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There are a few factors that will determine whether it’s worth getting a solar battery. They involve how much electricity you use, how often you’re at home and whether you receive any export payments.

To work out whether it’s worth getting a solar battery, you need to work out how much of the electricity you generate you’re using already. If you’re able to run all your appliances during the day while your solar panels generate electricity, then it sounds like you’re already using your electricity well. It might not be worth you getting a solar battery in this case.

However, if you’re not at home for a lot of the day, then you’ll be missing out on the electricity your panels are generating while the sun’s shining. If you install a solar battery system, you can store the electricity that your panels generate in the battery and use it when you get home. This will help you cut your electricity bills even further.

You’ll also need to consider whether you’re getting paid to export your electricity. If you’re on the Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs) or receive payments from the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you’ll get paid for every unit of electricity you export to the National Grid. Before you decide whether it’s worth getting a solar battery, you’ll need to weigh up whether you’d be better off carrying on exporting your unused electricity rather than storing it to use yourself. If you’re unsure, visit the Energy Saving Trust’s website or speak to an MCS-registered installer who will be able to help you work out which is more cost-effective.

Generally speaking, you do need an aerial if you have a smart TV. This what will enable you to watch live TV. However, if you’re not bothered about live TV, and just want to use services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Youtube, you don’t normally need a TV aerial. This is because these services use the internet instead.

When the summer season is drawing close, that’s when air conditioning systems come in handy and super useful as the weather starts to get increasingly warmer. However as crucial as air conditioners are especially during the warm months in the UK, if they are not given the necessary attention, they can trigger some complications which is definitely not what you’d pray for. When your air conditioning system is not properly maintained, it can lead to an annoying summertime cough that’s likely going to affect both you and your loved ones. When this happens, the good thing is you can actually resolve it with some simple tips. To resolve the issue, simply replace your air conditioning filter or make use of a humidifier.

So now that you know that an improper maintenance of your air conditioning system can make you cough, you’d probably be interested in knowing what you can do to resolve this issue. Now let’s take a closer look at the remedies.

✓ Clean and replace your air conditioning filter

Your AC system blows to keep your house cool and comfortable. Directly beneath the front panel is the fine-meshed filter which works mainly to catch dust so as to make the air free of any dust. Hence, proper cleaning of this filter is essential to maintain efficiency of the operation of the system and also to prevent any health issues. If you’re allergic to dust to this becomes even more unbearable when the filter is no longer functioning as it should. They can be cleaned, but after some time, they should also be replaced as prolonged usage can also affect their efficiency.

✓ Humidifier

These helps to inject moisture into the air. They’re very durable and can work for up to 5 to weeks without needing to be cleaned. To help prevent cough, there’s need for some moisture in the air.

The short answer is yes, you can definitely have underfloor heating with wooden floor! Now you’re probably thinking wood and heat don’t mix right? Well, that’s true but here, there’s a way around it. The floor heating system possesses a flat ribbon located underneath which be installed directly underneath wooden floors without the need for any additional subfloor preparation. It happens to be one of the few systems that can function as a primary heat without the need for screeds. So, how do you go about it? In this post, we’re going to take you through the process of installing underfloor heating with wooden floors. Let’s take a look!

To get started, you’ll only require a little preparation and this involves making sure that the surface area is dust and debris free. Once done, you’re ready to go.

• Spread your 6mm therm-all insulation and make sure it covers the entire floor.
• Put the ribbon underfloor heating mats on the insulation
• Use the double sided tape on the under floor heating mats to attach them to the insulation
• Make use of high adhesive take where needed to make sure the heating mats are secured.
• Route the cold leads ( live and neutral ) to a junction box right above the skirting board level.
• Examine whether or not the resistance level of the heating elements matches with the resistance chart in the installation manual
• Link the cold leads with a 5 lever quick connectors
• Install the wooden floor directly over the top of the heating mats
• Due to the dangers involved while working with electricity, it’s advisable to call in a reliable and professional electrician to help with the setting up of the electrics.

Kitchen floor tiles are a very popular choice for several reasons. They’re durable, visually appealing, resistant to moisture and stain and also relatively easy to maintain and install especially when compare to wall tiles. This is a task that can be done by any competent DIYer but requires a lot of patience as well as confidence. If you lack these attributes, then we’d recommend that you hire a professional floor tiler who can guarantee the best results the first time. In this article we’ll take you through the kitchen floor tiling process. Let’s get started!

• Prepare The Subfloor

✓ Ensure the subfloor is very secure to support both the tile and the people working across it.

✓ If necessary, you can strengthen the kitchen floor with the help of a vinyl, heavy felt or any other good backer board.

