Ground Source Heat Pumps: What Are They?

In essence, a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) is a renewable energy unit that utilises a network of pipes buried under the surface of your garden to convert heat from these grounds into your home. Traditionally a GSHP system will be used to warm water for your radiators or generate heat for a underfloor heating system. It can, on occasion, be used to contribute to general facilities like heating the water that goes into your boiler. Located beneath the ground surface around your home, the earth will stay at a constant temperature. Therefore GSHP can be used all year round as an effective and efficient renewable energy source.

How Do GSHPs Work?

A GSHP will be installed into your home grounds - conventionally a back garden. The circuit is formed by pipes leading away from and then back into your home. A mixture of water and antifreeze is then pumped around this loop of piping. As the formula travels around the loop (known as a ground loop) it absorbs heat from the ground. The length of the piping will depend on how much heat you will require and other variables like the size of your home. Whether your home is big or small there are reasonable methods to ensure that a GSHP unit will work with optimum efficiency once installed. For instance, in most homes the GSHP will be laid flat, or laid in coils in trenches (approximately 2metres deep), but if your garden is relatively 'tight' for space, then a vertical installation can be deployed. This is where the pipes are installed direct down into the earth in a vertical loop to depths of up to 100 metres.

"The ground loop absorbs heat from the ground. The heat is transferred to a refrigerant by the evaporator, changing it from liquid to gas. The compressor compresses the gas, causing the temperature to rise. The condenser then transfers the heat from the hot gas to the central heating system." - Energy Saving Trust

What Are The Benefits?

The benefits of installing a GSHP system are varied and great, depending on your style of living. But there are three key points that apply to all homes:

• It will reduce your CO2 emissions: in place of a traditional oil boiler, GSHPs will save over 500kg of carbon dioxide every year.
• Rid you of Fuel Bills: these systems run solely on electricity, so gas, oil and solid fuels are made obsolete for your home.
• Reduce your electricity consumption: GSHPs are very efficient, far more efficient than using electric radiators.

Are They Suitable For My Home?

Generally speaking, GSHPs are suitable for most homes. However, there are some crucial areas that need to be considered in order to help determine whether or not they are the most effective route to renewable energy:

• Although your back garden doesn't have to be particularly large, the ground must still be suitable for installing a ground loop. Ask yourself whether it is accessible to digging machinery, or, for instance, how suitable the soil is for digging? If the garden is small and the soil is laden with concrete foundations, will you really be able to accommodate a borehole. Such practicalities are best figured in the early stages of installation in order to avoid any hidden disappointments later on.
• Make sure you'll be able to keep the heat in your home. How well insulated is your house? GSHPs produce, although carbon-friendly and consistent, low temperature heat compared to traditional furnace style boilers. Therefore, to ensure that you get the best out of your GSHP, thorough insulation is a must.
• Costs and Savings. The initial cost of installing one of these systems is quite considerable. However, grants and funding are available for eligible applicants, and will help source around 1/3 of the costs. Savings will vary with depending on the size of the home, amount of heat required etc., but a GSHP system, on average, will start your savings off at around 500kg of CO2 and £160 annually - if you're replacing an oil-fired central heating system.

Whatever your motives are for installing Ground Source Heat Pumps there are a wide range of benefits, grants and savings that, in the long run, will set the perfect temperature for your home. We recommend that you visit the Energy Saving Trust for further information.

Posted under Articles, House & Home

Situated in the eastern chunk of England that verges on ancient marshland and earthy conservation areas, Sarah Green's family farm possesses 25 acres of organic, Soil Association registered land, where seasonal and organic vegetables and fruit are grown. The kind of venture that is increasingly popular with families, foodies and anyone with an interest in food-miles, the farm's shop in North Street, Tillingham, sells their varied range of greens, along with their own free-range eggs and plenty of other stocks, including meat, juice, cereals and cooking essentials.

Travelling only half of a mile to the shop, the produce is also available in the form of 'veg boxes' (although a lot more than just veg can be bought). Sarah Green can deliver these weekly to pretty much anywhere in the Dengie Peninsula- that's the area of Essex between the tidal rivers of Blackwater in the North, and the River Crouch to the South.

Ranging in price from £8 to £20, there are five sizes of box available. The food is all seasonal, and a constant, weekly variation will keep the organic produce fresh and interesting. Potatoes and carrots are there as a staple every week- the winter months might see the addition of leeks, cabbage, parsnips, purple sprouting broccoli, curly kale, or celeriac. Summer might see bunched beetroot, cucumber, lettuce, spinach, radish, pepper, fine beans, aubergines, fennel, or many others. The vegetables are all harvested straight into your box.

