Energy Watch

If you've started thinking about Christmas you might like to read our energy watch page for November.  We look at some suggestions for keeping it green this festive season.

Green Product of the Month

If you like chocolate you may wish to check out our green product of the month for November, the delectable Booja Booja Organic Vegan Banoffee Toffee Chocolate Truffles! They'd make a great Christmas gift.

Diary of a Woodburning Stove!

I'm not sure if the temperature has really dropped much, but returning home after a week away to a chilly-feeling house was the perfect reason to light the stove again!  This time the smell of curing paint was much less noticeable than on previous occasions and we're also getting more proficient at lighting the fire. The newspaper and kindling worked a treat and we made sure not to use logs which were too big and which were thoroughly dried out this time!  (Check out our previous post on the various 'holding stations' for our wood)!

With a fire going nicely, it wasn't long before we noticed the lovely warmth emanating from the stove (fire guard in place of course and no open windows this time thanks to the reduced smell)!  As we had the stove lit during the day we were trying to keep the warmth in the downstairs rooms and this worked a treat, with a distinct rise in temperature apparent on coming back downstairs and into the lounge.  When we keep the fire lit into the evening as the weather gets colder we intend to open the internal doors downstairs to allow some heat upstairs - more to come on how effective that is in due course!

So definitely our most successful wood burning stove experience to date! Onwards and upwards...

PREVIOUS DIARY ENTRIES
12th October 2011 - Where to keep all that wood...
19th September 2011 - The first lighting of the season!

UK Energy Saving Delighted at Wave of Positive News on Fairtrade

October 2011 has seen positive news stories from the UK’s Fairtrade Foundation and UK Energy Saving, http://www.uk-energy-saving.com, are thrilled to hear of the continuing success of the Fairtrade Mark and the progressive moves to further engage with producers....

Read the full press release via one of the links below.

UK Energy Saving

PRLog 
Pressbox
PR-GB

How Can You Have a Green Halloween and Bonfire Night?

Masses of party decorations, surplus pumpkin flesh, smoky fires and sugary treats don’t appear to add up to eco-friendly (or healthy) events when it comes to Halloween and bonfire night, but there are ways to get involved with these traditions without too great an environmental impact....


Read the rest of this article by following the links below.

UK Energy Saving
Amazines 

Diary of a Wood Burning Stove!

It's nearly a month since our last entry in the Diary of a Wood Burning Stove, but the mild start to the autumn has meant that we havn't needed to light the fire again yet!  Good news really, but we are itching to give it another go!

In the meantime we have been getting everything prepared for the colder weather.  During the summer my husband and dad built a simple wood store in our garden, providing shelter for logs but allowing air to circulate.  It seems that wood needs at least a year, longer in some cases, to properly dry out and 'season' in order to get the best from it on the fire, so we started filling the store as soon as it was ready.  We bought a load of wood from a local supplier to get us started and have then managed to collect some free wood from friends disposing of trees.  It's certainly worthwhile looking out for opportunities to get free wood, as this will obviously keep costs down.

More recently we have bought a large basket/trunk (from the local recycling centre - a great find!) for our sheltered front door step where we'll keep some seasoned wood before bringing it into the house.  Inside the house we then have a basket for an evening or two's worth of wood along with some kindling.  So far, so organised!

Certainly a plus point of having the stove installed back in the spring has meant that we've been able to get organised with wood etc. in advance of using the stove this autumn and winter.   Now we just have to make use of the stove as the weather gets cooler!  Watch this space....

PREVIOUS DIARY ENTRIES
19th September 2011 - The first lighting of the season!

Are Free Solar Panel Schemes Too Good to be True?

Read our new article on this subject at the links below.

UK Energy Saving
Amazines
Guide Me Green

Latest Issue of greenCHAT now Online

Our online newsletter, greenCHAT has been updated with the latest issue.  The headline topic this issue is wood-fuelled heating and there is also the usual information on updates to our website and links to other interesting sites.

REVIEW - Booja Booja Organic Vegan Banoffee Toffee Chocolate Truffles

Normally being a milk chocolate fan I wondered what I would make of these chocolates, but I needn’t have worried! The subtle banoffee toffee flavour added sweetness to the rich chocolate without being sickly. The texture was also beautiful, with the powder-coated outer shell giving a gentle crunch through to the melt-in-your-mouth, creamy centre. These are certainly a treat to be savoured.

Read the full review here.

Energy Saving Events

Our energy saving events page has been updated with a list of up and coming events for the autumn.  From Energy Saving Week to The Big Green Home Show, there is something for everyone.  Check the list out to see if something is happening near you and get in touch if you have a green event you would like us to consider adding to this page.

Make a Change in October

Our latest Make a Change page suggests making your travel greener (think car sharing, walking and public transport) and shopping in local stores (think fresh produce and farmers' markets).  Visit the page for more information and check back each month of 2011 for more suggestions.

Monthly updates at www.uk-energy-saving.com

It's the beginning of the month so here we are again with our monthly updates.

If you like to read our product reviews, check out this month's green product of the month; 'Recycle: The Essential Guide'. A good read with loads of useful information on recycling.

Our Energy Watch page has also been updated for October with some tips for a green halloween and bonfire night.