New home and car insurance rules came into force this week on the 1st January which aim to put an end to the ‘loyalty penalty’, where existing customers are expected to pay more than new customers.

According to the Financial Conduct Authority the new car and home insurance pricing measures, known as the General Insurance Pricing Practices, could save consumers £4 billion over 10 years.

‘Price walking’ or the ‘loyalty penalty’ is a practice where insurance prices are bumped up each year when existing customers renew and don’t make changes to their policy. However, customers who switch to a new provider are able to benefit from cheaper deals at the expense of loyal customers.

Image credit: David Merewether

If you’ve ever opted to renew your insurance, rather than scour the comparison websites for the best home insurance deal you have likely felt the sting of this penalty. According to the FCA home insurance customers, (with combined buildings and contents cover), who stick with their provider for over five years pay £287 – an increase of over 40%, compared with an average of £165 a year.

The financial regulatory body says that the new rules mean that a customer who’s been with the same insurer for over five years could expect to see an ‘average’ annual saving of £34 on contents cover, £41 for buildings cover, and £62 on a combined buildings and contents policy.

What are the new home and car insurance rules?

The new rules mean that insurers must offer the same prices to new and existing customers. Instead of luring customers in with cheaper deals, and slapping them with expensive renewal prices. The renewal prices will match what is being offered to new customers.

Another issue the new rules will address is the ease of cancelling home insurance. Insurance companies are now required to make cancelling insurance auto-renewal easier.

For example, companies can no longer insist that you cancel via the phone, they need to make other options, such as cancelling online available.

Image credit: David Parmiter

‘Our interventions will make the insurance market fairer and make it work better. Insurers can no longer penalise consumers who stay with them. You can still shop around and negotiate a better deal, but you won’t have to switch just to avoid being charged a loyalty premium,’ says Sheldon Mills, Executive Director, Consumers and Competition at the FCA.

‘We are keeping a close eye on how insurers respond to our new rules, to ensure that the benefits of a better insurance market are delivered to consumers.’

How will the new rules affect insurance prices?

So how much will home insurance cost with the new measures? The new rules mean renewal prices will become cheaper as they fall in line with what new customers are offered. However, new customer deals could go up to make up for the loss of the price walking auto-renewals.

The post This is how much the new home and car insurance rules could save you when renewing appeared first on Ideal Home.

We’re always amazed at how quickly Christmas comes and goes – one minute our homes are kitted out with full-on sparkle and the next we’re packing up those baubles ready to be stored away for another year.

Whether you’re dragging your heels over boxing up the last of the decs or are more than ready to have a good declutter, our interiors can often feel a little lacklustre after the festive season – which is why we’ve put together some simple ways to brighten your homes winter decor after the Christmas decorations disappear.

Follow these tips and you can keep the spirit of Christmas decor alive, without it being obvious that you’re struggling to let go – and what better way to chase those January blues away

9 easy ways to brighten winter decor after Christmas

1. Encourage nature to take centre stage

Image credit: Future PLC/ Douglas Gibb

Nature is always a mood lightener, and taking your real (or faux) Christmas tree out is a sad moment. So keep the natural theme going indoors by letting trees and potted plants take centre stage all year round.

Head to your local garden centre and look for some small indoor trees (you can even decorate them with fairly lights if you so wish). Indoor plants dotted around the room helps to welcome a touch of the outdoors in.

2. Choose a centrepiece alternative

Image credit: Bloom & Wild

Your berry and fir centrepiece might have been packed away on twelfth night, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy a beautiful table. Think fresh flowers and berries in assorted jars and vases. To dress the table in style and welcome a light, natural feel to give your home a sense of optimism and brightness for the year ahead.

These could be as simple as flowers picked from your own garden. You don’t have to even spend a penny, to make a decorative impact.

3. Embrace fairy lights everywhere

Image credit: Fiona Walker

Twinkling lights are one of the best things about Christmas decorations, adding a touch of the magic to any room and keeping the lighting low and flattering. But while it might be time to put away your multicoloured lights, warm white is perfect all year round to embrace fabulous post-Christmas fairy light ideas.