For those wanting to try out Sarah Green's produce before they commit to a box, the farm also sells their wares in Green's shop at 74 High Street, Maldon, Essex and Lathcoats Farm Shop, Chelmsford.

A great way to support local farming in the east of England, and to bring home fresh and natural food without having to leave the house.

Visit www.sarahgreensorganics.co.uk for more details on Sarah's box scheme.

Posted under Articles, Companies, Corporate, Gas & Electricity, House & Home, Product Innovations

"Love your Environment! Love your Garden!" It seems that the best place for your kids these days is outside. A collective parental Phew! might be being heard across the country after that revelation, but its true, and there is an online site dedicated to this very ethos. Formed by The Recycle Works Limited, the home of Gardening with Children has been plotted out to serve as an interactive fun zone for any child of the 21st century.

For children, teachers and all family members, this website has been designed to encourage our children's interaction with the soil around them. It has aligned itself with the developments happening within National Curriculum at key stages 1, 2, 3, and 4, and is a really inventive way to branch out and sustain those essential skills that children in any school will be rolling up their sleeves for.

"We want to share the experiences of Flagship Schools as even the smallest schools use interactive white boards in class and as many children do their homework online," says Gardening with Children's website "our aim is for this site to become an invaluable resource for obtaining information in relation to gardening with children."

And it's clear to see how well the site works. It encourages a network of online users to get outside and put what they're learning to good use. The balance of theory and practise is delivered in bitesized, digestible segments that will keep you and your kids energised whilst out on the allotment or digging in the backgarden.

The 'Kids Zone' has been broken down into three great sections: Fun & Games, which has been carefully selected into a variety of age ranges to help challenge your child in the best way possible; Fascinating Facts, which does exactly what it says on the tin and helps to stimulate your child's overall understanding of how, for instance, worming works, or why it is better to eat healthier foods; and finally, a Competition section - regularly updated with ongoing competitions for your young ones to enter. It is a great tool for your child's development:

"As we all know and perhaps remember from our own childhood, memorable learning experiences can stay with us throughout our lives and can really influence the adult that we become.

School gardening projects are a great way to get children exercising out in the fresh air, and the Government's Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto, launched in 2006 recognised the importance of young people experiencing the world beyond the classroom as part of the learning and development."

The Family Zone and School Zones are set out in the same way so, once ready, your child can start to navigate his or her way through the web pages, picking up handy tips, facts and little discoveries along the way.

In no time at all you'll see the varied usages for this site, and its interactive qualities will have you bookmarking it as a regular favourite. All you will have to make sure is that you and your kids take off your wellies and wash your hands before logging on each time and learning more about how gardening can encourage local ecology.

For further information and to visit the Gardening with Children's website, click here.

Posted under Articles, House & Home, Lifestyle & Fashion

Educational researchers are continuing to discover more and more links between music and the way we learn. This is especially true in the case of school-aged children. Music stimulates our memory receptors, activating the left and right sides of the brain simultaneously, resulting in an increase in the brain's ability to retain information. So, with this in mind, we've compiled a playlist of the best CDs out there that cover a dancefloor of ecological themes to help your early learners put on their Green Dancing Shoes!

1) I'm An Animal: Songs of Earth as Animals See It - by Sarah Weeks
With great sing-alongs such as 'Crocodile Smile', 'Take It Slow' and 'Pretty Tree', Sarah Weeks delivers delicate harmonies with a light and easy atmosphere; perfect for background music in your playroom. The songs have been written to help your child's imagination roam into the realms of wildlife and begin to see the world how an animal might see its habitat. The album as a whole sounds like it could be made for adults - so it wont grate on your nerves after the first listen. This child-friendly CD will excite any animal loving kid with environmentally aware lyrics that will work their magic in an enjoyable setting.

2)Birds, Beasts, Bugs & Fishes Little & Big: Animal Folk Songs - by Pete Seeger
To carry on with the theme of animals, here's an old folk favourite. Pete Seeger sings his way through 28 folk songs about the animal kingdom, complete with Seeger's own addition of animal noises that will really stir your child's interaction. 'Raccoon's Got a Bushy Tail', 'Mister Rabbit' and 'The Foolish Frog' are some of the favourites. Again, this is another adult-friendly listen, so leave it on through the day and get your kids to echo back some of Seeger's humorous impressions, or even better, his iconic folk familiars.

