The ESC’s third important conference, it aims to put consumer safety in context in relation to electrical products, by presenting a range of different but interrelated issues and perspectives.

To be held on 16 May at London’s Church House Conference Centre, among the areas covered will be safety design principles for foreseeable misuse and a review of consumer protection in terms of communicating risk.

A key focus of the conference will be an evaluation of recall processes and ‘traceability’ – i.e. how dangerous products can be tracked within the supply chain and how consumers are alerted to repair or recall notices.

Traceability, which impacts on every stage of the electrical industry’s supply chain, is essential to an effective product recall. And, as recent news reports have shown, recalls can occur with even the most quality conscious business.

The success of the previous Product Safety Conferences has led to it becoming a regular ESC event. This year, Ann Robinson Director of Consumer Policy at U-Switch, will chair the event, with possible speakers including representatives from a range of major retailers and manufacturers.

Malcolm Harbour, CBE, MEP and Chairman of the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, will be providing the keynote speech.

Martyn Allen, head of technical development at the ESC, says: ‘The Product Safety Conference is the perfect opportunity for key stakeholders from across the board to come together to discuss current and emerging issues. At the ESC, we take the view that we can best serve consumer protection by working with the electrical industry – and other like-minded groups – to promote best practice and customer care”.

More information: www.esc.org.uk

But according to research while many believe that many life-changing gadgets came into existence in the last 50 or 60 years, many are actually more than a century old!

Take the dishwasher for example. Invented in the 1890s by Josephine Cochran, the dishwasher is a Victorian invention and has been around for more than 120 years.

Another big misconception was central heating, which was invented in 1889 by Edwin Rudd, but is believed by 16% of the British public to be a 1950s.

Similarly, just 4% knew that the telephone was invented in the 1870s and just 8% identified the vacuum cleaner as an invention of the 1900s.

The research was commissioned by npower to support an online energy archive on Historypin.com called ‘Remember How We Used To‘, which invites the public to view and share pictures of appliances through the decades.

TV’s Tony Robinson, who is working with npower to promote the online energy archive on Historypin.com, commented: “We see new appliances being invented all the time and so we tend to think ourselves as the generation which has paved the way for future technology.

“However, a lot of new gadgets today are built on the legacy of what has come before, and it is actually the inventors of the late 1800s and early 1900s that have shaped the technological world we live in today.

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Using research compiled by Warwick Business School, npower’s online archive on Historypin also hosts an interactive timeline detailing the introduction of gadgets, from washing machines to games consoles, which have changed our lives over the years.

Robinson added: “For the majority of us, inventions such as the television, vacuum cleaner and microwave occurred before our lifetime and so we find it hard to place these in a certain decade.

“By using npower’s inventions timeline, we can plot the introduction of new technology over the last 100 years and also see the subsequent effect it had on lives by browsing through the photos in the archive.

“Technology has developed at an astonishing pace, from the first telephone in the 19th century to the multi-faceted smart phones today, and so looking back at the roots of our mod-cons helps us to really appreciate what we take for granted in modern day life.”

More information: www.npower.com

The scheme at the University’s School of Health Studies reduced energy bills by a third over the 16-month project.

The project aimed to change behaviour of staff and students, and it’s been so successful it’s now being rolled out across the university.

Utilitywise’s Edd:e circuit level energy monitoring system was a vital part of the project. Using the initiative’s circuit level monitoring system, it as possible to identify energy use and measure the savings achieved by changes in behaviour.

Edd:e was able to identify high energy users such as the catering department and identify were savings could be made.

Adam Thompson, chief operating officer at Utilitywise said: “The university has shown what can be achieved by monitoring your energy and getting people to change their behavior. Many think there is nothing they can do to reduce their energy consumption, but with some expert help and a bit of determination look what can be achieved.

“The Bradford University is a great example of how much organisations can achieve through incremental behavioural changes.

