Energy Watch Closes Down

The consumer watchdog Energy Watch has closed for business today, with new groups now taking on their mantel. Consumers and small businesses can now contact the following organisations:

Consumer Direct - for "practical advice on all kinds of consumer issues - from problems with cars to faulty household appliances"
Consumer Focus - "new statutory organisation campaigning for a fair deal for consumers in England, Wales, Scotland, and, for postal services, Northern Ireland"
Energy Ombudsman - "set up to sort out disagreements between gas and electricity companies (energy companies) and their domestic and small business customers"

Nominate Us for Green England Green Awards!

Last year UK Energy Saving was thrilled to be nominated in the Best Green Company category of the Green England Green Awards. The 2008 nominations have now started so please nominate www.uk-energy-saving.com if you think we deserve it!

Go to the Green England website to place your nomination.

Thanks!

Related Blog Posts:
Green England Green Awards 2007 Results
UK Energy Saving Nominated for Green England Award!

REVIEW - Energenie Standby Shutdown

The initial set up was simple, involving plugging the TV into the Energenie which in turn is plugged into the mains. You then use the appliance for at least five minutes to set up the Energenie. Subsequently you simply switch the appliance to standby and the Energenie will shut it down after two minutes. To switch it back on again simply press the green button on the Energenie.

See the full review here.

Give your thoughts by commenting on this post.

REVIEW - Beaming Baby Organic Baby Care Bubble Bath

The Beaming Baby Organic Baby Care Bubble Bath was tried out on my little one, whose bath I usually keep bubble free for fear of exacerbating eczema. I decided to give this one a chance, though, and was pleasantly surprised. Beaming Baby Organic Baby Care Bubble Bath has a light, pleasant scent, and produces plenty of bubbles...... Critically, this product didn’t seem to have any adverse effect on my child’s skin, and in fact the bubbles went down a treat!

See the full review here.

Give your thoughts by commenting on this post.

REVIEW - Faith in Nature Mineral Enriched Seaweed Handwash

My family and I tried out the Faith in Nature Mineral Enriched Seaweed Handwash and found it to be a lovely product. It has a delicate scent and produces a good lather. We found it to clean hands effectively and, a key factor for me, it was non-drying, leaving hands feeling soft.

See the full review here.

Give your thoughts by commenting on this post.

UK Energy Saving Green Product Reviews

Our Green Product Reviews section, which we launched back in June, now contains over forty reviews ranging from skincare products to gadgets. We have been thrilled with the response from the makers of the products, who have usually been keen to send us some samples to review, and we are now receiving large numbers of hits on many of the pages. Hopefully, therefore, we have succeeded in offering our visitors another useful tool when looking into green living.

More reviews will continue to be posted so feel free to get in touch if you have a green product you would like us to take a look at. We hope to build this section of our site into a comprehensive tool for our visitors.

If you have any of your comments you would like to add about any of the products, you can either search for the review on this blog (they are all posted in brief here as well as in full on the main website) and add a comment, or email us at reviews@uk-energy-saving.com.

If you sell any of the products we review, there is also the opportunity to advertise yourselves on the review pages as many of visitors will undoubtedly wish to go on to buy some of the products they view. Get in touch at reviews@uk-energy-saving.com for more information.

REVIEW - Kenwood Energy Sense Kettle

We were immediately impressed by the Kenwood Energy Sense kettles design with its clear see through body so you can actually see the water boiling. But what makes this Energy Saving Kettle stand out is its ability to boil from one cup to 9 cups which means you can accurately measure the exact water quantity every time, which prevents you boiling too much water which is often the case with conventional kettles.

See the full review here.

Give your thoughts by commenting on this post.

New Government-Led Energy Efficiency Plan

Gordon Brown yesterday unveiled plans to offer a greater level of grants towards the cost of insulating homes in order to increase energy efficiency and thus lower household fuel bills. Cavity wall and loft insulation are undoubtedly excellent ways to reduce heating bills but there has been some criticism of the plans. Some complain that the government is doing "too little, too late" and there are also concerns that the energy companies, which are financing the grants, will simply increase prices to cover costs. You can read more at the links below.