3) Music Of The Thirteen Moons - by Chris Kubie
A musical interpretation of the books written by Jean Craighead George (which cover environmental themes large and small). Based on the Native American calendar, The Thirteen Moons has been transformed into thirteen instrumental pieces, one for each animal in the series, by Chris Kubie with beautiful clarity. Each animal has been given its own tempo, rhythms and instruments, in order to best translate the feeling and mood of the animal within its ecosystem. This is perhaps a compilation for more sensitive listeners with an ear for emotion. I wonderful collection from start to finish.

4) Mother Earth - by Tom Chapin
Folk, Jazz, Jive and Classical, Chapin has covered a wide range of listening-stations to help tune your child's ear to the voices of Mother Earth. With songs like 'Mother Earth's Routine', 'Wheel of the Water' and 'Picnic of the World', Chapin's musical style is fun, lively and informative. His witty songs and clear ditties are a great way to spark a more creative day of playtime. It's a great way to encourage children to think about the world around them whilst still having fun with the songs themselves. This album will also, no doubt, get the thumbs-up approval from both parents and children alike.

5) Put on Your Green Shoes - Various artists including Indigo Girls, Cyndi Lauper, Willie Nelson, Kenny Loggins, Tom Chopin and more
A diverse mix of collaborating recording artists that you'll recognise and surely enjoy. This is an absolute hit: 14 songs from singers like Olivia Newton-John, Tom Paxton and Willie Nelson. Learning to love the world around us has been made fun, enjoyable and encouraging. The themes are reaching, diverse and easy to sing-a-long and learn with.

Posted under Articles, House & Home

There are a hundred and one things to do on your days off. Whether you're taking a break from work, school, or simply lazing about, why not try taking a 'bake' this time! It's easy. But remember, don't just pop down to your local supermarket and pick up packets of This and sachets of That, here at EcoSwitch we think we've found a tasty organic alternative to those supermarket-synthetic mixes, so you won't have to look any further.

And they call it: Bacheldre Watermill Baking Kits.

These four packs cover the fundamentals of baking in your home kitchen - Pizza, Cookies, Golden Bread and Chocolate Muffins. The team at Bacheldre have really thought of it all. And what's more is that these smashing little kits recently won Best New Organic Food Product at the Natural & Organic Awards 2009! So you won't just have to take our word for it, it is now an accredited product that sets a benchmark for excellence and raises the standards for innovation, quality and commitment to the natural & organic sector. Take a a closer look at the products and see for yourself what the experts at Bacheldre Watermill have to say:

Gromit's Smashing Pizza
"We have developed these organic pizza kits with cracking stoneground flour, organic yeast and Gromit's favourite pizza sauce with tomatoes and herbs. Creating a pizza at home is an incredibly easy task and cracking good fun and you will create a pizza that is so much better than anything you can buy as it will have your favourite toppings."

Wallace's Cracking Cookies
"One of Top Buns latest recipes and a favourite of Gromit's, Spelt and Oats Cookies, they are delicious! Spelt is an ancient relative of modern wheat with a delicious and distinctive nutty, wheaty flavour. Spelt has excellent properties, including a fragile gluten that allows it to be easily digested. Oats are a delicious source of wholegrain and are nature's way to lower cholesterol.

Gromit's Golden Bread Kit
"There is nothing better than freshly baked bread especially when you've made it yourself! Make a delicious loaf or tasty rolls for pack lunches or picnics. Using the best ingredients of stoneground flour, organic yeast and sugar creates a natural loaf every time."

Wallace's Double Chocolate Muffin Kit
"Wallace's favourite double choc muffins are a smashing and indulgent treat. Muffins are a deliciously moist cake which are quick and easy to make and will vanish even quicker. Wallace has made sure that the muffins have a generous helping of choc chips. These muffins are filling and satisfying and will stave off any hunger pangs for a good while!"

You see, there really is nothing as good as home baking for your family or with friends. Especially now you can do it with Wallace and Gromit's tasty mixes of natural and organic ingredients, created by Bacheldre Watermill. Get online and visit there website or call direct for more information about what Bacheldre have been cooking up for us all this year.

For further information you can visit the Bacheldre Watermill product website.

