Tag: useful

  • Water, water

    With flooding causing misery for many, discussing the wastage of water may seem at best untimely. However, our increasing demand for water as well as changing weather patterns mean this essential commodity can’t be taken for granted.

    The National Home Improvement Council held a lunch at the House of Commons on 25 June to highlight the need to reduce demand and conserve water.

    In the UK, we flush 30% of our domestic water down the toilet, with 21% used in bathing and washing, and 12% in showering, explained Tony Rheinberg of Ideal Standard.

    We don’t think we’re using as much water as we do, either, estimating our usage at about a quarter of what it actually is.

    Modern bathroom fittings designed to minimise water usage without compromising on the efficiency and luxury we’re after are part of the answer. Look out for the Water Label to find efficient buys.

    With only around a third of us in the UK on water meters, it’s hard to focus on water usage in the same way we might on our electricity and gas. But it’s worth remembering that if you get through less hot water, you will save money on your energy bills and there aren’t many of us who’d pass up that opportunity in the current financial climate.

    But wouldn’t it help if the government created incentives for homeowners to install water-conserving options? A toilet scrappage scheme isn’t glamorous, but it would save an awful lot of water.

  • Stuck for storage?

    British homes don’t offer storage for essentials, such as the vacuum cleaner, reveals an Ipsos MORI report for the Royal Institute of British Architects, released today.

    The report, called ‘They way we live now: what people need and expect from their homes’, looks at how people use their homes, what they look for when they’re choosing, and how they think the experience of choosing a home can be improved.

    People like to have an element of open-plan living, the report reveals. The downside of this desire, of course, is less walls can mean less opportunity for storage. If you’re going open-plan, think about low room-dividing storage for your possessions that won’t block the view but will create a place to stash your stuff.

    Hemnes bookcases, Ikea

    Look, too, for whole wall units that will make use of the area floor to ceiling on the remaining walls.

    When you’re looking for a new home, don’t forget to view with the place you’ll put your vacuum, ironing board, clothes airer, the rubbish, the recycling and all your shoes in mind. These places don’t need to be there already, but you do need the potential to include them.