How to Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient

Looking for ways to save energy in your home and lower your utility bills? By improving the energy efficiency of your house, you can reduce high energy bills, improve comfort and make your house more eco-friendly. In fact, improving energy efficiency is the first step for homeowners who are interested in green remodelling. There are different ways by which you can transform your home's energy profile and save on electricity and heating.

While some of these changes are one-time investments, others are steps which you need to adopt and follow on a daily basis. You can also use the services of a property maintenance specialist, such as Peter Cox, to make your home more energy efficient and thereby save money. Affordable and effective damp proofing services from these damp proofing experts can save energy and money, because keeping your walls free of damp will cause them to retain heat much more effectively. Tests conducted have also indicated that there can be a total energy saving of up to 29% when their DryWall Thermotek damp proofing cream is applied to single-skin walls.

So, how can you secure your home exterior and make it more energy-efficient?

Effective Insulation: By insulating your walls, ceilings and attics, you will be able to slow the rate of heat flow into your house during summers and out of your house in winter. As such, less energy will be required to heat or cool the house. Extra insulation comes in a number of forms: fiberglass batt insulation can help prevent air leaks in unfinished, cracked or worn space as can blown-in insulation, foam insulation materials and spray foam insulation.

Peter Cox’s DryWall Thermotek masonry protection cream is a great option for insulating your home by keeping moisture out of your walls. In fact, its energy-saving properties qualify it for a reduction to 5% VAT.

Switch to Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs): Although CFLs cost more initially, they can result in considerable savings as they last around eight to twelve times longer than regular incandescent light bulbs.. On average, a CFL uses only about 27 watts to generate as much light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb, which is why they can last 10 times as long using 80 per cent less energy.

HVAC Repair or Replacement: Almost half the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling, so it’s important to make smart decisions about your home's heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. If you’re looking to effectively and efficiently heat and ventilate your home, look no further than Peter Cox’s ThermoSave heat recovery system, which recovers up to 75% of the heat normally lost when vented outside, eliminating the need to further heat your home.

Window Replacement: Windows are a major source of heat loss for the home, and improving these is a cost-effective and quick way to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Replace aluminium frames with vinyl frames, which are more resistant to heat transfer. You can also tint your windows to keep away unwanted heat or cold from your house.

Replacing Old Appliances: As older appliances are less energy efficient, it is advisable to replace them with newer models. This will go a long way towards saving energy and lowering your electricity bills - but ensure that all the products you're buying suit your requirements as over-sized refrigerators, water heaters and other such appliances will lead to greater energy consumption.

By following the above mentioned ideas and suggestions, you'll not only save energy and reduce your utility bills but will also help reduce greenhouse gases and their impact on our environment without compromising on lifestyle.

For more information about Peter Cox please visit http://www.petercox.com/

The Dangers of Dry Rot

Every year, homeowners across the UK spend large amounts of money on extensive renovations to repair damage caused by dry rot. Dry rot is caused by the presence of damp, moisture and condensation in the home, and can cause serious damage to your property affecting walls, floors, and structural timber. Unlike wet rot, dry rot can spread far beyond the point where moisture and damp have entered the home, meaning a dry rot infection must be detected and eliminated as quickly as possible, lest further damage to the home occur.

In order to prevent dry rot, one must ensure their home is protected against the entry of damp, condensation and moisture. For a long-term solution, seek assistance from an experienced dry rot treatment company such as Peter Cox. A reputable contractor with over five decades of experience in providing a range of property services such as wet rot and dry rot treatment, damp proofing, basement waterproofing and woodworm treatment, their dry rot treatments can repair damage to structural timber caused by dry rot and, through the use of such products as their DryWall +  damp proof course, can prevent the dry rot from ever returning.

What Causes Dry Rot?

Dry rot occurs when timber is exposed to moisture or comes into contact with damp masonry. The growth and spread of the dry rot fungus depends on certain environmental conditions - damp, stagnant conditions combined with lack of proper ventilation provide the ideal environment for the development of dry rot. Such damp conditions may occur for a number of reasons, such as internal plumbing leaks, condensation  or rain water penetration from outside the house.

Usually, the first signs of an outbreak may be the sudden appearance of a mushroom-like fruiting body or fine grey-white hyphae strands. The affected timber will become dry and brittle, and will crumble to the touch.

What are the Dangers of Dry Rot?

Dry rot can grow through damp masonry, brickwork and behind plaster, causing widespread structural damage. Dry rot’s ability to spread so rapidly can make treatment more complicated than with other types of rot - but if left untreated, the fungus can spread through an entire property, causing severe damage to structural timber and masonry which could lead to collapse.

The presence of dry rot itself doesn’t affect human health. However, its presence in a home may indicate high levels of dampness and condensation, which can cause respiratory problems and lead to other problems which can affect the health of you and your property, such as woodworm, wet rot, and mould growth. If you suspect a dry rot outbreak in the home, it is important to arrange a dry rot survey from an experienced property maintenance company such as Peter Cox.

Prevention and Treatment

Detect the Source of Damp: As dry rot is caused by damp and moisture entering the home, it is important to thoroughly inspect the interior and exterior of your home to find any source of damp. With professional assistance from Peter Cox’s dry rot specialists, you will be easily able to identify such sources like leaking gutters, rising damp, water leaks and poor ventilation that can also contribute to the problem.

Damp Proofing Treatment: You can also make your home more resistant to damp penetration with the help of Peter Cox’s damp proofing specialists. Peter Cox’s DryWall Thermotek masonry protection cream is applied to walls affected by damp as part of the damp proofing process and will help to prevent damp entering the home, thus not only helping prevent dry rot problems, but also helping to retain heat and thus conserving energy levels. Because of its eco-friendly, energy-saving properties (a single-coat application can yield an energy saving of 29%), the DryWallThermotek solution qualifies for a 5% VAT rate.

Dry Rot Elimination: Remove all infected timber and replace with pre-treated timber. Any remaining timbers at risk of being affected by the dry rot should be treated with an effective fungicide. Where the dry rot has passed through the masonry, it should be treated with a water-based biocide.

Dry rot is one of the most damaging conditions a property can suffer. If not controlled immediately, the condition can cause enormous damage in a short period of time. It is absolutely essential to take proper preventive and remedial steps with the help of dry rot experts such as Peter Cox in time to control the growth of the fungal decay.

For more information about dry rot please see:  http://www.petercox.com/dryrotcontrol.php