Look for cute shaped options, like the geo spheres above, or quirky bulbs in fun motifs festoon lights, and drape over a branch, mirrors, pictures and along window sills. Or put a couple of reels of fairy lights into a glass vase and enjoy the light it throws.

4. Hang a winter wreath

Image credit: Dobbies

Thought the best wreaths were just for Christmas? Think again! A simple winter foliage design, without all the Christmas trimmings, can help bring interest to your wall or door and adds a lovely scent too, especially if you add some herbs into the mix.

Herbs are particularly lovely as they’ll give a delicious scent to the room too – or welcome guests to your home when placed on the front door. So think about rosemary, mint, thyme and bay leaves, and mix up your favourite scents.

Not a fan of greenery? Why not take inspiration from this year’s trend for dried flowers and add pampas, dried honesty or bunny tails?

5. Drape non-festive garlands

Image credit: Handcrafted Gin

There are plenty of different themes to use for garlands around the house now you’ve put your Santa hat and stocking designs away. Take inspiration from travel by making your own map-themed garlands or go for bright floral colours to keep your spirits up for the rest of the winter.

We’re feeling inspired and uplifted by this paper garland featuring Monstera and banana leaves and Birds of Paradise tropical flowers.Just the thing to brighten up any grey winters day.

If you’re good with needlework, try crochet garlands using the basic granny square pattern, or knit some multi-coloured flags with odd ends of yarn. The possibilities are endless.

Buy now: Tropical Garland, £21, Handcrafted Gin

6. Style shelves and staircases with paper decorations

Image credit: Future PLC/ Olly Gordon

Once the garlands and pine cones have been taken away, shelves and staircase can look bare, so why not add some paper decorations in your chosen colour way? Because why not, why do we only reserve the right to decorate such spaces at Christmas time?! Go for it we say.

If you’re missing the Christmas sparkle, choose ones in glittering metallics like these honeycomb designs, or go for a bright colour to help liven up your decor. You could also look for oversized versions and hang a cluster from the ceiling for instant impact.

7. Prepare a beautifully dressed table more often

Image credit: Future PLC/ Polly Eltes

Just because you don’t have the whole family descending on you for every mealtime, doesn’t mean you have to ditch the beautifully-dressed table. Sitting down to a lovely place setting on a January evening is a lovely treat, so keep the special feel to mealtimes that you’ve cultivated over the festive period.

Leave a baseplate and monochrome napkin out so you can mix and match coloured plates and cutlery, cute straws and other accessories. Make every meal feel a little bit more special with minimal effort.

8. Add strong colours and scents

Image credit: Floral Street

We all know it’s Christmas when you smell the fir, cinnamon and orange, but changing up the scent you have in your home can also help ring in the new year once the festive period is over. Not only that, but candles are a great accessory for adding small hits of colour to your shelves and surfaces.

Choose one with a wintery fragrance – the candle shown here combines Guaiac wood, vanilla beans, and Texas Cedarwood for a deliciously refined scent.

9. Snuggle up in stylishly warm bedding

Image credit: Next; Snuggle fleece marl checked duvet cover and pillowcase set, from £32

The stocking may have been removed and your Christmas bedroom decorating ideas put to bed (no pun intended!), but there’s nothing to say that winter bedding can’t have a bit of pizazz to it. This check marl set is made from a snuggle fleece fabric to keep you extra cosy on chilly nights.

How can I decorate my house after Christmas?

It’s always a sad moment when the last of the Christmas decorations are taped back up into their cardboard box and shoved in the loft. The little baubles wave at you goodnight as they go into hibernation, and the wilted Christmas foliage makes its way to the garden waste bin. But fear not, there are plenty of ways to perk up your after Christmas winter decor.

‘Once the festivities of Christmas are over, there are many ways you can keep the celebrations going into the New Year without being too Christmassy,’ says Lorraine Aaron, founder of Curious Egg.

