We’ve all heard of the terms stress and anxiety. But what exactly do they mean, and how can we tell the difference between the two?  What is stress? Stress is something we all experience, and it’s a completely normal feeling. Stress is a physical and mental response to challenges or pressures that we face. It happens when our minds recognise a threat or a trigger. It varies from person to person, and what one person may find stressful, another may not. It can also be positive and motivating, such as the stress that’s felt before competing in a race or giving a presentation. However, when ..read more

Research proves that rising electricity charges are pushing up energy bills, with analysis suggesting that UK household bills could go up by 7.2 billion pounds over the next two years. With such a prospect, everyone is looking for ways to improve efficiency, reduce their electricity usage and lower their bills. Unfortunately, all providers are in the same position and refusing to accept new customers, so switching energy company isn’t an option. The way to reduce your bills is to make concerted efforts to change your habits and consider your usage in order to save yourself some money. Take ma ..read more

A quarter (25%) of UK tradespeople now allow customers to pay for work in instalments, as a way of helping homeowners afford renovations throughout the cost-of-living crisis.  New research by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, surveyed tradespeople across the nation and found that almost two in five (39%) have been asked about payment plans in recent months.  Younger workers are leading the trend and are more than twice as likely to accept staggered payments as the older generations. A third of millennial (25-34) tradespeople allow instalments (3 ..read more

​ A tool has been stolen from a tradesperson every 17 minutes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since March 2021, according to new analysis of police force data from Direct Line business insurance.1 In total, 31,161 tools were stolen, the majority of which (17,370) were taken by thieves breaking into vehicles. This marks an increase since before the Covid-19 pandemic. In the 2019 calendar year 28,681 cases of tool theft were reported, the equivalent of one stolen every 20 minutes.2 This growing problem is unsurprisingly hitting tradespeople hard financially. With the average value of ..read more

​ New research from Checkatrade has revealed changing attitudes to female tradespeople, finding that a career in the trade industry is now more encouraged than ever for women, with 70%* of British parents expressing that they would support their daughters to go into a trade-based career – mirroring the percentage who would encourage their sons in to the same vocation (71%). Intent to hire female trades is also growing amongst homeowners. 79% of men stated that they would hire a tradeswoman the same as a tradesman – up 13% versus 20 years ago. However, despite the evolving industry, almost one ..read more

Ongoing supplies shortage costing UK tradespeople over £3.5bn in lost earnings with the vast majority forced to delay projects or turn down work Nine in 10 (87%) tradespeople are being forced to delay projects due to the ongoing supplies shortage, a new report reveals. The study by small business insurance provider Simply Business unveils the devastating impact of the supplies shortage, with over a quarter (27%) of tradespeople saying they’ve had no choice but to delay projects by a minimum of four-eight weeks.  Nearly one in five (16%) had had to delay projects by eight-12 weeks, and a f ..read more

By Nico van der Merwe, VP of Home and Distribution at Schneider Electric UK&I Today, homes represent 20% of global CO2 emissions worldwide which is a sobering reminder that there is still a long road ahead to achieve our climate targets. To get to our Net-Zero goal, we must bring homebuilders, mortgage providers, homeowners and residents onside and empower them with the right technologies and solutions to help fight against climate change. As more and more smart home devices are powered by clean electricity – from heating to cooking to personal transportation – we have an opportunity to de ..read more

Harrogate-based ventilation manufacturer EnviroVent will be revealing its Roadmap to Net Zero at the Homes UK 2021 exhibition (ExCel London 23-24 November). The leading ventilation manufacturer, will be demonstrating all the measures it has put in place to achieve net zero carbon by 2030 at this social housing show.  The company’s Roadmap will mean an emissions saving of more than 1,000 tonnes of carbon over 10 years. Rachael Tranter, SHEQ Manager (Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality), explains: “Environmental sustainability is very important to us and to our social housing customer ..read more

Tradesperson’s Turmoil: Tools stolen every 17 minutes euromedia Thu, 05/19/2022 - 11:15 ..read more

Tackling taboos in the trade sector: 7 in 10 parents would encourage their daughters to pursue a trade-based career euromedia Thu, 03/17/2022 - 14:25 ..read more