Campaign to cut VAT to 5% on energy saving products

HMRC “now allow double glazing as a deduction”

According to an article on www.aboutproperty.co.uk landlord, and independent property expert David Lawrenson has called on the government to extend the energy saving allowance for landlords to cover the replacement of old boilers.

Apparently, according to Mr Lawrenson the present rules are unclear because “HMRC will not allow a deduction for the replacement of fixtures that constitute an improvement.” It appears however that things may be changing as Helen Demuth, a tax expert at Smith & Williamson states: “HMRC did not used to allow a deduction for double glazed windows since they were an improvement on single glazed windows. They now allow double glazing as a deduction.”

This is certainly a welcome change from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs as it is well documented that installing energy efficient, energy rated double glazing saves energy, and therefore reduces energy bills.

Finally, in this article, which focuses on the benefits of replacing inefficient boilers, Mr Lawrenson added: “The current confusion means that when a landlord is faced with the cost of replacing an old boiler, he is more likely to try to keep it going than to replace it, especially as repair costs can also be claimed as a valid running cost. This is bad for the environment and bad for the UK’s carbon footprint.”

Guy’s house saves him from deadly Australian bush fire

Australian Guy Williams is alive today largely down to how he constructed his house in Steel Creek, Victoria, Australia. Guy, a 49 year old electrical engineer found some autoclaved aerated concrete bricks at a home ideas show in Australia. He built the house himself using no timber, just these concrete bricks stuck together with glue, steel double glazed windows and steel framed doors.

Guy explained to www.gatoday.com that the fire that bore down on his house was about 1200 degrees, hot enough to soften the metal but not melt it. Glass doors and windows in his house are all double-glazed. Some of the outside panes cracked in the heat. Next time he’ll add shutters!

“Through the double-glazed doors of his bedroom, Guy Williams watched flames roar around his home” whilst sadly all his three vehicles, plus the entire bush and every other home around him, all perished, with dozens of Australians losing their lives in this horrendous bush fire which apparently burnt at 1200 degrees centigrade. Even Guy’s balcony was constructed largely from steel so there was no timber to speak of for the fire to get hold of, so it clearly seems that Guy’s self built house saved his life.

The article goes on to explain that the use of aerated concrete blocks is not common in Australian houses. David Hallett, general manager of building advisory service Archicentre, says the market prefers the look of brick and tradesmen are used to working with it.

“The most cost-effective way our building industry’s found to build buildings is concrete slab, timber frame, pre-fabricated roof trusses, and traditionally a brick-veneer skin. Increasingly these days they’re leaning towards more lightweight cladding,” he says.

“Building code requirements (in Australia) are designed to prevent ember attack, and while the concrete blocks are a good product and Mr Williams’ design clearly worked, it’s more expensive for home owners to build a house to resist an inferno”, he says. All I can say is well done Guy!

According to BBC News the death toll has now reached 200 since the Australian bush fires started, and more tragic still, will rise further according to Australian Police. How and where people build their homes in Australia is very much in the spot light and shows how important building materials are when considering buying or building a property. Guy Williams was saved by his common sense and foresight and though sad today, will hopefully grow to be proud of what he achieved.

BMW create Mini crisis with sacking of 850 staff

BMW today laid off 850 “temporary workers” at it’s Mini factory in Cowley, Oxford today with only one hours notice. Some of the staff had been working their over 5 years. Current employment legislation entitles employers to sack temporary workers without notice or any redundancy pay, which is what BMW did to 850 of there staff today, not ideal PR for the company or indeed the Mini or BMW brands.

Apparently, sales of the Mini in the UK were down 35% in January, so BMW decided to act without any consultation with the Unions or their workforce. Whilst these job loses at a major employer just down the road might be financially justified, the manner of the annoucement and treatment of the 850 ”temporary workers” is not. It is good that none of the permanent BMW Mini workforce are being made redundant – yet! All car manufacturers BMW seem to have done is create a Mini crisis!

A question on avoiding black mould in your conservatory

“We’ve been leaving the heater on frost setting in our conservatory to reduce energy use. However, condensation is marking the blinds with black mould. How can I fix this without raising the temperature?”

This was the question asked of Aggie MacKenzie, the once co-presenter of Channel 4 television’s “How Clean is Your House”. Aggie responds with good sound advice in her article on Times Online, “Ask Aggie: black mould in the conservatory“ published on Valentines Day, Saturday 14th February 2009. In this helpful and practical snippet, she advises how to prevent black mould and condensation. Apart from “fitting double glazing which would help” she stresses the importance of good ventilation, something I would very much echo.

