Years of austerity have driven the poorest into squalid, crumbling homes. Can this cycle be broken?

The stark human cost of Britain’s decade-long austerity drive, welfare reforms and warped housing priorities can be glimpsed in 11 decaying flats carved from what was once a grand Victorian terrace home in Weston-super-Mare.

These bay-fronted houses were most likely thrown up in the Somerset resort’s 19th-century building boom, which carpeted the reclaimed marshland behind the windswept seafront with terraces, hotels and guesthouses. Now they are home to vulnerable private renters trapped in a desperate cycle of falling benefits, squalid housing and poor health.

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Read more: theguardian.com

Are you scared of what chemicals lurk in commercial fertilizer or pesticides? No longer worrying about these toxic chemicals is just one of the many benefits of horticulture organically. Also, many organic horticulture techniques are quite inexpensive. Here are some essential tips to help you become an expert organic gardener.

Make garden tools do double duty as handy makeshift rulers. You can use shovels or rakes as measuring sticks. Put the handles down and measure them with a measuring tape. Label the distances on the handle with a marker pen that will not smear or fade away. Next time you work in the garden, you can have a larger ruler with you!

A garden with a foundation of healthy soil is the best defense against pests. Healthy plants are naturally more resilient against pests and disease. To boost your garden’s prospects of giving you the healthiest possible plants, make sure you begin with premium soil devoid of salt-accumulating chemicals.

Ensure you have the proper soil for the plants you have selected. The type of plants you’re planning to grow will determine the type of soil you need, and whether the soil will or will not be adapted. You may also be able to design an artificial area that contains one type of dirt.

Grow wheat or cat grass around the plants your cat likes nibbling. It may also work to add citrus peelings or mothballs to the soil of the plants, because the odor is unpleasant to cats.

You should purchase a wheelbarrow, as well as a kneeling stool to help you garden. Get a portable stool if you want to garden comfortably without damaging your knees. Gardening also usually requires that you transport heavy loads, such as dirt or mulch, and a wheelbarrow will make this much easier to do.

If you are growing a vegetable garden, you may find that pests can be difficult to control. Avoid using a bunch of harsh chemical pesticides in your garden. Don’t forget you intend on eating these vegetables. There is only one way to effectively control pests in your garden, and that is to stay vigilant in your efforts. If you catch them when there are only a few around, you can actually pick them off the plants by hand.

Aid them by dumping any leftover water from steaming vegetables over them. You may fertilize the soil with tea or coffee for plants that favor acidic environments, like rhododendrons and gardenias. Chamomile tea applied to plants can be an effective remedy for fungus problems.

Be efficient when working in your garden. Keep all of your tools together; do not waste time looking for them! Have all of your tools gathered and prepared for use before you work in the garden, and make sure to put them away neatly. Get yourself a tool belt, or wear pants with many pockets.

Laundry Basket

Use an old laundry basket to gather your vegetables and fruits. You can also use a laundry basket as a strainer. If you hose off your produce in the laundry basket, the water will leave the basket through the holes in the sides.

When planting seeds you should cover them with fine soil. Determine its depth by looking at the seed’s size and multiplying it by three. Some seeds need to be in direct sunlight, though, so you need to know information about each type of seed. Two of the common examples are petunias and ageratum. When in doubt about whether a seed requires direct sun exposure, you can find lots of information online or on the seed packaging itself.

If you start implementing the organic horticulture advice included in this article today, you can look forward to having a healthy, productive, toxic-free garden in the near future. When your garden is working with nature, you can also expect to see an increase in the amount of wildlife that inhabits your garden.

What will green energy help you accomplish? Green energy can help save you money as you help save the environment. What can you do? Continue reading for some easy tips that will show you how to assist.

Keeping your windows shaded to keep sunlight out of the house will greatly conserve energy. You can do this by putting up blinds or curtains. These actions will reduce the air conditioning usage during the hot summer months, and yet your home will still remain cooler. In addition to conserving energy, you will be able to save money.

Solar panels are easy to install and can collect sunlight for energy. However, before installing them, there are some things to keep in mind. The most important thing you need to consider is the amount of sun your home gets regularly. When in a shaded area, or city with less sunny days, there won’t be as many benefits from solar power.

Provide Energy

Are you a farmer? If you or someone you know does, you can rent a piece of your land to a company looking to put in a wind turbine. This installation will provide energy while taking little space and it will provide energy to you and perhaps your neighbors.