“Many energy saving efforts fail because people don’t to see their impact, by using Edd:e and working closely with Utilitywise’s advisors to identify opportunities, the university has been able to make major savings.”

More information: www.utilitywise.com

This drop is thought to have been caused by the severe weather conditions across the UK during a large part of January, which prevented tradesmen and householders carrying out or arranging domestic work.

The number of ‘searchable licensed trades’ across all TrustMark member firms now stands at 22,845. These figures are obtained from the ‘postcode search’ facility on the TrustMark website, which is the reason the majority of visitors come to TrustMark.

Additional  Google Analytics viewing details can be are read by visitors by visitors to the website.

TrustMark is a not for profit organisation, licensed by Government and supported by consumer protection groups.

More information: www.trustmark.org.uk

Salamader Pumps, the Sunderland-based shower pump manufacturer, has grown exponentially in the last decade and is now firmly established as one of the leading manufacturers of shower pumps in the UK.

Celebrating its centenary this year, Dallmer, the award winning manufacturer of bathroom drainage systems also joins the BMA. The company originated in Leipzig and in the UK operates from its base in Sudbury.

Pro Publishing completes the list joining BMA as affiliate member with its two magazines Utopia Kitchen & Bathroom and Designer Kitchen & Bathroom, and its news and information portal The K&B Network.

BMA chief executive, Yvonne Orgill, says: “The bathroom business is changing fast, and our members know that their involvement with the BMA brings real benefits.”

Further information: info@bathroom-association.org.uk

Liz Male, TrustMark’s chairman, says:
“Green Deal is the Government’s new campaign to help boost the energy efficiency and comfort of our homes and we want it to be a roaring success.

“However, we also know that when we start installing solid wall insulation, putting in new heating systems and doing other work to upgrade our homes – the oldest housing stock in Europe – we are going to find that many properties need essential repairs and other maintenance work that may have been hidden for years!

“Much of that work is not going to be covered by the Green Deal or its consumer protection safeguards, and in that situation we need householders to turn to their local TrustMark-registered tradesmen.

TrustMark was aiming is to ensure that the Green Deal could be used by rogue traders as an opportunity to mislead and rip off the public. TrustMark had lobbied hard for a Green Deal code of practice that included clear advice to Providers that they must make sure any ‘ancillary works’ were done by properly vetted and insured tradesmen such as TrustMark-registered firms who worked  to Government-endorsed standards.

According to Male: “Our warning to homeowners, many of whom will not yet understand the full details of what Green Deal is all about, is that not all building work or other home improvements and repairs will be covered by a Green Deal Plan and its consumer protection safeguards.

“Homeowners must be very clear with their Green Deal Provider about what is or isn’t included.  Many homes will need essential repairs before any energy saving measures can be safely or effectively installed.”

So TrustMark’s advice to all of its customers is to check the credentials of any Green Deal firm. Don’t be tempted to ask an installer to do extra property repair work just because they are in your home anyway. And always insist on using a TrustMark-registered tradesman for any home repair, maintenance or improvement work.

TrustMark, is the Government endorsed quality mark for tradesmen

Further information: www.trustmark.org.uk

Announced by the government’s DECC, basically this is a long-term loan scheme designed to help reduce household energy bills. The cost of the loan, which could be around 7%, would be paid for by the cost saving in energy bills.

The loan is on the home and not on the bill-payer. Consequently if you sell-up and move your buyer will continue paying the loan through the gas or electricity bill.

Although Green Deal is a government scheme, it will be administered and operated by major providers such as Kingfisher, British Gas and so on.

An official independent assessor determines what improvement work needs to be carried out in the home – such as a new boiler, cavity wall and loft insulation installation, double glazing etc – and this will be carried out by an accredited improvement company. All must be authorised contractors through the DECC and carry on of these badges.

Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, say this is a great opportunity for millions of homeowners to make saving on their home energy bills.

Originally planned to launch last October, the success of Green Deal will, of course, depend on how widely the idea is publicised.