Posted under Articles, Eco Reviews, House & Home

Situated in the heart of Brighton's very trendy North Laines, Infinity Foods has established itself as one of the South East's most successful and thriving vegetarian and organic retailers. Priding itself on its bustling and beautiful customer rapport, it all began for Infinity in a small shop way back in the early seventies. Times have changed but luckily for us the atmosphere and buoyancy of the Infinity work team hasn't: they've moved several times since their first premises and have expanded along the way, making room for even more organic essentials. So is it all in the name: does this organic retailer really know no bounds; when it comes to customer satisfaction is this food shop and bakery truly set on Infinity & Beyond!

Okay, so maybe it is a little easy to get carried away. But being a local seasider and visitor to Infinity's open doors its easy to see that the shop has put a smile on many-a-face over the years. On the corner of North Road and Gardner Street it is a delightful store for visitors, regulars and residence of Brighton. An Infinity spokesperson has this to say about the shop:

"Come inside and discover what is probably the largest selection of organic and natural vegetarian and vegan foods in the South East. Our on-site bakery produces delicious hand-made breads daily, we sell a seasonally changing range of organic fruit and vegetables and we stock an impressive array of natural bodycare products."

It's true, Infinity have an incredibly wide stock list with everything organic and all that is essential for wholesome and natural food. Their selection of fruit & veg are all organic, sourced as locally as possible, and seasonally changing too - which adds a nice amount of variety to your cupboards!

"We have close connections with our local farmers built up over many years. Sourcing locally and building strong relationships with nearby farmers and growers has always been central to our ethos at Infinity." They continue

"One of the rewards of this is that at a time when demand often outstrips supply of locally grown organic produce and supermarkets sell tired looking produce, often heavily packaged, we are able to provide our customers with vibrant, freshly picked produce straight from the farm."

And this is simply how it works at Infinity. Their products range from Wholefoods, Groceries and Frozen Foods, to Special Diets, Wine & Beers, all the way over to Houeshold, Gardening and Body Care. Infinity's commitment is to its customers, and this commitment is delivered the only way it knows how: through ethical beliefs. One of the best things about Infinity is that it is a worker's co-operative - a business that is run by, and for, its workers. It is these same workers that uphold Infinities high ethical standards and make sure that they are kept in line with Infinities core principle "We won't change". And let's face it, when a shop's like this, why would they...

So next time you're down by the seaside, or doing an entirely different sort of surfing, check out Infinity's store and see what's on offer. Or click here for further details.

Posted under Articles, Eco Reviews, House & Home, Lifestyle & Fashion, Uncategorized

The Riverfood legacy is rooted back to 1951 on the dawn of a new marriage and a family enterprise in the making. Guy Watson, founder of the box scheme at Riverford, warmingly reminisces over the memory of his parent's brothers and sisters enjoying a shared enthusiasm for their farming family's ideals and a passion for good, earthy, rooted food. This year, nearly sixty years on from when it all started, Riverford Organic Veg won 'Best Organic Retailer' at the Natural and Organic Awards 2009, and here at EcoSwitch, we're sure they'll keep on working at this great growing success.

Organic farming at Riverfood has been in full force for a little over 22 years, but it is their commitment to the soil that sets them aside from other like-minded land lovers. Now, most organic farms can be defined as such by simply avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. However, Riverside combine biodynamic techniques with a good knowledge of British soil to get the very best from their crops, and instead of simply avoiding the unnatural, they are doing their bit to minimise their impact on the environment and encourage a healthy surrounding ecology too:

'We do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint. Some of the actions we take are unglamorous but important.' They continue, 'We use crop rotation and timed ploughing to control pest problems. We re-use packing as many times as possible. Instead of using slug pellets in our polytunnels and strawberry fields, we have a team of ducks, beetles and nematodes to do the job for us.'

It is this very same charming attitude to farming that drives the honesty behind this brand of organic retailer. They deliver up and down the country and have sister farms throughout the UK - so don't worry about an unnecessary carbon footprint; you can source your fruit and veg locally. The contents of their box scheme will vary depending on where you live and what's wholesome, in full flavour, and best for the season. Interested? Just have a look on their website (link below) and see what they are packing this week.

And if it's not only vegetables you're after, they also offer a selection of meat deliveries, fruit, and salad boxes. From then, log onto their website and decide what it is that best suits you; whether you'd like weekly, fortnightly or monthly deliveries (one-off's are available too) it is entirley your choice. Once this has been decided, simply pop your postcode in their address finder and you'll be given the name of your local minder who (lives locally) will oversee that all's well.

