Commercial Waste Removal Costs Will Increase Massively in 2014, But Where Else Can We Save Money?

If you are running a business, you will know it’s a struggle in the current economic climate. Business owners are finding that running costs are increasing, so this news of increases in landfill tax, is not welcomed and is yet another blow to the ever increasing running costs.

Handling commercial waste is about to get MUCH more expensive. In April 2014 business owners will see a massive 11% hike due to the dramatic landfill tax increase…. that’s an £8 rise per tonne!!!!

As always, these extra charges are unavoidable, so it might be time to consider other angles which can help cut running costs.

Commercial solar PV is a leading business solution in energy saving, which will help lower your business costs and earn your business an extra income.

Whether you have a small or large business, a working farm or a newsagent’s, solar PV is suitable for you, as long as you have your own roof.

Solar PV panels capture the suns free energy and convert the daylight into electricity. This electricity can be used to run appliances throughout your company. You will be less dependent on buying energy from your energy supplier and reduce your carbon footprint.

How will my business earn an extra income?

Businesses’ in England, Wales and Scotland

Your business will earn an income through the FIT (Feed In Tariff) payment scheme. The scheme will pay you for electricity your system generates; electricity you export back to the grid and save you money on your energy bills.

Businesses’ in Northern Ireland

Your business will earn an income through the ROC (Renewable Obligations Certificate) payment scheme. The scheme will pay you for electricity your system generates; electricity you export back to the grid and save you money on your energy bills.

Install solar PV to your business and see instant results. Contact EEC Home Improvements TODAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reduce The Risk Of Being Targeted By Criminals This Winter

Only 8 hours of sunlight falls onto the UK each day throughout the winter months, leaving us feeling like we go to work in the dark, and come home in the dark. As the dark sets in this winter, make sure you are prepared.

Everybody should feel safe in his or hers own home, but unfortunately, selfish criminals take this away from millions of people every year by breaking into their properties. September to December usually sees an increase in burglary related crimes as these months have the least daylight.

There are a few small changes you can make to avoid being a target:

• Do not leave valuables on show! i.e. phones, car keys, laptops or cash.
• Do not leave your car and house keys next to a door. They can be grabbed with a hook through the letterbox.
• Close and lock all windows and doors when you leave the property or go to bed.
• Close curtains when it gets dark. You can see EVERYTHING when looking from outside into a lit room, even when passing by.
• Packaging and boxes left outside can be a great indicator of what’s inside the property. Dispose of boxes carefully.
• Use a light timer to make it look like somebody is in the house if you are leaving the property unattended.

Theft and brake-ins can be deterred with certain measures.

Monitored security alarm 24/7

EEC Home Improvements can monitor a security system or a care unit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

A security system is designed to detect break-ins. Used to protect against burglary and property damage. This system can be monitored 24/7, so if the alarm where to go off, a signal will be sent to the monitoring station and they can inform the relevant emergency service.

Vulnerable people usually favor a care unit or the elderly, as an emergency panic button is worn around the wrist or neck, which can be easily accessed in an emergency. A signal will be sent through to our monitored station that can inform the relevant emergency services.

We also supply and install full security systems without the monitoring.

CCTV

Closed circuit television (CCTV) is used for many different reasons. When installed on a home, it is usually to deter criminals and capture evidence if a break in occurs. CCTV systems include 1 flat screen monitor, two infrared cameras and a hard-drive with a memory of 30 days. CCTV is excellent evidence especially if a case goes to court.

Rotary Spikes

Rotary spikes are an affordable yet aggressive form of protection, virtually impossible to climb over and an excellent visual deterrent. If you have walls or fences that are vulnerable, you could install rotary spikes for an extra bit of security.

Door Entry Systems with Camera

Video door entry systems (VDES) give you greater control of who enters your property. VDES is a camera telephone that will allow you to see and speak to the caller without having to open the door. On these dark nights, it can be frightening opening the door not knowing who will be stood on the other side. VDES takes away the need to open the door reducing the risk of a criminal pushing their way in.

Burglary is a distressing crime that can leave people feeling unsafe in their own homes.

Contact EEC Home Improvements to talk to one of our security advisors about the best security measures for your home, along with a free no obligation quotation.

 

 

 

HOW TO BEAT THE HIKES IN ENERGY BILLS!