Be sure you maintain your refrigerator properly. Your fridge consumes a ton of energy, so make sure it’s in good shape. Make certain to clean the dust that surrounds heating coils periodically. In addition, be sure your door seal is tight and clean.

Replace an energy-hogging water heating tank with a greener, tankless variety. These heaters only heat water when you need it rather than heating the tank constantly. This saves you on your gas or electricity costs. You can get a tankless heater that will supply the whole house or one that supplies a single hot-water faucet.

If you’d like to be more environmentally friendly and cut down on your energy costs, try wearing warmer clothing. A light sweater offers 2 degrees of more warmth, and a heavy sweater adds 4 degrees. So, to save some money, pick up a nice warm sweater and refrain from dressing scantily.

Solar Power

When looking at solar power, know the difference between passive solar power and active. Active solar power is stored so it can be used later, but passive doesn’t need pricey solar panel cells to store power. Installing an active solar system requires more money and work, with panels and an entire system. While when you use passive they use the thermal energy from the sun in order to store energy inside the walls of your house and heat your household with it.

Monitor how many watts you’re using. There are devices like Watt Minder or Kill-A-Watt that can monitor your wattage and help you see what is consuming energy. All you have to do is plug the appliance directly into the device so that it can calculate how much energy is being used per hour, month, or year. It gives concrete information about how much energy the appliance is wasting.

If you are serious about becoming more green, you should keep track of your energy usage from month-to-month and then year-to-year. When you’re more conscious of the energy you consume you can help to reduce costs in all areas of your life. Taking the time to use less resources will help you get into a habit of preventing energy waste through unattended appliances.

Use biofuels to heat up your home. Oil, wood and animal or vegetable fats are used to make this fuel. In many cases, if your furnace is propane, a professional can make the necessary changes that will allow you to heat with a blend of fuels. Most furnaces use between 20 to 99% bio-diesel fuels. Always consult with professionals prior to using this type of fuel in the home.

People are often intrigued by green energy, but don’t bother learning more about it or how to use it. This article should provide you with ideas on how to start converting your home to a green home quickly and inexpensively.

Green energy is becoming more popular than ever because of the financial problems most people are having. It is relatively inexpensive and a great money saver in these financially difficult times. Keep reading this article for more tips on how start living green.

You can save a phenomenal amount of energy just by using less electricity every day. Unplug your electrical appliances from outlets when not in use. Always turn off the television and lights when you are not using them. This is an easy, money-saving tip.

You can save electricity by unplugging chargers when they are not in use. They may not be currently in use, but items such as cell phone chargers, laptops and mp3 players draw energy when left plugged in.

Use window treatments to shade the inside of your home when you aren’t home. This keeps your home cooler naturally, reducing the strain on your air conditioner and saving energy. Typically, the south facing windows are the ones that get the most amount of sun due to their location. Window coverings such as roller shades, roman shades or dark curtains can be used on all windows.

One great way of conserving energy is to ensure the dishwasher is only turned on when full. Don’t run it when there are only a few dishes there. With a little effort, you will be amazed by how much you can fit in one load. Align each dish carefully so that your dishwasher racks can accommodate the largest number of dishes.

Solar Energy

Use solar energy to provide hot water cheaply. Purchase a hot water system that uses solar energy. Indirect or direct circulation systems are both available. If your pipes freeze when it’s cold, the best option is the indirect system.

The easy tips in this article about green energy can not only save consumers money, but it also allows the environment to be that much more abundant. If you put these ideas to use, you’ll find that using green energy is easy, efficient and heart-warming.

There are always ways to make your home look better. Whether you need large projects done or minor home improvements, this article will teach you the proper steps necessary to complete such tasks. If you have been hesitating, keep reading to get some help.

Whenever your roof needs redoing, you should insert white tile. If not white, then ensure it is light colored. This will reflect a lot of the heat and will keep your attic cooler. A massive bill may be prevented through these simple energy-saving tricks.

To minimize the “peek-through” of walls behind paneling, paint stripes on the walls prior to putting up paneling. You might have some old parts of the wall sticking through if you are putting up paneling. In order to lessen this showing, measure the meeting point of the panels. Apply paint in a hue that matches the paneling.

Before you begin renovating, devise a firm and detailed plan. Planning is essential if you want to complete your project in a timely manner while staying within your budget. If you decide in the middle to add an extra feature, you will significantly increase the cost and time it will take. Refrain from making changes in your home improvement plans once the contractor has begun work.

Get your garage organized by purchasing clear bins for various types of items. Label each box, and stack them up. Your garage will stay clean and keep pests from hiding in your home.