‘A great way is to swap out your Christmas decor to pieces centered around New Years Eve. Decorations such as stars, honeycomb or origami paper party balls and bunting help to keep the party mood going, whilst dried flower arrangements and plants with fairy lights are a great alternative to Christmas trees and wreaths.’

How can I brighten up my house after Christmas?

A great way to brighten up the house after Christmas is to use fairy lights. ‘You could hang them around doorways or across a wall, or even position them around furniture to add a warming glow,’ says Lorraine. ‘They also look great wrapped around plants as an alternative to a Christmas tree.’

‘You can even fill glass bottles with battery-powered fairy lights or candles to create little features on your dining or coffee table, or even in the corner of a room on the floor,’ she continues.

What do you hang on your door after Christmas?

‘I like to create a wintry wreath or bundle to hang on my door with a lovely satin ribbon in dark green or dusky pink-brown,’ says Lorraine. ‘I love to go on winter walks and collect seed heads of plants and grasses, or leaf skeletons that look so sculptural and beautiful at this time of year. Sometimes they are perfect as they are, or occasionally, I’ll add a little gold or silver leaf and a frost mist of white paint.’

How can I decorate my house in January?

‘In January, once the Christmas and New Year’s festive seasons are fully over, there are many things you can do to decorate and help bring in the beginning of a new year and a fresh start,’ says Lorraine. ‘Why not hang a dried flower wreath on the front door or even inside the house? Placing a mix of dried and fresh arrangements around the house will help create a fresh feel too, whilst candles and fairy lights work all year round.’

What do you do to make your house feel more joyful post-Christmas?

Additional words by Laurie Davidson.

The post 9 Ways to cheer up winter decor after Christmas decorations come down appeared first on Ideal Home.

As the large appliance that’s always on, you’d be justified in wondering how much does it cost to run a fridge freezer when checking your electricity bills. After all, it could be having a big impact as it guzzles away on power, 24/7.

Keeping your fresh and frozen food cold is a full-time job, so in order to save, you can’t really use your fridge freezer less. However, there’s plenty you can do to cut costs every day as well as over its lifetime.

We’ve worked out how much you can expect to spend on powering your fridge freezer – as well as ways to make it more affordable to run, helping you save energy at home.

How much does it cost to run a fridge freezer?

The easiest way to work out how much it costs to run a fridge freezer is to get a smart meter that can tell you in real time. However, if you don’t have one, a simple calculation will tell you.

First, you’ll need to know how much you’re spending on electricity – you can see this on your bill. According to the Energy Saving Trust the national average price (as of November 2021) per pence/kWh of electricity is 20.33p. We have rounded it to 20p for illustration purposes.

The main factors that affect how much energy a fridge freezer uses are its efficiency rating, features, and its type. Roughly, the larger the appliance, the more energy it’ll require. This means that a small F-rated fridge freezer might be more efficient than a large E-rated one, especially if the full capacity of the larger model isn’t used.

An example F-rated 70/30 287-litre fridge freezer uses 275 kWh per year, making its annual running costs £55.

While an example E-rated 70/30 267-litre fridge freezer uses 232 kWh a year, resulting in running costs of £46.40.

Upgrade to an example D-rated 70/30 294-litre fridge freezer and its usage is 156 kWh a year, costing just £31.20 to run annually.

A word about energy ratings…

It’s worth knowing that energy ratings changed on December 1, 2021. That’s because, under the old system, appliances were increasingly given A+, A++ and A+++ ratings as technology improved, which was confusing for customers. So in 2021, the system was recalibrated, and the ratings given from A to G.

As a guide, products that were previously A+ in 2020, are now likely to be rated F or G. A++ is now classified as D or E, and A+++ translates to a B or C rating.

Image credit: Future/ James French

Are some fridge freezers cheaper to run than others?

Fridge freezers are available in different sizes and styles, and these characteristics can impact how much it costs to run any particular model.