✓ After successfully securing the floor, proceed to clear out all dust and dirt.

• Mix The Mortar

✓ Mix a thinset mortar be referring to the instructions on the package. ( Mix only the quantity you can apply within 30 minutes).

✓ Once the mixture looks similar to the thickness of mayonnaise, allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before application.

• Apply The Mortar

✓ Apply a thin layer of mortar

✓ Do not cover extensive areas as the mortar can become very dry.

✓ Spread the mortar with a trowel in curved patterns to make it flat on the floor.

• Set The Tile

✓ Set down the tile slowly, apply a little pressure until its holds firmly to the surface. ( Apply a consistent amount of pressure throughout to ensure equal heights for all the tiles)

✓ Continue with the process until all full tiles are well positioned

• Cut The Tiles

✓ Once all the full tile pieces are in place, start cutting to cover the edges requiring smaller tile pieces.

✓ Take accurate measurements of the outer edges needing smaller tile pieces.

✓ Cut the tile pieces to fit the measurement taken with the help of a wet saw or hand tile cutter.

• Grouting

✓ Remove all spacers and mortar residues and lay the grout

✓ Apply the grout along the tiles’ seams with a grout float

✓ Clean out excess grout with a damp sponge after leaving it to dry for about 30 minutes

✓ Once the grout is fully dried, apply the sealer (the drying process normally takes within 3 to 4 days).

Before the commencement of any project, it’s always best to get an estimation of the cost. However, determining the cost of an external solid wall insulation is not the easiest of tasks as it relies on varying components such as the insulation materials to be used, labour cost and installation as well as the type of decorative finish to be incorporated. And depending on your choice of insulation material, some may need some adhesives while others may require some fixings which also contributes to the differences in price. As a result, the determination of the material cost alone can be tricky and even more so when various materials cover varying areas.

With that in mind, the cost of external solid wall insulation generally ranges between £80 to £100 per square metre2. As a result, a small flat can cost from £6000 to £9000 whereas a large detached house can have a price ranging between £21000 to £23000. To earn back your investment in terms of energy bill savings can take a couple of years, but it’s surely worth the try as there are several other benefits associated with installing an external solid wall insulation system. What’s more? Another huge factor that can influence the cost of your system is also the amount of work that’s required, how easy it is to be accessed by the installers and lots more

If you’re looking to cut down on the cost of your external solid wall insulation, then the best time for an installation might just be when you’re having another decorating or building project done such as fitting a new roof, window painting, installation of solar PV panels and more. This way, you’ll be able to spread the cost and have a greater value for each penny expended.

Clearing snow from a gravel driveway can be tricky – you need to remove the snow without taking the gravel with it.

If the snow’s quite light and dry, try using a leaf blower. You might find that this is enough to get the snow out the way. If it isn’t, start by using a shovel. Use this to clear the top layer of snow off your driveway, leaving about an inch behind. Then, use a rake to remove most of the remaining snow. This won’t take away 100% of the snow or leave all of your gravel in place, but it’s still pretty effective. You can then lay salt to melt away the rest of the snow and stop it turning into ice.

Cement is a crucial element in bricklaying that’s widely used in both construction as well as finishing works. Generally, they’re used to aerate concrete blocks, connect bricks, prepare plaster, floor levelling as well as the making of precast products. The major reason cement is one of the most common construction materials as its incredible ability to hold structure together. To get a cement plaster, you’d simply have to mix cement with both water and sand. However, when you mix cement with lime, sand and water, you’ll get a mortar.

For cements mortars to be used inside joints, you’ll have to include 1 part cement at the minimum to not more than 2 parts sand by weight which should be dry mixed and moistened with enough water to allow for troweling and packing without falling apart. Generally, the cement sand ratio in a mortar is in between 1:2 to 1:6. The cement and sand mix ratio is largely based on the importance of the project.

Cement provides a plethora of uses in bricklaying and these includes:

• Preparation of cement concrete

• Preparation of cement mortar

• Building fireproof and thermal proof structures

• Building chemical proof structures

• Serving as a grout material

• Building hydrographic and frost resistant structures

• Manufacturing precast members

• Constructing aesthetic concrete

• Constructing cement concrete roads

There are several types of cements with each having its specific purpose. For instance, the type of cement more suited to building a fire proof structure is a high alumnia cement and to build a hydrographic structure, cements like expanding cement, hydrophobic cement, pozzolana cement and quick setting cement are the best bet. Acid resistant cements are more useful in building chemical proof structures, portland cements are best suited to making grout materials, while coloured cements are preferable to building aesthetic structures.