3 OF THE ‘BIG 6’ ENERGY COMPANIES HAVE HIKED THEIR PRICES UP ALREADY, RIGHT BEFORE WINTER

The other 3 are expected to follow suit shortly

17.1 million UK households will see their energy bills rise between November & December with many more millions affected when the remaining 3 announce their price hikes

 SSE – increase 8.2% from 15/11/13

 British Gas – Dual Fuel increase 9.2% from 23/11/13

8.4% on gas / 10.4% on electricity

 Affects nearly 8 million households, average dual fuel increase of £123 to £1,444 per year

 N-power – increase 9.3% on Gas & 11.1% on Electricity from 01/12/13

 Affects up to 2 million households, average bill increase of £141 to £1,493 per year

 Clare Frances, editor-in-chief at MoneySuperMarket.com says:  “The domino effect has really kicked in.  3 down, 3 more to go.”

We can’t stop the energy companies but we can do something which will help reduce bills, earn an additional income and add value to properties & businesses:

Contact EEC Home Improvements today for a free quote for any renewable energy system and take action against these huge energy increases, safeguarding yourself, your home and your future.

 SPEAK TO ONE OF OUR ADVISORS TODAY ABOUT RENEWABLE ENERGY

 

Fisticuffs & Cufflinks Charity Event

Be ready for a night of great boxing, food, fun, fundraising and drinks. The Fisticuffs & Cufflinks charity event has been organised by Baz Todd & Matt Bell in loving memory of Carl Horan, a close friend, who tragically passed away in 2012 (also a friend of EEC Home Improvements CEO John Ball) will be a night to remember!

Fisticuffs & Cufflinks will be held at the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre on Friday 6th December 2013. With all fighters based in the north-west, mostly the Southport area, there is sure to be some rivalries and exciting match-ups.

The event is raising money for a great cause and is sponsored by John Ball’s Southport company EEC Home Improvements, all the money made on the evening will be donated to 2 local charities, who EEC Home Improvements are heavily involved with, raising money through-out the year for them both.

All of the fighters who have kindly volunteered to fight on the night, train out of different gyms scattered around the north-west, 4 of the contestants fight out of Phil Barton’s Elite Gym (which EEC Home Improvements are also the sponsors of) which is located locally on Shakespeare Street, Southport. Over the years it has produced some of the best fighters in the world.

Tickets for the charity boxing “Fisticuffs & Cufflinks” will cost £50, this includes a 3 course meal. There are 500 tickets available – but a lot have already been reserved, so make sure your quick with snapping up the tickets.

The money that EEC gives will contribute towards the general running of the event, all advertisements, posters, kits, gloves etc.

Money raised from the event will go to two charities Claire house children’s hospice and Queenscourt hospice.

Claire House is a charity that revolves around Laughter, Positivity and care, end-of-life and bereavement care for children and young adults with complex medical needs, up to the age of 23. They look after families from across Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, West Lancashire and the Isle of Man and provide a home-from-home environment for our children and young people, helping enrich their lives so they can live them to the full.

If your family would benefit from the services of Claire House, call the hospice on 0151 334 4626.

Queenscourt is a local charity that provides support for the people of Southport, Formby and West Lancs. They care for patients with serious illnesses, enabling them to achieve the best possible quality of life at each new stage. We help to do this both in the Hospice and at Home through our in-patient unit, Queenscourt Connect and Queenscourt at Home services.

If your or your family would benefit from the services of Queens’ court hospice feel free to call them on 01704 544645.

 

 

Warrior of Welterweight – EEC Home Improvements will be cheering for Scott Moonan

John Ball from Southport is the owner of EEC Home Improvements who are the proud sponsors of professional welterweight fighter Scott Moonan from Southport, Merseyside.

Scott Moonan – EEC Solar

Scott Moonan is up against Andrew Patterson on the 7^th June 2013 at Blackpool Winter Gardens for his 3^rd professional fight.

Dedicating all his time to training and weighing in at 10st 10lbs, Scott is fighting fit, giving the word warrior meaning.

 Scott won his last professional fight by KO and we are confident Scott will fight his way to victory again. We would like to say Good Luck from everyone at EEC Home Improvements.

Artificial Grass Should Definitely Be Top Of Your List To Complete Your Dream Home.

EEC Home Improvements recently heard from a concerned homeowner who had purchased a new build property. Their new home was everything they had been looking for. After a few weeks of living in their brand new modern home – they soon realised there was a problem with their garden lawn.

The lawn started to look worn out and unhealthy, spoiling the appearance of the garden. Huge bare patches where appearing everywhere. After treating the lawn with various products and raking lawn-repair seeds into the soil with no improvement, they made the decision to seek professional help.