• Larder-style fridge freezers have different splits between fridge and freezer space, ranging from 80/20 – fridges with more of an icebox – to 40/60 with more freezer space than fridge. They can be freestanding or integrated ie designed to be fitted with cupboard doors.
• American-style or side-by-side fridge freezers typically have the fridge on one side and the freezer on the other, and may also have an integrated water dispenser. They offer plenty of cooling capacity but even the most energy efficient models can be pricey to run.
• Four-door fridge freezers and French-door fridge freezers, which have double doors for the fridge section and freezer drawers, are variations on the American-style fridge freezer design. This can make them slightly more efficient day-to-day than a typical American-style fridge freezer as less cold air is lost when opening smaller sections.

Larger fridge freezers will cost significantly more to run than larder-style models. ‘For example, if you were to compare a larder fridge vs French-door fridge freezer, the difference in running costs is vast,’ says Luke Shipway, Product Manager at Caple.

‘Per year, our 294-litre E-rated RIL1796 larder fridge would cost £22.40, while our F-rated CAFF42 609-litre French-door fridge freezer would be £84.20.’

Image credit: Future PLC/ Rachèl Reeve

What energy saving features should I look for when buying a fridge freezer?

1. Clever compartments

Less cold air loss means lower running costs, so make use of your fridge freezer’s sections, including crisper drawers, lidded compartments and sectioned freezers. Some models also include door within a door access to the fridge, which mean you’ll lose less cold air if you only need to reach for the milk or juice, or doors that transform from opaque to clear, so you can see what’s inside the fridge without having to open the door first.

2. Inverter compressor

Compressors are what make your fridge cold, converting refrigerant from gas to liquid when required and stopping when the temperature is low enough. Inverter compressors, compared to the start-stop regular type, do this more efficiently, running more consistently and at a controlled speed to use less energy.

3. Holiday mode

Keep running costs down when you’re away by enabling the holiday mode. This sets the fridge to a higher temperature (such as an economical 15C) as you’re unlikely to be leaving fresh food in it, while not affecting the temperature of the freezer.

Image credit: Future PLC/ Lizzie Orme

How can I cut the cost of running a fridge freezer?

1. Stay cool

Cold air is lost every time you open a fridge or freezer door, making the appliance work hard to reduce the temperature again. ‘Only open the fridge freezer doors when needed and don’t leave them open for too long,’ advises Luke Shipway. Let food cool down before putting it in the fridge as it’ll have to use energy to get rid of the warmth, and, as a fuller fridge has less air to keep cool, pop in bottles of tap water between shops. Three-quarters full is ideal to keep cold air flowing around the compartments.

2. Bust the dust

The coils on the back of the fridge are part of the condenser that cools the air inside. However, if they’re dusty, they can prevent the fridge freezer from cooling properly. According to Which? thick dust can reduce the efficiency by as much as 25%. Try to clean them a couple of times a year – unplug your appliance, use a vacuum attachment to remove most of the dust, then brush away the rest. Our guide to how to clean a fridge freezer will help you keep your appliance in tip top condition.

3. Say no to ice

Grab your rubber gloves and get defrosting if your freezer isn’t frost-free. A thick layer of ice takes up space and stops the freezer from working as efficiently.

4. Put it in the right place

Where a fridge freezer is in your kitchen can affect how efficient it is. For freestanding models, make sure there’s enough ventilation around the back, top and sides so it can release heat from the compressor, and where possible, keep the appliance away from ovens, radiators and direct sunlight.

The post How much does it cost to run a fridge freezer? Plus, ways to make savings appeared first on Ideal Home.

When specified correctly and installed within a well-insulated home, underfloor heating is one of the most efficient ways to heat a building. Plus, in a contemporary property, it’s a must-have feature that many people would expect to see. In that sense, it has the potential to add value to your home – but there are a few important provisos to bear in mind before charging ahead with your installation.

‘The key to any good underfloor heating system is proper design,’ says Matt Densham at Robbens. ‘While heat loss calculations are becoming less important due to better insulation standards nowadays, it’s still important to make sure UFH is designed to perform well.’

How efficient is underfloor heating?

The first important point to make is that UFH requires a lower input temperature than a radiator to work effectively. ‘Due to their small surface area, radiators typically need 70°C-80°C to heat a building effectively. Because the floor area of a room is much greater, the UFH requires a lower input temperature, sometimes only 35°C,’ says Matt Densham.