Planet Ark
Telegraph
BBC

Related UK Energy Saving pages:

Insulating Your Home

Cavity Wall Insulation

Loft Insulation

Related Blog Posts:

UK Energy Saving Offers Insulation Survey in Partnership with EnergyLink Ltd

You Could Be Eligible for Insulation Grants

UK Energy Saving Promote Energy Efficient Homebuying

Check Out the Fireplace Heatsaver

Chimneys are great when your fire is on but cause a great deal of heat to escape when it isn't. We have just found out about the Fireplace Heatsaver which claims to be able to save you up to £144 per year by shielding your fireplace when it is not in use. Check out the product including loads more information and statistics at the Fireplace Heatsaver website.

Tetra Pak Recycling Facilities on the Increase

Just over a year ago we published a press release with information on the lack of Tetra Pak recycling in the UK. We can now report, however, that this has changed massively in the last year with 85% of the UK now able to recycle Tetra Paks via kerbside collections or by making deposits in bins in their local area.

The Tetra Pak Recycling website has more information including a search facility to find out about what is available in your area.

Check out our press release on these improvements at one of the sites below:
UK Energy Saving
Free Press Releases
PRLog
NationalPRWire
SanePR
24-7 Press Release

Related Blog Posts:
UK Energy Saving Pleased About New Tetra Pak Recycling Scheme
UK Energy Saving Urges Councils to Offer More Tetra Pak Recycling Facilities

Related UK Energy Saving Pages:
Recycling Tetra Paks

Plenty of Hydropower Capacity in Scotland

A new report has confirmed that new small scale hydropower sites in Scotland could increase the current electricity generated by this form of renewable energy by 5o%. A number of sites have been identified which could power about 600,000 homes. More details can be found at the Planet Ark website.

Related UK Energy Saving Pages:
Hydro Electric Power
Micro Hydro Power

Press Release Published on Web

The press release detailed in the previous blog post (UK Energy Saving Offers Insulation Survey in Partnership with EnergyLink Ltd) has been published on a number of websites. Check out the links below.

UK Energy Saving
SanePR
PRLog
24-7 Press Release
PR-GB
Sustain.Newsladder
Free Press Releases
NationalPRWire
Pressbox

UK Energy Saving Offers Insulation Survey in Partnership with EnergyLink Ltd

PRESS RELEASE
Consumer website http://www.uk-energy-saving.com/ has partnered with EnergyLink Ltd to offer the opportunity to request a free no-obligation home survey to see whether homeowners and private tenants are eligible for grants towards the cost of installing insulation. Loft and cavity wall insulation are recognised as excellent ways of increasing the energy efficiency of buildings by reducing heat loss and thus lowering heating costs. UK Energy Saving was therefore thrilled to be able to add the application to their website on behalf of EnergyLink Ltd.

Grants are available towards the cost of insulating homes with some homeowners and private tenants eligible to receive 100% of the costs involved if in receipt of certain benefits or over the age of 70. Others may still be eligible to receive up to 70% of costs so it is well worth checking what is available. EnergyLink Ltd are able to provide free surveys and grant information for most parts of the UK, and the initial application on the UK Energy Saving site simply takes a few minutes to complete.

Hayley Jones, Web Marketing Director at http://www.uk-energy-saving.com/, gives her thoughts on this new feature. “We were very pleased to be asked to add this application to our site as it fits in well with the information we offer on energy efficiency measures. People are often unaware about the grants available for this kind of work, and EnergyLink Ltd is able to offer advice and information in order to make sure that homeowners and private tenants receive their grant entitlements.”

The initial application can be found on various insulation-related pages of UK Energy Saving including their Insulating Your Home page at http://www.uk-energy-saving.com/insulation.html.
End

Boris Johnson Unveils Climate Change Plans for London

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson unveiled plans a few days ago to combat climate change in London. The Climate Change Adaptation Strategy includes proposals to plant more trees in the city, improve drainage and introduce compulsory water metering.

More on this strategy can be seen at the Mayor of London website.

Related Blog Posts:
London Could Become Largest Urban Centre to Ban Plastic Bags
Britain Doesn't Fare Well in Survey on Eco-Friendly Cities
London Congestion Charge Extension