EEC Home Improvements arranged for one of our expert advisors to complete a free no obligation survey to determine the cause and suggest a solution. We concluded when the property was built, waste and rubble was buried beneath the lawn and the soil was compacted too heavily, probably using machinery.

 The amount of damage, meant the lawn would have to be completely re-laid, so we provided lots of options and suggestions to solve the problem. Following a discussion about what they wanted and what would be best for them; they decided to invest in permanent grass.

 Take a look at how we transformed their garden with artificial grass to create a permanent luscious green lawn and a beautiful block paving seating area.

Mr John Ball Jnr “ I was shown several samples of artificial grass by EEC’s advisor and couldn’t believe how real it looked. I made my decision almost instantly. Quick installation and a 1^st class service from start to finish. No more weeding, seeding, mowing or watering, means I have more time to play with the kids on the beautiful permanent grass. Thanks EEC Home Improvements “

If you have had weeks, months or even years of back breaking weeding, fighting with your lawn mower and spending much needed cash on lawn repair solutions, artificial grass is the answer to your gardening issues.

Contact us today for your FREE no obligation survey and quotation for permanent grass and block paving. You could have a beautiful and bright garden as quickly as next week.

EEC Home Improvements Will Cheer On ‘Team Elite’ This Weekend.

EEC Home Improvements is the proud sponsor of ‘Team Elite’ in Southport and will be supporting Team Elites very own fighter Kevin Ward this Sunday 5^th May 2013, fighting for an ISKA World Title.

This fight will be the biggest showdown Southport has ever seen. Muay Thai European Champion Kevin Ward will take on Mark Casserly of Dublin, Ireland, who will be defending his ‘ISKA World Pro K1 Champion’ title.

 The previous fight was back in May 2011, where the pair could not be separated and the fight was given a draw. ‘The Prince Of Wales Hotel’ in Southport is where they will meet again on Sunday, and EEC Home Improvements are confident the title will stay in Southport, where it belongs, with Kevin Ward.

 EEC Home Improvements company owner John Ball wanted to become a sponsor of ‘Team Elite Fighting Gym’ to provide the funding that is needed to give young local talent, opportunities to progress into World Class Fighters.

 The sponsorship programme provides a monthly grant to the Elite Gym, who specialise in amateur and professional Muay Thai-Boxing, ABA-Boxing, Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts. The money is used to help pay the significant costs in the annual activities of the Elite Gym including, team kits and gym memberships.

 Team Elites Jake Barton takes on Craig Jones and Didzis Musulis fights Danny Ledbetter, both under B Class Muay Thai rules. Also representing Team Elite is Paddy Davies in his first C Class contest, Sergeijs Petrovs, Tom Medcalfe, Rob Zabitis and Jess Teevan who all fight in N class contests. Support your fighters in the biggest fighting event ever seen in Southport.

Standard Tickets are available £30 or £50 for VIP.

Contact ‘Team Elite Fighting Gym’ Here

Outdoor Living-Rooms Are The Answer To Your Space Issues

Now is the ideal time to turn your thoughts to your garden. After a long winter, it’s worthy of some much-needed attention.

A garden refurbishment is usually pushed to the back of a long queue of home improvements, but gardens are an essential element to creating a stunning home. A fabulous garden is incredibly important, and a valuable asset to any property.

Whether you have a country cottage garden, urban, modern, contemporary, big or small garden EEC Home Improvements can create the garden of your dreams.

Working with EEC Home Improvements to design your garden will make a fun, relaxing and memorable experience. EEC Home Improvements will supply you with magnificent ideas, first-class advice and utalise all the space in your garden, space you didn’t realise you had.

The majority of homeowners are desperate for more space, but the garden is rarely considered. Make the most of your garden and create an outdoor living room, it can be the perfect escape after a long day. With copious amounts of well-designed outdoor furniture and heaps of accessories to choose from, an outdoor living room is available to anyone.

First of all, choose a base that will create the living area. You may prefer to have a decked base, block paved, brick paved, york stone, natural stone, patterned design or even permanent/artificial grass, the list can go – whether you have a big or small budget, there is an option for everyone.

Lights encourage people to venture outdoors; they create a cozy and inviting feel, so consider your outdoor lighting carefully. As well as enhancing the look, they are useful for lighting walkways and illuminating area’s you could trip or fall.

You may want to consider building a brick garden wall or have fencing installed around your outdoor living area; this will create a more secluded and intimate feel. We can also install electricity so you can have all the mod cons, stereo systems, TV’s and even a full working kitchen.

Whatever budget you have for your outdoor living area, any money that is invested will be very worthwhile.

