Easy 'Tweet this' function added to posts

Home improvement fans and regular readers will know we're always looking for more ways to make it easier to share your favourite articles with your own friends, colleagues and followers.

So we're very pleased to announce a new feature that's just gone live today.

When you click on any individual blog post, at the bottom of that post, in addition to our normal social media sharing tools like Digg and facebook, you'll now also find a 'Tweet this' Twitter icon and link. (see example below).



Clicking on the 'Tweet this' link will open twitter.com where you can sign in with your user details. You'll then see the url (automatically shortened using the Bit-ly service) followed by I'm reading and the post title.

Another great easy way to share the content you find enjoyable, informative or interesting.

Twitter is the easy way to share information, tips and 'what you're doing' with your friends or colleagues. Getting a Twitter account is free and easy - go to Twitter.com and sign up for a user account now, then start adding friends.

You can 'follow' the Home Improver - our own Twitter persona and get updates whenever we update this blog or publish any news items.

Boost Your Energy Efficiency Rating

Since July 2008, to put a house on the market you’ve had to arrange for a Home Information Pack (HIP), containing assorted details about the house, it’s construction, boundary details and planning permission. From April of this year, the HIP must be ready and available by the first day your property goes on the market.

Contained in the HIP is an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which potential buyers can use to assess your home’s energy efficiency. Today, we’re giving you some excellent tips on how to give your EPC an adrenalin shot and boost your home’s energy efficiency, and so boost its value.

Even if you aren’t selling your home, improving your home’s energy efficiency makes sense: by combining these tips you could reduce your energy bill by over £300 a year!

Fit or Replace Your Double Glazing.

The Government have downgraded the energy rating of all Pre-2002 double glazing to ‘Average’, whilst the newer units can attain a ‘Good’ or even ‘Excellent’ rating. If your double glazing is starting to get past its best you can increase your home’s overall rating by replacing it with modern energy-efficient units. Making sure your double glazing is up to scratch will also help reduce draughts and noise, making your home a quieter, more peaceful place.

It’s also worth thinking about your window frames, since various window frame makes each carry an energy efficiency rating, and there are a multitude of fittings and finishes available.

The BFRC produce a rating system for windows of A-G, so when shopping for energy-efficient windows, make sure the your provider sells windows with an ‘A’ energy rating, and ask about Low Emission (‘Low-E’) coated panes. Also, look out for the logo of the Energy Saving Trust, who give approval to highly energy-efficient windows

You can find quotes for all kinds of windows and locate window companies using WindowQuoter.co.uk.

Insulate Your Loft and Wall Cavities.

If your walls and loft don’t have appropriate insulation you’ll be losing heat, losing energy, and getting a lower energy performance rating than you should be. Loft and cavity insulation is surprisingly affordable and will save you enough on your fuel bill to make back your costs within 2 years. Thanks to your increased EPC rating you’ll also add value to your home when you sell – probably more than it costs to have the insulation fitted.

A very good time to consider getting your insulation check is when your roof needs repair or replacement, and if yours does, head over to RoofQuoter.co.uk for an instant online quote for roofing work.

Upgrade Your Central Heating System

EPC certificates also look at your boiler and heating control system. If you’ve got an out-of-date combi-boiler you might want to consider replacing that with a more modern and efficient model, but you can also score points for having thermostatic control valves on your radiators, which adjust the temperature of each individual room based on your preferences and allow you greater control over your heating.

Change Your Light Bulbs

Not every energy saving measure needs great expense. Probably the greatest saving you can make on your electricity bill is also the simplest: swap your 100W traditional light bulbs for energy saving alternative bulbs. If your living room has 6 lights which you have filled with 100W bulbs, replacing them all with 20W energy saving bulbs will save you 480W, every hour, without losing any brightness. Even across the life of a standard bulb that’s a huge saving, and coupled with the fact that energy saving bulbs last much longer, it’s an easy decision to make.

Keep Good Company: Five tips for finding the best home improvement provider

We often talk here about finding good home improvement providers and getting great building work done, but how can you tell if the company you’re getting a quote from is one of the good guys before you hire them? Here’s the Home Improvement Quotes tips on selecting the best company for your requirements:

Listen to recommendations from others

One very effective way of finding out if the company you’re thinking of hiring is worthwhile is to ask friends and relatives if they’ve used the company in the past. Friends will give you an honest opinion and help you set your expectations at the correct level. Friends are a great source of help and advice, and if one of your friends has had recent experience with a home improvement, you could ask them for help selecting a company

Have a look at the company’s website

Home Improvement companies often have pictures and examples of the work they’ve done in the past on their website. Have a look through the picture gallery, but also look at how the company describes itself and its services. If they’re proud of their products they’ll say so, and they’ll include industry accreditations, awards and other indicators of the quality of their business.

Look for local examples of their work

Ask the salesmen if they’ve done any work locally recently that you can look at. If you see work by the company locally, assess its quality and decide for yourself if they’re worth the price.

Don’t just go with the first people you find

Reputable companies aren’t afraid of competition. Get quotes from several companies who provide the product you need, and make sure they know they aren’t the only company you’re asking. This is where Home Improvement Quotes can really help you – as well as giving you a rough guide price to use in your discussions with salesmen, we’ll help you find three local companies you can talk to. Head over to the Home Improvement Quotes website now to get free quotes on anything from Double Glazing to Garage Conversions to Bathrooms.

‘Good’ is not the same as ‘Cheap’

Some tradesmen are out to fleece you. Some, however, want to help their customers and give them the best product possible. You’ll often get what you pay for, and if you force the salesmen onto a very low price you may find you don’t get such a good deal after all. Companies are less inclined to work well with customers who cause them significant problems over price, and even some good companies will use cheaper, lower quality materials to cut prices for homeowners who kick up a fuss.

Remember, really good companies would rather walk away from a job than compromise on quality for the sake of a providing a dirt cheap job for a difficult customer. You want to get the best deal possible, but still the best work that you can afford.

New Instant Home Improvement Quote Widget goes live

We've been busy developing our fantastic new widget that lets you enter a few details and get straight into our clever online quoting system for the home improvement of you choice.

Give it a go now and see how easy it is to get a FREE online quote for everything from double glazing to fitted kitchens, driveways to loft conversions from the comfort of your own home, at a time to suit you, without the need for a salesman to call.

If you'd like your own home improvement widget on your website or blog, click here for more information.