It is not surprising why so many people choose to have underfloor heating installed in their homes. As well as being space-saving, it can also deliver significant energy and carbon emission savings. This becomes increasingly noticeable when you compare it to other forms of heat emitters. However, as with most other things, underfloor heating can also have it’s disadvantages, and whether or not it is for you will completely depend on you and your choice of lifestyle.

What is underfloor heating?

The warm water from the boiler system is circulated through continuous lengths of pipe embedded in the floor, each room has its own circuit. All circuits are connected to a distribution manifold. With each room having its own circuit, the process behind temperature control is quite simple. A thermostat is fitted in the room and connected to an electrically operated valve on the circuit serving that room.

What are the advantages of underfloor heating?

One of the reasons why many people decide to have underfloor heating installed is so that they can have the flexibility and room space to decorate how they wish. Another positive attribute is that an underfloor heating system can be suited to almost any type of flooring.

A further advantage is that you will not hear any unusual noises coming from the room, unlike radiators that can sometimes make sounds when switched on or off. This is an additional comfort, as you will not have to worry about avoiding hot radiators and you will hardly notice the under floor’s heatings presence.

A noticeable problem with radiators is that they are not very good for the air in the house as they tend to dry it out. You will not find this with underfloor heating and will notice the difference to the overall well being in your home. Underfloor heating is also beneficial for allergy and asthma suffers as it has a balance of convection and radiation which minimises disturbance.

What are the disadvantages?

Although underfloor heating is great for saving lots of space in the home, and is a positive step forward in terms of energy saving, as with anything, there are some disadvantages to having underfloor heating.

For one thing, in order to do a complete installation, you will have to be mentally prepared for widespread chaos. Imagine that your whole house will have to be turned upside down in order to get the system installed. Some people find this easier to deal with than others. If you want full insulation in the floors, then be prepared for a complete rebuild.

Perhaps one of it’s most frustrating qualities is the amount of time it can take to heat up, especially if the pipe is embedded in a solid floor. All of this will usually depend on what type of flooring you have. For instance, if you have a wooden floor in your home, you could be looking at a 30 minute waiting time for it to warm up, whilst concrete could potentially take many hours. If the heating up period takes time, be prepared for an equally long cooling period. It all depends on individual preferences and whether or not you can put up with this. Some people simply adjust better than others.

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about commercial boilers, plumbers, plumber Woking, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

With green blankets covering the buildings and cranes slicing through skylines serving as a constant reminder of Britain’s building boom, it can be difficult to imagine that the commercial building industry is affected by the economic crisis. The fact that the industry is not cutting back – while other industries are – seems to indicate the explosion of new construction works have not come to an end. The problem, it seems, is a lack of workers to fill the demands of construction companies.

The shortage of skilled construction workers is most noticeable when examining last year’s figures. 13,000 building projects were launched in 2007, and approximately 87,600 labourers were required to support these projects. The expertise deficiency is therefore widespread, both in the trade and non-trade. The highest annual requirements of the general trade are the electrical trade and wood trade, and there is also a high demand for building specialists and brick layers. The biggest requirements among non-trades include business processing managers, construction managers, professional and technical staff, architects, and office-based IT-recruits.

These deficiencies are largely due to three reasons: 1) the impact of the building boom, 2) the decrease in the number of East Europeans in the trade; 3) recruiters’ misconceptions of what construction work entails.

The first reason, which has already been discussed above, is quite self-explanatory – the more construction projects are launched, the more recruits are needed to do the jobs.

The Polish construction boom is also having an influence on the shortage of skilled Polish labourers in the British building industry. As many of Britain’s most capable construction workers are leaving the country to return to Poland, the UK is much affected by this loss.

The third reason why Britain is plagued by a labour shortage is because of the misconceptions that recruiters have about construction work. A lot of job hunters perceive the job as being limited to the construction site – while in fact; many positions are often office-based or managerial.

Various steps have been taken to diminish the gap in the trade. One of the ways companies do this is by getting women and various ethnic groups to consider a career in construction – not just white males with maths qualifications. The National Association of Women in Construction, for example, is looking outside the traditional recruitment pools, trying to target groups with a larger range of skills and work approaches. This creates a different work atmosphere, introduces fresh ideas into the industry, and cultivates diversity in the workplace.