EEC Home Improvements can assist you with everything mentioned above. We have a full range of industry accreditations and our craftspeople and engineers are all trained to high levels.

Get that perfect home you have always dreamed of…Don’t Move – Improve!

Ever dreamt of owning ‘The Perfect House’, with a bedroom for everyone, two living areas, an open plan kitchen and a games room? Well, if moving house is out of the question, you can achieve that dream with EEC Home Improvements.

Improving and creating space in your home can seem impossible, but with imagination and professional help, your dreams could soon be a reality. Home extensions and home conversions need to be done properly, this will save you time, money and lots of stress. Do not cut corners, get a quote before you commit to any work and always work with professional builders.

Take a look at the services available to you with EEC Home Improvements.

Garage Extensions / Garage Conversions – Garage conversions and property extensions can be used for all kinds of purposes. Perhaps you want an additional living room or a new dining room, maybe a study or an office. A garage conversion can provide an extra bathroom or a larger kitchen. It can be a playroom or even a home gym. A conversion well done will require skilled workmanship and should be carried out by a reputable and experienced builder. EEC Home Improvements are fully accredited by a number of professional bodies.

Loft Conversion – The most obvious benefit of having a loft conversion is the extra space that will be added to your home, which is a great solution for a family in need of an extra bedroom, or for someone who wants office space. In fact there are many reasons why people choose to have their loft converted. One of the benefits of converting a loft is that you may open up a whole different perspective. It may be possible to create windows that give access to a beautiful view, or even to add a balcony in time.

Conservatories – if you have a pretty big land area, having a conservatory is a great way to make full use of all of your spare land. This also allows you to enjoy the surrounding view you have in your home. Having a conservatory allows you additional space to entertain guests and visitors, and is a pleasant break from just having to hang out in the living room. Being able to reserve an area of the house for socialising or quiet reflection is a brilliant feature for many families and should help to keep family life happy.

EEC Home Improvements offer all of the services mentioned, catering to all specifications and budgets, just visit our website to receive your FREE QUOTE and get a cost for your work.

Week 1 – XTreme STORM Bootcamp – The Fitness Test – EEC Home Improvements raising money and awareness for Queenscourt Hospice and Claire House Children’s Hospice in Southport.

A sigh of relief after completing the 1st of 17, military style bootcamps leading up to XTreme STORM – The UKs toughest assault course.

Ex-Royal Marine Commando’s Steven Howard and Chris Lancaster, who have both served in Afghanistan, owners of Go Commando Bootcamp, led the first fitness session  – which was demanding to say the least.

In freezing conditions we made our way to ‘The Leisure Lakes’, not sure of what lay ahead of us; with a mixture of anxiety and excitement we grouped together to receive the 6-week ‘plan of action’.

We were instructed to jog to a near-by open field where they showed us an un-completed obstacle assault course.  We were advised that the course would be complete by our 4^th Bootcamp and that’s where our endurance would really be put to the test. Zip Wires, balance poles surrounded by water, tyres tunnels, monkey bars, climbing frames and other scary looking obstacles were pointed out to us. Intimidated by the thought of the weeks to come, the training began. Running, sprints, high knees and lunges started with immediate affect (no rest for the wicked.) Ten minutes and a few punches later, without time to catch our breath we were off again, this time sprinting to our next challenge. Body Strengthening.

Paired up, sat in the mud and ready to take on the first core workout, we took turns helping each other complete press ups. We had 1 minute to do as many press-ups as possible, some of us managed the whole set in full press, others had to demote to a knee press (its all about improvement throughout the weeks.) Next up….Sit ups. This time, 2 minutes. After a minute and a half the moans and groans were getting louder, but we all stuck at it, adamant to succeed. Shattered and pulling our selves from the ground we heard the dreaded words ‘Bleep Test Time’.

With cones set apart by 25m, we were lined up as they explained the bleep test sequence to us. Starting off slow, sweating more as each level progressed, we started to drop like flies, one by one, falling to the grass, totally out of breath and legs like jelly. It was unpleasant to put it mildly.

Next challenge – 1 mile race. In the pitch-black, we waited for the whistle. Ice-cold winds instantly blasted against us whilst dodging barely visible potholes and jumping over speed bumps, struggling to keep a steady pace, we eventually split up and ran our own race.

Each and every one of us gave everything we had, all with the same goal in mind – XTreme STORM and our 2 charities. Bring on the next session we say.

EEC Home Improvements are competing to raise money for two charities – Queenscourt Hospice and Claire House Children’s Hospice. If you would like to make a donation please visit the link below.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/eechomeimprovements