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WINTER ADVICEFor further advice on keepingwarm this winter visit theAdactus website www.adactushousing.co.uk or theEnergy Saving Trustwww.energysavingtrust.org.ukWinter Warning AdviceAs you are aware winter is fast approachingand we would like to share a few hints andtips that could help you carry out some basicwinter maintenance.Stopcock Location: Make sure you arefamiliar with where the stopcock is locatedin your home and how to operate it.Should you find yourself with a plumbingemergency this will help minimise anydamage caused by the escape of water.Heating Instructions: It’s really importantthat all tenants make sure that their heatingeither remains on constantly on a very lowtemperature or ideally use a timer switch soWhat is The Green Deal?Keep cosy this winterKeeping your home warm throughout autumnand winter is important but with ever increasingenergy prices, it can be expensive.Making small changes can have a big impact onreducing your energy bills. See our suggestionsbelow to help keep your bills down and keep yourhome cosy.Switch to Save• Firstly make sure you are paying the cheapesttariff possible for your energy. Switching to acheaper supplier is easier than you think. Thereare various comparison web sites availableincluding the Adactus Billscutter tool availableon our website.Save gas• Learn how to use your heating controlseffectively. Use a timer to turn your heating offbefore you leave the house and to come onagain half an hour before you return, instead ofleaving it on all day.• Turning your thermostat down by 1ºC could cutyour heating bills by up to 10% and save youaround £100 per year.• Turn radiators down in rooms which you only useoccasionally.it comes on regularly during the cold spells,even if they are going to be away for a fewdays over the Christmas period. This willhelp reduce frozen / burst pipes and boilerdamage.Condensation: This can damage paintwork/ decoration, fixtures and fittings. To reducethe risk of condensation causing damageto your property or contents make sure therooms in the property are properly ventilatedand an even temperature is maintainedthroughout the building in order to reducecondensation.Fires: Do Not leave candles, cigarettes or lit• Move furniture away from radiators or heaters tolet the heat into the room.• Keep your outside doors shut and add draughtcovers to the letterbox and key holes.• Is your water too hot? Your thermostat shouldn’tneed to be set any higher than 60 º C/140 º F,which is a comfortable temperature for mostpeople.Save electricity• The range of efficient light bulbs available hasimproved greatly over the past few years. Theyare now available in a range of sizes and levelsof brightness. They can save you up to £78 ofelectricity per bulb, and last up to 12 timeslonger than ordinary light bulbs.• Switch off your electrical appliances at the wall,not just with the ‘standby’ button, as this stilluses almost as much power as when they arefully turned on.• Unplug mobile phones, shavers and electrictoothbrushes when they are fully charged,otherwise they will keep using electricity.• You will ALWAYS save energy if you turn the lightout when you leave the room, even if it’s only fora minute or two.flames un-attended this can cause seriousfires and always check your smoke alarm is infull working order.Remember should you be unfortunateenough to suffer any damage through anyincidents your contents are not insured byAdactus and will not be covered. Shouldyou feel that you might like to take out somebasic contents insurance that would help toput your mind at rest then please contactWessex on 01962 892 086 cover starts from£4.64 a month (£3.09 for over 60’s) Standardcover + Accidental Cover from £5.81 (£3.87for over 60’s).The Green Deal is a new Governmentprogramme launched in October 2012. Itallows energy efficiency works to be carriedout to homes and businesses at no upfrontcost. Payments for the works are spread out(up to 25 years) and added to the electricitybill. The ‘golden rule’ of this repaymentmodel is that the savings made from thereduced energy bills will cover the cost of theloan repayment and therefore energy billsshouldn’t be any higher.How will it work?A Green Deal Provider will arrange and carryout a home assessment before offering apackage of works and a repayment modelthat should meet the ‘golden rule’. Therepayment agreement is then assigned tothe electricity meter. This means that when aresident moves out, the new occupier takes onthe re-payments. A Green Deal arrangementrequires permission from both the tenant andthe landlord. Green Deal providers are likely toinclude energy companies, retailers etc.Can it work for Adactus tenants?Many of the works included in the Green Dealhave already been delivered or are due to bedelivered as part of our existing programmeof works at no extra cost to tenants. We willcontinue to track the development of theGreen Deal, but at the moment it does notappear to offer tangible benefits to tenants.What next?We expect a wide range of Green Dealproviders to start promoting the Green Deal.If you are contacted by a Green Deal provider,our advice is to let them know that you are anAdactus/Beech/CCH tenant and refer themto connect on 0845 505 3355. Please feel freeto call connect yourself if you are contactedby a Green Deal and have any concerns. Atpresent, the Green Deal does not appear to bethe best financing option for improving theenergy efficiency of our homes and we willcontinue to explore other options.8 | inhouse
SAFETYGas Safe New LegislationGas Safe have announced a change of legislation within the Gasindustry, everyone must comply by the end of 31st December2012. The change relates to boiler flues that run through ‘voids’.A ‘void’ can be anything that obscures the ‘flue run’ e.g. a purposemade duct; including timber boxing in.Adactus Housing Group is a Gas Safe registered company and in orderto comply with the new legislation we need to ensure that any of ourinstallations that fall into this category are modified.The team will have to inspect each flue to ensure that it complies withthis new legislation and if it is boxed in (if it has a ‘void’), a permanenthatch will be fitted that will allow access to all the joints throughoutthe length of the flue.If your flue does have a ‘void’, we are legally bound to make thesemodifications and if we are not given access to carry out the necessaryalterations, this could result in your boiler being shut off until the workshave been carried out.If you think your flue has a ‘void’ and may needan access hatch, or if you have any furtherquestions please call the connect team on0845 505 3355 or 0300 111 1133.Fire safety in your homeAdvice for residentsThe first thing to remember is that fires in thehome are extremely rare and following thesesimple guidelines will help you and yourfamily to remain safe.Preventing firesDangerous materialsThings like paper, cardboard, plastics,clothes, will burn very easily if they catchfire. Make sure that you store these itemsaway properly.The kitchenMost home fires start in the kitchen. Chippans are especially dangerous – makesure they are no more than one third full,and never go out of the kitchen when thepan is on. Don’t leave towels over or nearcooking rings.Reporting faultsIf you have an emergency repair thatcould be a fire risk (such as faulty wiring)report it immediately to callconnect ormobileconnect, day or night.At nightSwitch off and unplug electrical items thatdon’t run permanently. Empty ashtrays,and shut all internal doors to stop a firespreading quickly. Don’t smoke in bed!Preventing deliberate firesUnfortunately there are some people whowill start fires deliberately. You can helpprevent this by keeping the outside ofyour house and communal areas clear ofrubbish. Also, be careful about who you letin the building if you have an intercom andalways report people acting suspiciously tothe police.Smoke alarmsAlthough your home is fitted with a smokealarm you still need to test the alarm everyweek to make sure it’s working properly.If fire does break outIf you are in the same room as the fireget out and get everyone else out. Don’ttry to put the fire out. Close the door. Telleveryone in your home about the fire thenget them out of the property.Close the front door and leave the building.Use the corridors and stairs, not the lift.Call the fire service.CALLING THE FIRE SERVICE1. Phone 999 (this call is free).2. Give the operator the telephonenumber you are ringing from andask for FIRE.3. When the fire service answers, tellthem clearly the address where thefire is.4. Don’t put the phone down untilthe fire service repeat the correctaddress to you.inhouse | 9
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