10-year council tax discount for energy efficient homes

Households could save at least £100 a year by permanently cutting their energy bills in a bid to help with the cost of living while simultaneously meeting Britain's climate change targets.
Energy Secretary Ed Davey said his was the only party offering both lower energy and council tax bills, adding: "A 10-year council tax cut will make action to end your home's energy waste a no brainer.

Gtech Ram Air

The AirRam cordless vacuum cleaner has a host of unique design features, including PC software which counts how many calories users burn whilst cleaning.

It weighs 3.5kg and uses just 100W of power – often compared to a number of 2000W or more in traditional mains powered vacuum cleaners.

But the real design deviation in the AirRam is that it isn’t a traditional vacuum cleaner. It does away with bags, cyclones and the effects of poor suction - instead using a long, bristled brush bar to scour deep into carpets and pull up all dust, dirt and debris.

Rather than sucking dirt through long tubes into a bag, the AirRam immediately compresses dust into compact bales, which can then be emptied into a bin without mess or fuss.

This in itself makes the AirRam more energy efficient, as it requires less power to generate suction – whilst still delivering powerful cleaning results. Independent tests, to IEC 60312-1-5.3 specifications found the AirRam had cleaning performance efficiency of 60.4% - 50% more than a 2000W mains vacuum tested at the same time.

On top of that, the AirRam features a quality Lithium battery, which runs for up to 40 minutes on a single charge. Using the Gtech AirRAM for 20 minutes per day (at 14p per KWh of energy), would result in energy savings of around £252 over a 5 year period.

It has a unique Data Bridge which facilitates communication between you and your vacuum cleaner’s on-board computer using a USB. Your PC will inform you the amount of electricity you saved, verify the condition of the battery and even calculate the amount of calories you burnt out. The Data Bridge will also help you find cleaning and usage  details, customer support and feedback about your experience. Gtech is revolutionising the floorcare industry and taking it a step into the future.

And because it’s cordless, it’s easy to clean from room to room without plug sockets.

Taku Tanku

The structure is composed by two 3,000 liter water tanks connected by a ring of wood that frames the entrance.

The interior can sleep two to three people, though there are no cooking or bathroom facilities. There is, however, a small underfloor storage area beneath the cypress wood flooring, as well as solar-powered LED lighting and fans, and hatch windows for ventilation. Designed to be eco-friendly and easily constructed from off-the-shelf and recycled materials.

http://www.stereotank.com/Taku-Tanku

Wind and other renewables generated a fifth of Britain's electricity in early 2014

New windfarms coming online, strong winds and a good winter for hydropower plants sent renewable energy generation surging to 19.4% of all electricity from January to March 2014, up from about 12% for the same period last year. The power produced was enough for about 15m homes during the quarter. It was hailed as a breakthrough by the wind industry, which alone provided 12% of the overall power produced, and a rebuff to critics who have said that renewables would never account for such a large proportion of the energy mix.
However, the DECC data could stoke a new price row with energy suppliers because it shows gas prices to domestic customers rising in the first quarter with prices to businesses in decline at the same time.
The cost of gas to householders, including VAT, rose by 4.8% in real terms between the first quarter of 2013 and the same period of this year, while average gas prices to business customers, including the climate change levy, were 5.2% lower.

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