Not only is the Riverford box scheme convenient, simple to use, and wholesome, it is also personal, which is a feeling that cannot be faked. Once you are set up, and welcomed into the extended family, all you have to do now is wait for your delivery, and enjoy cooking with Riverford Organic Vegetables and a long lived tradition of good, sustainable farming.

Source: Riverford Organic Veg

Posted under Articles, Gardening & Outdoors, House & Home, Lifestyle & Fashion

In this get-it-and-go, fill it to the brim modern lifestyle, the words slow cooking are immediately enough to make you want to switch-off and pre-heat another TV dinner. In fact, they almost seem prehistoric when comparing them to the much more modern microwave and the ideal of the ready-made. But is slow cooking really something to be forgotten and buried in a land before time? Or is it our own mindsets that need to be dusted down for a real study? Looking at the benefits the Morphy Richards Ecolectric Slow Cooker has to offer, you'll soon see a new meaning in what it is to go back-to-the-future!

Okay, maybe all this talk of time travel is a little far fetched. And it's fair to say that the TV dinner, pre-packaged attitudes associated with modern culture are in full flux. But, it is also arguable that this change in perspectives can be rooted in a practise of looking back over our shoulders, to a time when the simple quick-fix was not at our fingertips. Instead, what was once common, was planning, timing and considered action. Now this is not to suggest that there was once a Golden Age where everything was perfect and we all sang to the same song. No, not at all. However there has been a rise in traditional 'lifestyle' methods; for instance, the rejuvenation of the Veg Patch is a small but nevertheless important eco-victory; and the understanding that sustainable and 'thrifty' habits will also be a powerful weapon against the battle of climate change and promote energy saving is equally significant. And it is only at a time like now that the 'Traditional' does not solely mean 'Old Fashioned', but is instead synonymous with effective, sustainable, and even Modern; which is exactly why the Morphy Richards Ecolectric Slow Cooker deserves to be celebrated as a welcomed blast from the past.

Have you ever tried slow cooking? Not many of us have. But the benefits are simple: slow cooking helps retain the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that can be lost by oven based cooking methods. In practise, a slow cooker will not breakdown the foodstuffs inherent in your ingredients like an oven will. So what you have is a highly nutritious and, ultimately, delicious meal.

Commonly appreciated as a great way to delivery gourmet meals with as little fuss as possible, what is often overlooked about these contraptions is their synchronicity with a modern lifestyle. Simply add your ingredients to the pot in the morning, and return in the afternoon to have dinner moments away from begin served.
There are hundreds of different and varied recipes available to test your taste buds with, and even entire cook books dedicated to this school of cooking. But what we find most appealing here at EcoSwitch, is the accompanied energy saving benefits!

The Morphy Richards Ecolectric Slow Cooker has adapted an insulated lid to help provide extra low energy consumption - up to 44% less energy compared to average slow cookers. It is not only a more economic way to cook your dinners, it is also a great way to experiment with new (or old) methods of cooking. The sleek design also compliments how accessible and modernised the Ecolectric cooker is compared with less efficient electric slow cookers. Equivalent cooking times will vary depending on the setting you leave it on - three settings of LOW, MEDIUM and HIGH - which allows you to me russell up some grub in a couple of hours, or put something on to simmer for the time it deserves. But after all's said and done, you'll have to judge the results for yourself; which is why we believe you'll see that the Morphy Richards Ecolectric Slow Cooker will stand the taste of time.

Source: Morphy Richards

Posted under Articles, House & Home

Nowadays when we talk about encouraging and sustaining the use of natural and organic fabrics our minds can all too easily jump across seas to countries like India or China where we imagine such talk to be of particular ecological relevance. It is also just as easy to forget that here in Britain we too are trying to encourage and sustain the production of time-old, traditional and local industrial practises that will help support the all round benefits of using natural products. That's why, with over 25 years of classic contemporary design to its name, a heart-warming pride in their fabrics being 100% natural fibres, and 90% of it being woven here in UK cotton mills, Ian Mankin is a domestic design trove we think deserves to be put on our map.

With showrooms in Fulham and Primrose Hill, Ian Mankin is a great example of British classical designs for a growing contemporary market. And what makes this fabric designer even more special is the fact that they produce ninety percent of their materials in Lancashire cotton mills - using natural and organic fabrics!