A way of increasing the number of graduates in the construction trade is by getting children interested at a young age, as the Sustainable Employment Legacy Forum and Inspire Scholarships programs have done. They not only organise trips for children to visit construction sites, but they also offer student funds, apprenticeships, and training courses to people in the poorer outskirts of London, providing younger generations with great initiatives to join the industry.

Another approach to bridging the employment gap is to change the way in which the building industry is viewed. By educating people to expand their view of the trade and teaching people that construction is more than hard hats and light-reflecting mesh jackets, more individuals might start to see construction as a job for them.

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about gas safe plumbers, central heating, London plumbers, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

Although a lot has changed over the past few years in terms of gender roles in the industry, and more women as a result are entering the trades, it has been argued that still more needs to be done to get it up to the level that is required. Critics have argued that women that are interested in entering male-dominated environments, should be encouraged more by organizations in charge of developing initiatives in order to make their transition successful.

The heating industry has undergone a period of great change as the government has proposed new policies and developed new technologies such as renewables. This transitionary period has brought with it a requirement to build upon its work force by adding new and additional skills. Nowadays it should be easier than ever before for women to not only get trained for specialist roles, but a wide range of roles within the industry.

Fighting gender divides

Despite the fact that there are more women in the industry now, there are still gender divides and other stereotypes which are stopping women from catching up with men’s pay. The Women and Work Commission (WWC) have claimed that the gender pay gap has actually widened to 22.6% from 21.9% in 2007.

One way of tackling this problem is to encourage women to get into adult apprenticeships. The government has taken a massive step forward in spending over 1 billion on apprenticeships and the reaction to this development has been positive.

However, although the government has been working hard in developing strategies in order to get more women into the industry, some organizations claim that there is still a long way to go and not enough is being done. For example the WWC are still sceptical about the level of progress made and state that there is still a gender divide in the work place.

Employers taking initiative to improve things

Some of the major employers are taking important steps in challenging these gender stereotypes. For instance, a company called Construction Skills took a massive leap forward with their national advertising campaign to promote the construction industry as a attractive and lucrative career option for women.

Furthermore, British Gas have also taken action in challenging this gender stereotype. This was reflected in them trebling the number of women starting an apprenticeship in order to redress the balance.

Are women themselves not that keen?

Many of the UK construction and engineering companies have claimed that despite initiatives to encourage more women to enter the industry, job applications from women are still low. It was found that despite 80% of women saying that they would be interested in going down a non-traditional career path, the applications coming in are still low.

Many of the critics argue that the gender stereotypes begin at school where not enough is done to promote non-traditional careers for girls. On the plus side, there are some organisations that are set up for the purpose of encouraging these women to enter non-traditional career paths. For instance, the Women in Science & Construction (WISE) is set up to encourage young girls up to the age of 19 to pursue careers in science, engineering and construction.

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about combi boiler, central heating, plumber Cambridge, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

It is safe to say that the current economic climate has not been easy for the heating industry. Nonetheless, installers should not be put off by the economic downturn. They should not be discouraged and wait around hoping for the situation to get better. Installers have a number of opportunities available to them. It is just about spotting these opportunities and making the most of them.

Unfortunately many installers fail to recognise these opportunities that come to them and take advantage. One particular area is the radiator market. This area of the market has grown in popularity over a period of time and there are many products available.

As the local government has continued to make investments in social housing and public building works, such as healthcare and education, this has led to an increased demand in specialist heating products which can cater for these specific areas.

Furthermore, many homeowners who were previously contemplating moving home are now improving their homes instead. This has led to increased demand for designer radiators and products which offer great design and high performance.

Many consumers are also concerned about cost-cutting, so they are looking at strategic ways to reduce their fuel bills. They see having an efficient heating system as a great way to cost-cut. Therefore consumers are increasingly finding ways to reduce fuel costs without having to invest greatly in thermostatic radiator valves and a high efficiency boiler.

If the installer can successfully assess the customer’s individual situation and advise them on the whole range of options available to them, then the installer will definitely be on the right track for their business.

Many customers often have the idea that radiators are drab and need to be hidden away. This perception is now slowly changing as more people are starting to see that the radiator can be decorative too and does not have to be hidden away. A good strategy would be to inform the consumer of this newly found perception and it could lead to the consumer making a purchase.

Provide your consumer with a wide range of options. Tell them that you can have double-panelled radiators, single-panelled or one which is clear glass. The variety of styles and designs you can choose from are endless.