When purchasing a home, look for dry rot and chipped paint that has been coated over. A professional inspector can help you discover things like structural damage, electrical problems and poor ventilation. You should invest into some home improvement projects so you do not have to spend a lot on repairs in the future.

Before doing any home improvements, ask your loved ones for help. If you delay asking for help until the project has already begun, it might be hard to get someone to help. You also might have problems finishing your work, which adds stress.

If your home improvement project means working near a gas line from a stove, furnace, fireplace or other fixture, ensure that you know exactly where the gas shutoff is before you start working. It is also important to exercise extreme care in these circumstances. You can be seriously injured or start a fire during the project.

Natural Lighting

Natural lighting in the basement is something that most people don’t have in their homes. Be sure you make your basement more livable by placing artificial lighting in good positions there. If you are lucky, your basement walls may extend above ground level. If this is the case, you can install windows and you can get natural lighting into the basement.

Cut off, or tie up, the loops or extra cord on your blind cords. Children and pets have both been known to become tangled in these dangling cords, sometimes leading to strangulation. Leave enough length so that you are still able to adjust the blinds, but make sure you remove or otherwise secure any excess. Prevent accidents by cutting it or tying it.

You need to determine how much paint you’ll need before you set out to paint. Guessing will leave you in trouble in the end. Do your research and find out how much paint you’ll need.

You should always tackle those home improvement repair projects first. A good deal of damage results from things that are easy to overlook or postpone. It’s crucial that you don’t give into this urge! It is amazing how quickly damage spreads. A tiny problem can eventually become a huge one if left to fester.

If your home improvement projects are within your bathroom or kitchen, turn the water off before starting any improvements that involve any pipes or fixtures. You may think this is an obvious step, but it is not uncommon for homeowners to forget, causing serious damage and greater expense.

One good home improvement project that pays dividends is finishing the basement. This extra room created is great for your family right now, and it will certainly stand out as a great feature for any family wishing to purchase your home in the future. Purchasing materials from a discount store or home improvement warehouse can save you money. It is said that finishing a basement can increase resale value by more than 30%.

Make a difference in the quality of life for you and your family by upgrading and beautifying your home. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on each project. You can make a difference, even with a small project. Whether the projects you are thinking about are big or small, keep reading to find information that can help you find ways to add to the value of your home.

When you first start reading about gardening, the whirlwind of information can make you just want to stop and do something else, but if you stick with it, you’ll find that it’s not a difficult skill to learn. Now that you’ve found these tips, you will be more informed and can become a better gardener.

Transform your gardening tool handles into clever measurement rulers. Tools with substantial handles, like rakes, hoes and large shovels are great for taking measurements. Place the handles on the ground and measure them. Paying close attention to the measurements, use a black marker to establish each interval along the handle’s side in a clearly visible manner. This will allow you to have a ruler at your fingertips when you are working out in the garden.

If you are going to be doing some horticulture, watch out for stink bugs, especially in the fall! Fruits, peppers and tomatoes are among the foods they love to eat. If they are left in the garden, they can do great damage to your plants, so you should do whatever you can to eliminate them.

If you want your garden to blossom with flowers throughout the spring and summer, plant some bulbs in it. Bulbs are hearty and will continue to grow every year. Remember that different bulbs will bloom at all different times of the year, so if you are careful to choose the right bulbs, you will see blooms in the early spring, and have flowers all the way to late summer.

Grow wheat or cat grass around the plants your cat likes nibbling. You could also place something that will cause your cat to go away from your plants, such as citrus peels or mothballs.

Coffee Grounds

A simple way to lower the alkaline content of your soil is to dilute it with coffee grounds. Coffee grounds add acidity to the soil and are very cheap. This will allow your vegetables and greenery to really thrive.

Come up with a horticulture plan before planting anything. This is a good way to remember which plants have been planted in each area before they grow. In addition, your small plants or groups of plants that are limited in number won’t become lost if you have a large garden.

A green garden needs to begin with seeds, not plants. It’s better for the environment to begin from seed. Packaging materials for many plants utilize plastics that are not recyclable, so avoid these containers and choose instead to sow your garden with seeds or utilize organic pots.

Use fertilizer for maximum planting success. Manure is an excellent fertilizer, but it needs to be combined with a synthetic compost to stop diseases from infecting your plants. You have many different choices for fertilizer; choose whichever is best-suited to your plants but definitely use one.