This lower input temperature is where the energy-saving potential lies – and if you’re saving energy, you’ll be able to claw back money on your utility bills, too. ‘Typically, UFH will be 10–20% more efficient than radiators,’ adds Matt Densham.

Here, we sum up the key factors for getting the best out of your underfloor heating system.

1. Heat effectiveness

Image credit: Future plc/Simon Whitmore

When comparing underfloor heating to a conventional radiator system, it’s important not to focus solely on what temperature each of the systems run at. It is also the way in which heat is distributed.

‘Radiators produce a much higher heat locally and rely on the air circulation they create to distribute heat throughout the room,’ says Michael Schienke, director at Vorbild Architecture. ‘A comparable lower heat as produced by underfloor heating is much quicker and more uniformly distributed throughout the space.’

UFH produces radiant heat, whereas radiators rely on convection to spread heat around the room. The air warmed by a radiator moves upwards and once it has cooled, it moves downwards to be reheated by the radiator. Ultimately, this establishes a flow of warm and cool air throughout the space, whereas UFH delivers an even spread of heat, resulting in impressive internal comfort levels.

2. Energy usage

Although underfloor heating operates at a lower temperature, it’s capable of achieving the same level of warmth and comfort throughout your home. This is where the energy saving comes in. ‘UFH systems are estimated to use 15-40% less energy than a radiator,’ says Luciana Kola, marketing manager at Uponor.

This sustainable benefit stems from the fact that UFH works by warming an entire room evenly. This is more efficient than traditional systems like radiators, where heat is lost by the air rising in only one area.’

The even spread of heat also means that you can rule out having hot spots and chilly corners within the same room, instead maintaining the same level of comfort throughout.

To ensure that heat is distributed evenly across the whole space, effective installation of your system is vital. For instance, pipework must be laid at neat, regular intervals – irregular spacing is therefore a key red flag to look out for during the installation process.

Image credit: Future Plc/Lizzie Orme

3. Running costs

The initial outlay for underfloor heating costs – supply and installation – is greater for UFH than radiators. The cost savings of UFH will be delivered over the long term. As we already know, your boiler (or other heat source) won’t have to produce as much heat to warm underfloor heating as it would for radiators. Maximum financial savings will be delivered when you’re running UFH in a thermally-efficient home, minimising the amount of heat that’s wasted as it leaks outwards – more on this later.

It’s also important to ensure you choose the right system for your house. Running costs for electric systems will always be higher than those for a water-based system. Simply because electricity costs more per unit than gas. Therefore, installing electric UFH across a large area or in many rooms won’t be as cost-effective.

Electric underfloor heating works best when it’s fitted in small areas (eg bathrooms), so the running costs remain manageable.

4. Fabric first approach for sufficient insulation

Image credit: Future plc/Dominic Blackmore

To ensure your UFH system runs efficiently, insulation is a key factor. Without an airtight thermal fabric, precious heat generated by your underfloor heating will be lost via the walls, floors and roof.

‘Without the correct insulation, no heating system or source will effectively and efficiently heat your home,’ says Tom Edmunds, general manager at Wunda Group. ‘Poor insulation requires higher heating temperatures, which will not provide a comfortable living environment.’ In a well-insulated home, a low temperature heat distribution system like underfloor heating will be able to run optimally.

5. Incorporating renewables

If you live in a well-insulated home and you want to take your heating system to the next level, one of the best ways to maximise its efficiency is by pairing it with a renewable heat source. Heat pumps draw natural heat from the earth or air, converting it to a level of warmth that can be used to power your home’s heating and hot water.

As heat pumps operate at a lower grade heat than boilers (the optimum temperature is between 30°C and 35°C), they are well suited to lower temperature heat distribution systems, like underfloor heating. Radiators run at a much higher temperature, so a heat pump would have to work a lot harder to heat a radiator up to the required level to heat your house.

The post How efficient is underfloor heating? See the energy and cost savings appeared first on Ideal Home.