Just like radiators, towel warmers also come in a wide range of models that are not just limited to wall-fixed models. There are also many floor stand designs available, which allows for greater flexibility in your home design, and making your bathroom very stylish.

The radiator in the home does not just have to be there to provide heat. It has the capacity to be stylish and trendy too. As an installer if you are successful in making the customer aware of this, you may be onto a winner.

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boiler, central heating, plumber St.-Helens, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

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Industrial professionals, plumbers and most other machinist professionals in the United Kingdom list copper as the metal of choice for most fabrications. Historians can date the use of copper as far back as ten millennia and believe that only gold and iron were used before copper was discovered. The natural colour of Copper is red, though over time its colour can shift into green.

Heating and plumbing professionals use copper for pipes and many of the different electrical devices inside their systems and have done so for nearly a century. In recent years, copper industry professionals have started charging higher prices for their copper pieces because there is a fear that the demand for copper is higher than the metal’s available supply.

Copper tubing is the most reliable transport mechanism for water in the United Kingdom and in recent years it has also been used to house the transport of natural gas. The “quality standard” in the heating and plumbing industry in the UK is copper and there is not one single building code that forbids the metal’s use. This metal is durable and strong and can protect the health of humans and larger organisms by hindering the growth of bacteria on its surface.

In terms of applications in domestic plumbing, copper is one of the most versatile. Copper carries water and natural gas well while standing up to corrosion and deterioration. Many companies offer a fifty year warranty on copper piping because the business owners understand that copper is not likely to break down or become damaged.

For heating systems, UK experts agree that radiant heating is one of the best systems that can be installed. Copper pipes have been used in underfloor heating for decades because the metal easily and evenly distributes heat and because copper pipes are unlikely to leak and cause damage to the structural integrity of the house. Underfloor heating is becoming increasingly popular in the UK because it is the most efficient and cost effective method of heating a home.

Copper has also had great success in air conditioners and refrigeration units because it distributes coolness as easily as it does warmth. Copper has done a great deal to lengthen the lifetime of cooling units as well as increasing the units’ effectiveness.

Copper is also known for being “green” friendly. This metal is easily recycled and resistant to germs and bacteria. Humans need copper to help create haemoglobin and the copper in a person’s system helps the body fight against high cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease.

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about combi boilers, central heating, plumber Edinburgh, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

A trend has been emerging in the UK in which talk of energy conservation inevitably turns to an individual’s “carbon footprint.” The news, radio, television, magazines and internet have all been sources of “carbon footprint” mania.

What does it mean exactly? The term “carbon footprint” is best defined as the amount of impact that a person and his/her activities have on the environment when that impact is based on the level of greenhouse gases that are produced. That level is measured in carbon dioxide units. There are a number of methods by which a person can calculate his or her carbon footprint: the Life Cycle Assessment, and by the amount of emissions caused by the energy a system uses are the most popular.

The truth is that just about everything a person does can contribute to his or her carbon footprint. The real truth is that even breathing can increase a person’s carbon footprint as the act of human respiration puts more carbon dioxide into the environment!

Rest assured that nobody is going to figure in your rate of respiration into your carbon footprint. Doing so would be absurd. Instead your carbon footprint is calculated based on the things you actually do and use. When you drive to the shop or cook food, you produce carbon dioxide. The amount of energy you consume as a person, in your house, at your workplace and in transit will all be figured in to your carbon footprint. Be prepared for a large number-people produce an astounding amount of carbon dioxide each day.

Carbon footprints have become more important over the last few years because the globe’s climate has changed quite dramatically. Environmental experts have released reports that state that human beings are directly responsible for the increase in carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases that have helped to raise the world’s temperature. The world’s temperature rose by .6 degrees Celsius in the last one hundred years. .6 does not sound like a huge amount but it has had a large impact. The North Pole is breaking apart as you read this. Syria has more freshwater available than the United Kingdom.

The world’s temperature has raised more than half a degree Celsius over the last century. Half a degree sounds small but that half a degree has had an incredible effect. The North Pole almost melted completely this year and the United Kingdom might run out of fresh water within the next few decades.

Another great way to reduce the amount of carbon emissions into the atmosphere is to plant some trees! Trees take in CO2 and expel oxygen. While you cut back on your carbon output, you should increase the amount of carbon converters as well!