Plant with fall season color in mind. That doesn’t have to be the case. In terms of colorful foliage, fall is the time of year admired by many. Maple trees produce yellow and red leaves, just like Beech and Dogwood trees. Also, when considering shrubs, try using cotoneaster, hydrangea, or barberry.

Identify a plant that will be the most prominent object of the landscape. In a well designed garden you should have a focal point so that your eyes will stay there. The focal point should be a plant totally different from the others around it.

To make a creative English garden, include many different kinds of plants and vary their height in the same garden bed. Plants that grow to be the same height end up uniform and flat looking.

Clearly, it’s not as difficult as you once believed. Just like anything else in life there is much to learn when it comes to horticulture. Sometimes, you just need some advice about where to begin in order to start working in your garden. Hopefully, you got this from the tips above.

Incorporating green energy into your home is an easy way to reduce energy usage, and save the environment at the same time. Buying an electric car isn’t the only way to reap these rewards! Read on for tips on how to make your house energy-efficient.

You can easily get solar panels installed in your home to collect solar energy for your use. However, before beginning this process, you need to realize a few things. A big consideration is how much sunlight does your home typically receive? You are not going to get much solar power if your home has too much shade.

When battery chargers and other electronics are not in use, unplug them. Anytime a charger is plugged in, it is using a bit of energy.

Do you or your family own a farm? If you have one, an energy company may be interested in renting a portion of the property to install a wind turbine. You will reap the benefits of this energy and the space needed is minimal.

Check your furnace and air conditioning filters monthly. Clean or replace them as needed. Adding filters to your warm-air registers is not a bad idea, either. This will prevent a reduction in efficiency, which occurs when the heating ducts get clogged with debris.

Instead of using fuel oil to heat your home, try to make a switch to biodiesel. Many heating systems can be switched over to run on biodiesel without needing extra modifications or parts. The bonus of doing this is a cleaner burning fuel that is generally also more efficient, and you’ll lessen your impact on the environment also.

Consider solar water heaters to make your home more energy efficient. The heater uses solar energy to heat water before sending it to your home. This can be useful if your home isn’t located in an area with cold temperatures. Don’t get rid of your conventional water heater though; you may need it if it’s cloudy when you’re ready to use hot water.

Solar power can heat water for a low cost. Solar hot-water systems can reduce your energy bills significantly. It is possible to chose between direct and indirect circulation systems. Indirect systems are the best option for those who have frozen pipes during the winter.

There are products available for purchase that can help you reduce your energy costs. Certain green items, such as eco-friendly windows and doors and double glazed windows, cut down on energy you need to keep your home going efficiently. This type of product is perfect for reducing AC costs.

There are a few simple changes you can make to reduce household energy usage, including installing energy-efficient light bulbs and a programmable thermostat, as well as changing your furnace filter regularly. Show your family how to go green, so that everyone will know how simple going green is. Keep these tips in mind and apply them!

Green energy is increasing in popularity of late, due to the current economic downturn everyone is aware of. Green energy is cheaper, allowing people to spend a lot less while protecting natural resources. Read on for some great ideas on how you can go greener with the use of energy in your home.

Choose solar-powered lights when installing outdoor lighting in your yard. Solar lamps are relatively inexpensive and can save you a great deal on wiring and electricity expenses. You save a lot of energy in the process. It also ensures that there is no need to wire lights outdoor.

Use a solar-solar powered system to heat water. Solar water heaters use solar energy in an efficient way to heat your water. Certain upgrades, though expensive, qualify for specific tax deductions.

Solar water heaters are a great option for your home. If you happen to live in a climate where freezing water isn’t going to affect you then you might want to invest into a system that circulates water through your solar heater before it is pumped into your home. As is true with many solar options, you should keep your traditional water heater for times when there is not enough sun, or in case you need to use a lot of water.

Research the different energy sources available in your community. Be sure to look at the legislation and incentives available for using green utilities. For example, it may be cheaper for you to heat your home with natural gas as opposed to electricity, or use well water instead of city water.

Wait until your dishwasher is full before running it if you want to save energy. The machine should not be used when only a few dishes need to be washed. Pack your dishwasher full, and you may be surprised at the amount it can hold. Place the dishes in your dishwasher so you can fit in as many dishes as possible.

When not being used, turn things off. Upon leaving a room, turn off such things as the lights, computer, television or entertainment center. Keep your home appliances on a power strip, and switch it off when not in use.

It is important that if you take advantage of a dishwasher, that you only use it when you have a full load. The dishwasher uses the same energy when full that it uses when empty, but you’ll have to run it less often. When you do operate your dishwasher, be sure to make use of the energy-saving feature, which air-dries your dishes.

