorant in understanding ALL of our responsibilites..   The HSE has launched the site  www.hse.gov.uk/gas/landlords to address the potential lack of information available especially to new Landlords - check it out it breaks down the information into sections so if you are busy you can skip over the things you know and get right to the things you are not quite sure about - we like it and dont forget if you need any gas safety checks to give us a call. 

This blog post is provided by Tom Holden from Green Zone Consultants.  Tom has compiled these 4 simple tips to help save money at home.  For approx a one off investment of less than £100 in total these tips could save you around £550 per year.   Now that is what we call a RETURN ON INVESTMENT.

1.  Water
An aerating shower head reduces the amount of water used without reducing the quality of the shower you get, cutting water and heating costs.  Shower heads start at around £20 and can be fitted in minutes.  Average saving for a 2 person household estimated to be £80 per year.

2.  Heating
By insulating some key parts of your central heating system you could save around £45 a year off your heating bills.  If you have a hot water tank that isn't insulated or any hot water pipes going in and out of it you could be throwing money out of the window.  For a very small investment e.g. £30 and a little time you could have it sorted. 

3.   Electricity
We all know that energy saving light bulbs are more efficient, but how much could they save you in terms of money, and are they worth the extra cost?  For an average 2 bedroom house with just 20 ordinary 60W bulbs, the cost of the electricity they use over a year is around £150.  If all these bulbs were replaced with their energy saving alternatives rated at 11W each the annual cost could be reduced to around £30.  A no brainer when you look at it like that!  And remember energy saving bulbs last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs, yet another reason to swap old bulbs now !!

4.   Car
A major cost for most of us today is fuel for our cars.  With more and more time spent driving on motorways these days, there are a few things we can do to improve fuel econo my. 

Stick to 60mph rather than 70mph, you will notice an increase in fuel economy without adding too much time to your journey

Make sure you are not carrying around more weight than necessary - declutter the boot but remember to keep the spare wheel !!

Look in your manual to find the correct tyre pressure.  Make sure tyres are pumped up to the Manufacturers recommended pressures.  Flat tyres can reduce fuel economy by up to 10%.  Also important to remember under-inflated tyres and dangerous and wear out quicker too.

For more tips on Economical driving visit http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Travel

Take all these simple, cost free steps and you could improve fuel economy by anywhere from 10 - 20%.

Green Zone Consultants specialise in helping people improve their energy efficiency as much as possible with as little effort and outlay as possible!   Tom will prepare a plan for you to work to so you can get started saving money and the environment.  Head to www.greenzoneconsultants.com and book an audit now! 

Quote the code GZC20 when booking to get a 20% discount off any audit - offer ends on the 30th June. 

  How to Avoid a Rogue Tradesman

• Do not use companies who insist on being paid in cash or are not prepared to give you an invoice. Your work will not have a valid guarantee and you may be liable to prosecution for VAT fraud.
• Do not use a company who offer to do work privately for 'cash' at a lower price. Again you will not have a guarantee and there is the risk of prosecution for VAT fraud.
• Do not use companies that do not have a verifiable address - If they won't tell you where they are, perhaps they do not want to be found.
• Avoid tradesmen who do not have a land based telephone line - What sort of response will you get from a switched off mobile phone if there is a problem?
• Never use an unknown company that has not been recommended to you.
• Do not employ tradesmen who are not members of the appropriate, reputable, trade association. 
• Never allow any tradesman who does not carry photo identification into your house.
• Make sure you can communicate with your tradesman - He might be cheap, but can he understand what you want him to do?
• Do not employ scruffy tradesmen who drive rusty old vans - Their work will probably be of a similar standard as their appearance.

There has been loads of press about the boiler scrappage scheme.  We wanted to make sure you know what to do so we've compiled 6 easy steps.... 

If you have an old boiler that is G rated - you can swap it for an A rated energy efficient boiler and receive £400 from the Government.    

You will need a 'Cash Back Voucher' - it is important that you take the following steps in the correct order.   IF YOU HAVE THE WORK DONE BEFORE THE VOUCHER IS RECEIVED THIS WILL INVALIDATE YOUR CLAIM.

1.  You need to ascertain if the boiler is eligible there are a number of ways you can do this
      1.  Go to www.governmentboiler-scrappagescheme.info enter the make and model of 
            your boiler for a quick check if you are eligible
       2.  Give E.C.A a call, we will come out and give you more information about the 
             scheme,  check if your boiler is eligible and what to do next.

A quick test for gas boilers is to see if it has a permenant pilot light- if it has then it is very likely to be a G rated boiler or worse.  If it is gas fired and over 15 years old it is also likely to be eligible.

2.   Arrange for an installer to visit and quote you for a brand new Energy efficient boiler.  Make sure they give you a full quotation in writing including material and labour costs - THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT !!

3.   NEXT YOU NEED TO CLAIM YOUR VOUCHER.  When you have the quotation in writing call the ACT ON C02 Advice line on 0800 512 012 - quoting the following information:  Your full name, The address of the property, The make and model of the boiler being scrapped, The Company name, address and contact details of the installer carrying out the work, The type of replacement boiler being installed, Confirmation that you have received a quotation in writing.

4.   If successful, you should receive your voucher approximately 10 days after you have applied.  Please note - vouchers are only valid for 12 weeks from the date of issue.  There are only 125,000 vouchers available and approximately 3 Million eligible boilers in the Uk.  If you do not claim the voucher within the time allocated it will be cancelled and reallocated.  You can apply again, but you only have a chance that your application will be accepted if funds are still available.

5.   Once you have received your voucher, you can proceed with the installation.  You will need to pay for the new boiler and installation upfront and then claim back the £400 by sending the voucher and invoice from the installing company to The Energy Saving Trust - full instructions will accompany the voucher.

6.   Payment will be issued within 25 working days of receipt of voucher and invoice.

If you have any doubts or questions please give us a call or drop us an email and we will go through everything with you.    Good Luck!!