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boilers, central heating, plumber Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

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At a time when economic circumstances are breaking negative records pushing us closer and closer into debt, the last thing we want to do is spend thousands of pounds on bathroom redesign and renovation. Having a warm and cosy place to take a soothing bath after a long day’s work is always a welcoming idea, yet unfortunately, it can be too expensive an indulgence.

A bathroom renovation isn’t always necessarily as pricy as we would imagine. There are various low-budget strategies one can use to build the ideal bathroom, while still being able to pay off the mortgage. By examining the ways in which simple components such as mirrors, tiling, furniture and paint can be used in an affordable manner, your dream bathroom can, in fact, become a reality.

As many designers will tell you, mirrors are highly effective for creating an illusion of space. Placing full-length mirrors on walls and small mirrors on cabinet doors can make any small bathroom look twice as big. Lighting and tiles styles have similar effects on how spacious a room looks and feels. Using large-size tiles and large warm lamps increases the size of your bathroom significantly. Therefore, instead of spending hundreds of pounds on extending your bathroom’s area, create an illusion of space.

If you need further physical space to place your bathroom furniture, there are still more financially feasible ways to create your desired space. Getting fitted or built-in furniture is, for example, an effective space-saver. Large standing cabinets take up a lot of room, so small, deep overhead and wall cupboards are ideal for freeing up floor space. Additionally, buying your own wooden planks on which to place items such as beauty products and towels, and hanging them on the wall, is also a useful means to clear up extra floor-space. Utilizing a space effectively is therefore essential for the creation of your ideal low-budget bathroom.

Choosing the appropriate colour of wallpaper or paint is very important, because colour is the largest contributing factor for creating the desired ambience of your environment. Painting a room yourself is the most economically advantageous way to directly influence the mood and design of your new bathroom.

Seeing as there is no ‘one way’ to decorate, it is up to you to decide the colour scheme based on what style you are looking for:

For a largest sense of space, it is best to use soft and pale colour schemes (such as peach and beige).

To create an atmosphere marked by peace and calm, it is advised to use cool colours (i.e. green or sky blue).

To create a cosy, comfortable atmosphere, warm and bright colours (such as ruby red, orange, or green apple) are advisable.

As the above suggestions exemplify, a bathroom renewal does not have to be overly costly. By replacing the furniture, adding mirrors, and giving the walls a lick of paint, there is no need for expensive professional designers or renovators, while still reaping the benefits of your ideal bathroom.

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boiler, central heating, plumber Prescot , underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

The government is proposing that by 2020, every home in the UK will have a smart meter installed. This is quite an ambitious target and the government is keen to get the word out. The smart meter will change the way consumers use their energy. The suppliers use the meters to record customer’s gas and electricity use, and together with display device, they let consumers see how much energy they are using. It means that houseowners will not have to stay at home for meter readings. It also means that they will not have to deal with over-estimated bills.

With the changing economic climate, many of the experts on energy and climate change recognise that the meters we currently have in our homes are not suited to our needs any more. A major concern for most consumers today is the need to be more careful with their money.

The government’s proposals for the smart meter

Consumers will be able to make reductions in their energy consumption with a smart meter installed in their homes. The smart meter will help them monitor their energy use and make the necessary adjustments. This is a huge project, one that will take time and affect millions of homes and businesses.

The government has set out some proposals as a way of rolling out the smart meters across the UK. The first one allows the energy suppliers to take all the responsibilities, which include the supply and installation, and the data management.

The second proposal is that the energy suppliers take on the responsibility for the maintenance and installation of the meters, however, have a third part handle the energy data. It is this option that the government is favouring.

Has there been a missed opportunity?

Many of the leading manufacturers are encouraging the government’s proposals, however are concerned that the delay in the enforcement will result in a missed opportunity for people to upgrade their heating systems. The figures demonstrate that there are around 17 million standard boilers that are still being used across the country.

Many see the advantages of having a device available at home that informs homeowners of their energy use. However, the longer the delay, the more people that will miss out on upgrading. Those that are taking the environmental stance argue that using a standard efficiency boiler can be environmentally unfriendly.

The smart meters are beneficial in allowing suppliers to record customer’s gas and electricity usage, and letting consumers know how much energy they are consuming on a daily basis. It has been estimated that around 26 million electricity and and 22 million gas meters will need to be fitted at a cost of 7 billion.

Some of the experts that are pushing for these smart meters to be put in every home are claiming that this device will revolutionise the way households consume energy.