Natural fabrics are not only good for our environment, but they also hold innate qualities that suit and benefit our skin types. It is also a well know fact that fabrics woven from organically grown cotton and flax, hemp and ramie, or harvested from silkworms and sheep, are renewable, sustainable resources that promote a healthy ecological cycle, as well as support an under used market. It's simple: when we use ecologically friendly fabrics we help support their production processes and dis-courage unsustainable practises associated with synthetics, which are largely produced from petroleum and mineral sources.

Linen, for example, is one of Ian Mankin's trusted fabrics. Like silk, linen has been used for thousands of years. It is woven from the fibres of the flax plant and can be made to fit a lightweight and breathable application, or take on a strong and durable consistency. They hold dermatological benefits like cotton and wool, and become softer use after use - which is why they often become family heirlooms!

Speaking of families, Ian Mankin distinguishes itself by its traditional practises that have been passed down over six generations:

"We believe passionately in design, quality and service. We are extremely proud that our fabrics are made from 100% natural fibres and over 90% are woven in this country in our own traditional Lancashire cotton mill, run by the same family for six generations."

And in 2009, Ian Mankin were shortlisted for there good work within the industry, making the grade to reach the finals of the Natural & Organic Award 2009, in partnership with the Soil Association.

There is definitely a bright future for this 25 year old fabric firm. Just looking through their website at the long lists and reinspired ranges, it is clear to see a mark of quality to their products as well as a finish to their linens and patterning that is apparent not only in their look-books, but also to the touch-test of the showroom. With literally hundreds of options to choose from, you can be sure to find a suitable fabric with a price-tag that you know will help support the British textile industry and promote a healthy practise for the market, as well as your skin!

Source: Ian Mankin

Posted under Articles, House & Home

Autumn is here, and the house has never felt cosier. It's a lovely time of year to set out for leafy parks, long Autumnal walks, or brisk trips to the local grocery store so you can stock up on supplies. But just as you settle in for a nice warm evening, it has sneakily crept back into the front room: that's right, the dreaded cold draft. We've long battled against this unwanted guest; at times even catered for its every need - indoor scarves, an extra jumper or two - but now enough is enough! It's time for action.

Having sealed off every possible cause; checked every window, closed every door, shut ourselves away from the imperceptable, it can be easy to overlook the real culprit here...the chimney. And after attempting to screw up enough paper to stuff the thing full, only to have last year's headlines and thick black soot come spilling out, we can be just one step away from bordering up the entire affair with blocks of ugly bricking. But wait! Don't lose your head just yet. There is a solution, and they call it The Chimney Balloon.

Simple science is the enemy here: the rules of convection are what makes your chimney such an effective tool when it is operational - as hot air rises, full of smoke, your chimney funnels away the unwanted dirty air and leaves you with the cosy heat from the furnace so you can warm the tips of your toes. But what happens when you're not using it? Unfortunately even when your chimney is not in use it is releasing hot air and replacing it with a continual cold current. This is highly inefficient. Effectively, your boiler could be heating air to put straight up your chimney. And you can be sure that it wont be the temperature that rises; just your energy bills.

The Chimney Balloon is a simple solution to make your home more energy efficient. Even though the Chimney Balloon looks a little like a Potugease Man of War, this great 'green' gadget is a sure way to eliminate the cause of draughts and heat loss, and might help win the battle over your energy bills.

The product comes in a variety of sizes (ranging from 380mm x 230mm to 900mm x 380mm) so it will fit most, if not any, domestic chimney. It is easy to inflate, simple to install, and entirely safe to use; for instance, it is made with a regulated plastic so that if a fire was lit by accident it would melt and dispense itself rather than ignite in an unreachable spot. The laminate is tear-resistant, durable, and the device itself can be inflated by mouth or by an airbed pump.

Unlike just stuffing an ordinary balloon up there, or promoting the summer beach ball to a new job role, the Chimney Balloon is designed not to burst, shrivel or deflate: making it airtight and reliable. The best thing about this gizmo is, although it can be used permanently, it is not irreversible - just unlatch the air tab and have it drop back into your arms for use again next year.
The product is also a cheap alternative - retailing from £19.99 - and has a genuine, patented design that allows ventilation without any of the associated heat loss. So don't try and make your own. Available from www.goodenergyshop.co.uk, it is an ingenious way to rid your rooms of unwanted chills and make this Autumn the cosiest yet.

Source: http://www.chimney-balloon.co.uk/

Posted under House & Home