For instance only 21% of respondents had heard of Green Deal according last year’s important survey by the National Home Improvement Show. The research raised some serious questions especially around the government initiatives to roll out energy efficient products into private dwellings.

In fact, the survey concluded that the Green Deal initiative had yet to create awareness amongst the public.

Perhaps today’s announcement will help reverse this statistic?

One thing that the consumer watchdog Which advises is that homeowners who decide to go ahead with the loan and the home improvement work, should be careful who they sign up with?

More information: www.decc.gov.uk/greendeal/ and www.nhic.org.uk

Maxwell Hutchinson, however, architect and former president of RIBA, does not think this is the case at all!

Speaking on BBC’s Today programme, the report’s co-author, Alex Morton said: “What we are arguing for is the demolition of multi-storey estates built between 1950 and 1980, replacing them with terraced streets.

“On the social side, towers are claimed to be unpopular and unattractive. Naught percent of people want top live in them and there is a lot of evidence that alienation is higher and a lot of people feel lonelier! Also crime is higher.”

Hutchinson, explained: “There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with tower blocks –they’ve always been demonised.  They do universally suffer from poor management and maintenance. 

“Proving they are well-designed, if you improve the management of the towers plus good thermal insulation and security, better décor and keep them well-maintained, people love to live in them.”

There are said to be over 3000 residential tower blocks in the UK. They all have a very significant roll to play in meeting the nation’s housing demand and will provide essential accommodation for many decades in the future.

They can be all brought into line with modern standards and energy efficiency requirements. And this will far more economical than demolition and replacement with low-rise

A couple of months ago the London School for Economics and the insulation manufacturer Rockwool, launched a report – High Rise Hope. This is a ‘path-breaking’ investigation into the social impact of whole-building energy efficiency refurbishments in residential tower blocks.

It was based around important research into the major improvement of the Edward Woods estate in Shepherds Bush, west London, which included substantial interior and exterior and internal insulation, installing solar PV and changing the heating systems.

This project provides a blueprint for large-scale energy efficiency schemes showing how energy saving can help take millions of people out of fuel poverty, if accompanied by education to help households cut energy use.

More information: www.lse.ac.uk/

Consequently it has enrolled 24 of its partners onto the BMA’s Bathroom Academy and Principles of Bathroom Design.

In order to fully train them in the intricacies of bathroom planning and design the store has engaged the Academy and one of its lead sponsors, 20-20 Technologies Ltd. John Lewis staff will participate in a series of two-day training workshops, based in store, when they will have the opportunity to learn from industry experts.

The workshops will encompass both the theory and practice of bathroom planning and design with useful exercises designed to test delegates’ skills using the 20-20 Fusion software.

Yvonne Orgill, chief executive of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA), says: “The industry guides and face-to-face workshops we offer are unique in our industry.  John Lewis is investing heavily in its new bathrooms portfolio and we are really pleased that the Academy and 20-20 Technologies Ltd have been chosen as the training providers.”

More information: www.bathroom-academy.co.uk/

It awards and sets the standards for the Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) qualification in the UK, which is available to members of the Society’s 23 partner organisations. These partners include a diverse range of membership bodies sharing a common vision of delivering sustainability through environmental professionalism.

Juniper says: “The Society fulfils a vitally important role by setting the standards for professionals working across a range of sectors. It has shown how professional bodies from widely different specialisms can work together on a common agenda.”

A renowned environmental campaigner, he is an established face on the environmental circuit having been director of Friends of the Earth in England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2003 and 2008 and the vice chair of FoE International from 2001 to 2008.

He has also written a series of book covering various ecological issues, holds a number of positions with diverse institutions as well as being a regular media commentator on environmental matters.

Alex Galloway, the Society’s chief executive, says: “To have somebody of Tony’s calibre as our president will help us take the status of Chartered Environmentalists to a new level of recognition and reach into new areas.”

More information: www.socenv.org.uk