You might have first heard of Aggie MacKenzie, which she initially came on to our screens in 2003 as the Dirt Detective in Channel 4’s How Clean is Your House? Since then she has appeared in many different programmes, from home cooking on Market Kitchen to reporting on The One Show. With a background in women’s magazines, Aggie’s current work covers a wide range of areas: apart from TV presenting, she writes two magazine columns, often participates in advertising campaigns and takes on public speaking engagements. Aggie lives in north London with her husband and two teenage sons.

For more on “Condensation, some causes, some advice” it is worth downloading this Glass and Glazing Federations document on minimizing condensation, as this is a reasonably comprehensive guide to avoiding black mould in your conservatory, or indeed any other part of your house.

Buckinghamshire’s Hazlemere Windows, Doors & Conservatories chosen as regional installer of the year

Ian Cocken, Quantal (left), Tony Beale, Hazlemere Conservatories (centre), Richard Hulbert, Quantal (right)

Hazlemere Conservatories have been named as the Quantal Regional Installer of the Year for 2008. Hazlemere were awarded a framed certificate signed by Richard Hulbert, General Manager of Quantal Conservatory Roofing Systems. The company were presented with this award for the quality of their aluminium conservatory fabrication and installations throughout 2008.

The framed certificate was presented to Hazlemere Conservatories Sales Director Tony Beale (pictured centre) outside the Hazlemere Group’s Head Office, Factory and Showroom in High Wycombe, Bucks, by Quantal Roofing Systems National Sales Manager Ian Cocken (pictured left) and Quantal’s General Manager Richard Hulbert (pictured right).

Find out more about Hazlemere’s award winning aluminium conservatories.

Hazlemere Windows Bucks win commercial installation of the year award for 2008 (Education sector category)

I am delighted to say that Hazlemere Commercial, a Division of the Hazlemere Group were awarded this prestigious Quantal Award for their Lane End Primary School Installation in 2008 in Edmonds Road, Lane End, High Wycombe, Bucks. They won the Commercial Installation of the Year Award in the education sector category for this Bucks school project which involved the construction of a new entrance lobby with an aluminium Quantal glazed roof to increase security and management of staff, pupils and visitors coming to and from the school. View the award winning Lane End Primary School case study

The project was delivered on time and on budget during the school summer holidays in 2008, despite Hazlemere Commercial discovering difficult ground conditions, but overcame them in conjunction with Wycombe District Council Building Control and Buckinghamshire County Council’s Principal Surveyor for the district’s schools. Hazlemere Commercial’s operatives overcame an unseasonably high water table by fitting specialised drainage beneath the lobby concrete floor, to allow water, discovered underneath the existing school buildings during excavation, to drain away to soakaways.

Hazlemere Commercial are on the Buckinghamshire County Council’s Approved List of Suppliers and were selected by Lane End School for this project I understand on recommendation from Bucks County Council, given we are proven manufacturers and installers of bespoke aluminium glazing systems. This award winning project involved the use of Sapa Dualframe 75 aluminium casement windows, Sapa 202 aluminium commercial entrance doors and a Quantal glazed aluminium roofing system. Hazlemere’s Managing Director, Stuart Braham received notification of this prestigious Quantal Award in a letter dated 30th January 2009.

Sky Sports Soccer Saturday Paul Merson at Adams Park

Last week, I was a guest of Hazlemere Window Company at the Paul Merson sportsmans dinner hosted by Wycombe Wanderers Football Club in the Vere Suite at Adams Park. To be honest I had expected his after dinner speech to be poor quality and boring – a totally wrong perception as it turned out.

I was pleasantly surprised by the former Arsenal Football Club and England International footballers attitude, honesty and entertaining delivery. It was not what one would call polished, but it was refreshingly real and straight talking. I can now see what Sky Sports News see in Paul Merson, and why they have him as a football summarizer on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday.

The former midfield star, who also played for Middlesborough, Aston Villa, Walsall and Tamworth (once!) Football Clubs, was blatantly honest about his drug addiction, alcohol abuse and gambling problems. If you are a football fan, but have not yet watched him ”in action” with the shows host Jeff Stelling (a Hartlepool fan), Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas and Matthew Le Tissier on a Saturday afternoon on Sky Sports News, you have missed out, they can be a riot, and very entertaining.