When thinking about home solar systems, think about how much energy will be produced during winter. When you do this, you understand how much you should be consuming on a daily basis during winter, and you won’t become surprised one day. Net usage plans let you receive money for generated energy!

Make sure that the batteries to store the power are placed as close as possible to the cells when installing your solar energy system. Doing this will help prevent power loss within the cable. It also lowers the risk of the cable casting a shadow over the cells, which reduces their ability to generate power.

Upgrading your water heater to a tankless style saves a lot of energy. While heaters that are tankless still need electricity or gas, they will not heat more water than you need, which is what a water tank heater does. Tankless water heaters are available to purchase in many different sizes; you can heat water for your whole house, or just a single faucet.

Have the bulk of your correspondence sent to your email. This will help you use less paper and help the planet. You and the businesses you deal with can both save energy and money by going paperless. It is also beneficial to our environment.

Making use of the tips found in this article can help you be a more green consumer and protect the environment, while also saving you money. You will see from this article just how easy it can be to use “green” energy and save money.

Technology has made many tasks easier to perform. Everything from decorating a room to designing a whole home can be done more simply and easily than ever. Would you like some advice? Keep reading to get some great tips to begin designing the home you really want.

Consider the main function of a room or area before you start on a new design project. You may want to design a kid’s room to be bright and vibrant to match their lively personalities. Just remember, the same colors would not be great in the den or library.

One thing that you must remember when designing a room is to make or create a mood. You should have your mood in mind and make your pattern go along with it. For example, you could choose soft and warm colors if you want to create a calm and tranquil feel.

It’s always important to have a design motif in mind before starting on designing. Your mood can vary from calm and soothing to excited or outrageous. Selecting a desired mood before beginning can help fuel the decisions which affect planning, and can also result in a more unified feel to your space.

When designing a room, be sure to choose a proper color scheme. Make sure you know the colors that blend well together and which ones do not to ensure your room appears balanced and tasteful. Keep bold colors separated, you shouldn’t use more than one or two in a single room or it will get too busy looking.

Sit down and talk about the finances that you want to spend on a project before you initiate it. Do not start a project if you don’t have enough money for it. That is going to cut down anxiety and stress while you do your project.

Leave out the clutter when you plan your next interior design project. Using too many pieces of furnishings, the room can look smaller and cramped. Use only a select few pieces of key furniture, and keep plenty of open space.

Sometimes, redesigning kitchens is as easy as changing some cabinet doors. You should use glass doors vs traditional wooden doors so you can make your kitchen brighter and open up your space. You can place a few accent pieces in those cabinets to further add to the visual appeal of your space.

Consider your style when you design rooms. Impressing guests is great, but remember that you have to live there. If you want to use frilly pillows or nautical elements, get to it! While you may change your mind at a later date, everything that you do can be changed.

You may feel a bit more like a design professional now. Taking the first step to learn more about design was the start. It is now up to you to put these ideas into practice in a way that brings out your own style and taste.

You may have heard about green energy before, and you were just not sure how to implement it into your home. If you want to learn more, read this article for some tips. Read this article to learn how you can use green energy in your home.

You can cut your energy consumption by a lot if you just cut back on the electricity you use. When you are not using certain appliances, unplug them until you are ready to use them again. Turn off lights and the television when you are finished using them. This little tip will save you money in the long run.

If you plan to purchase lighting for your deck or patio, you should give solar-powered lamps a try. They are not only affordable, but they do not have to be hooked up to any power source, needing only good access to sunlight. This will save you a ton of energy. It means you don’t have to wire up outdoor lights.

You can save electricity by unplugging chargers when they are not in use. Chargers used for cell phones, laptops, mp3 players and other electronic devices use power when they’re plugged in, even if they aren’t charging your device.

Check with a technician and see if switching to biodiesel for your home instead of fuel oil is a viable option for you. A lot of the existing systems can be modified with minimal parts or alterations. Biodiesel is a better fuel because it has a cleaner burn and is more efficient.

Keep covers on your windows when not in your home. They will help to keep the temperature and the energy consumption of the house down when the house is vacant. Typically windows on the southern side of the home receive the most sun. Make sure that all the windows are covered with dark curtains, blinds, roman shades, or whatever shade you choose.

Green Energy

Hopefully, you’ve learned something from this article that can help you use green energy technology to make your home more energy efficient. Take the tips from this article and use them as a guide to making your home green energy compliant. The environment and your savings will benefit from green technology.