Some key features

Estimated bills will be a thing of the past, as the information will be sent straight to the energy supplier

The displays are designed in a way that is easily readable and understandable

People will be able to monitor their energy use at their own discretion

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boiler, central heating, plumber Peterborough, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

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The American economic crisis has been making headlines all over the world for a few months but the US is not alone when it comes to financial difficulties. Various countries around the world have suffered severe economic meltdowns (Iceland and Ukraine just to name a few). The UK has also been having serious economic troubles as well, especially in the housing industry. There has been a twelve percent drop in the price of homes in the UK in the last twelve months. We ask – has the heating and plumbing industry been affected by this?

Initial evidence shows that the economic downturn hasn’t slowed down business for the plumbing and heating industry as much as it has for other industries. There are a few companies that have reported a drop in billable hours, but for the most part, business has remained steady. The real change has been in the kind of work that the heating and plumbing engineers are being hired to do.

Up to last year, when the housing market was on an upswing, many heating and plumbing engineers were hired to create completely new plumbing and heating or cooling systems. In many ways, a new house and would often lead to completely new plumbing and heating system to be designed and installed. Now that the housing market has slowed down, home owners are more concerned with making sure their current systems will last as long as possible, while keeping costs down.

Heating and plumbing engineers are now being hired to repair and renovate systems in homes. Heating and cooling systems are being retooled and cleaned instead of being replaced. Professionals are finding that their billable hours are going toward boiler replacement and hot water cylinder repairs and inspecting vents and drains to ensure that they are working correctly and cost efficiently.

Heating and plumbing professionals do appreciate the work they are winning in this difficult economic climate. They acknowledge that the work may not always be challenging or interesting. Installing a combination boiler is not quite as exciting as designing and fitting an entirely new piping and plumbing and heating system in a new home. It is, however, a reliable stream of work and enables them to pay their bills.

Some heating engineers have discovered that diversifying their business and learning how to practice “green” methods of plumbing and heating can remarkably improve their number of billable hours, as recently clients have shown interest in making sure their homes are environmentally friendly. Solar thermal panels, under floor heating systems and environmentally friendly sewer systems are becoming more popular.

The simple fact remains that even though the economy is clearly slowing down, the heating and plumbing industry will be able to stay fairly stable because of the simpler jobs of renovations and repairs and periodic maintenance. Engineers who are up to date on “green” technologies will also be able to bring in a fair amount of work each week. It is important for heating and plumbing engineers to be flexible. The more flexible an engineer can be, the more likely they are to survive no matter what the economic conditions are.

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boiler, central heating, plumber Liverpool, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

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Hard water is a problem for most residents of the United Kingdom. Hard water is water that contains a high level of dissolved minerals and ions, the most troublesome of which are calcium and magnesium. Water is made hard when rain water falls on land that contains high levels of minerals. The water picks up the minerals as it seeps through the ground and into the water table. Water that falls on ground that is made up mostly of hard rock or peaty soil is less likely to pick up minerals or other elements and will stay “soft.”

You definitely want to have soft water and not hard water. The minerals that have turned your water hard have a tendency to build up in a house or building’s plumbing systems and on the inside of your home appliances and things that regularly contain water. When pipes, appliances and machines get mineral scale built up, they stop working correctly or cease working altogether.

Cleaning with hard water is also incredibly difficult as the minerals contained in hard water prevent soaps and cleaning materials from lathering correctly. When you use hard water regularly, your machines have to work harder which means they use more electricity, causing your utility bill to spike or be abnormally high. If too much scale builds up in the plumbing, you will need to replace your pipes which is also expensive.

A large portion of the UK population has found that the installation of a water softener is the best way to combat the effects of hard water. A water softener is a machine that filters your home’s water as it flows from the ground water or well supply and into your home. It has special filters built into it that help it “strain out” most of the minerals that are found in hard water.

Some water softener companies build machines that will filter out a variety of other materials as well as hard water minerals. Soft water is much easier to use for household activities and it is safer for the pipes in your house.

Hard water can wreak havoc on a house and the human body and the danger is proportional to the amount of dangerous minerals contained in the water. The worst minerals in hard water are magnesium and calcium because too much of either ion can cause disastrous effects on a home and on the human body.

Left unchecked, mineral scale can do so much damage to your home’s plumbing system that your pipes wear thin and start to leak. The damage is clear when one looks into a water or heating pipe which is fully blocked by minerals deposits.

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boilers, central heating, plumber Weston Super Mare, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.