How Glass Balustrade Stairs Create a Sense of Space
Glass balustrade stairs are increasingly being used in homes across the country to create a contemporary, open-plan living space that has a positive impact on the entire house. These staircases are often used as an alternative to more traditional materials, such as wood and metal, to create a sense of openness and space, including providing a clear view of the different levels of a home and allowing natural light to flow throughout the building.
If you have been noticing a distinct lack of space or light in your home, then there is a very good chance that this is created by an outdated, confining staircase that no longer reflects the mood and space of your home. If you are considering making a change to your home, then here are the key ways that a glass staircase will create a sense of space in your home.
Seamless blend of functionality and style
A contemporary, stylish glass staircase opens up space that otherwise would have been overlooked or underutilised. Rather than expensive renovations to the kitchen or an overhaul of the living room, making the transition to a glass balustrade staircase ensures that the space immediately feels uplifted and larger, as well as creating a simplistic aesthetic that adds to the illusion of space.
Many staircases are an overlooked space within the home that often feels smaller than it actually is and the potential of this space is often forgotten. Staircases are often located in a darker area of the home that does not see much natural light and other, more dense materials, such as metal and wood, not only prevent light from entering the hallway, but the darker tones also create a boxed-in, confining environment that can bring down the mood of a home. Glass balustrade stairs eradicate these issues and ensure that natural light is able to flow freely throughout the space, creating a much more open and light environment without actually changing the size of the space.
The focus upon encouraging light to enter the home is also mirrored in the materials used in glass balustrade stairs. Glass allows the light to freely travel through the hallway and fill the space, rather than reflecting harsh light as metal does, or trapping light in shadows as wooden staircases so often do.
Connects all levels of the house as a unit
As the central transitional place of a home, the importance of the staircase in creating the tone and ambiance of a home is often overlooked. A glass balustrade staircase creates a seamless transition between the different levels of a residential building, reducing the physical space between the floors and removing the surfaces that could create shadows or trap light. As well as letting light pass freely through the structure and illuminating previously darker areas of the home, a high-quality glass balustrade staircase will also provide a clear view of surroundings and create an authentic and impressive illusion of there being much more space.
The structure of the staircase itself also offers more space, as the staircase is no longer a solid, opaque design that takes up space within the home. The removal of a wooden or metal structure, taking up space and trapping light, allows the glass staircase to function as an unobtrusive object that allows the aesthetic and decor of the hallway and landing to become the central focus of the space.
Ready to unlock the full potential of your home? Click here to visit the Wyatt’s Welding Services website today. With over 30 years of experience in bespoke stainless steel fabrication and welding, Wyatt’s Welding Services transform commercial and residential spaces for clients across the UK with their specialist glass balustrade services.
Mock Tudor House Inspiration for Your Home Renovation
Whatever the age of your home, if you’re in love with Tudor styling, there’s no reason why you can’t incorporate some of these themes into your home renovation. Tudor architecture is easily recognisable thanks to its pitched roofs, front facing gables and decorative half timbering. It is these Tudor style planks, with stucco or stone in between the boards that really give the sense of a Tudor style exterior, and if you’re worried that wooden planks need a lot of maintenance, you can instead opt for mock Tudor boards.
Wooden Beams or Mock Tudor Boards?
If you’ve previously lived in a Tudor property then you may be well acquainted with exterior timber beams. Whilst these beams have an amazing aesthetic and are a powerful reminder of this architectural style, they are prone to weathering, rotting and cracking, so they will require a lot of maintenance to keep them looking at their best.
The alternative is to opt for mock tudor boards, made from polyurethane and moulded from real oak beams. These durable boards don’t require any upkeep but have the grain and appearance of real wood – offering the best of both worlds to those looking for a Tudor style exterior, without any of the hassle of wooden beam maintenance.
How to Design a Mock Tudor House
Tudor styling is timeless, so if you get it right from the onset, you’ll have a house that you can be proud of for many years to come. If you live in a modern home you’ll most likely want to incorporate Tudor styles but without detracting from your overall contemporary feel. You could think about contrasting your colours and styles, such as finely grained Tudor Boards with your textured brick finish, or grey faux beams and window frames to contrast with the earthy colours of your brick walls.
Planning your Tudor Home Exterior
The planning process starts with sketching out different designs to work out what space you have to place your Tudor boards and where you’d like them to go. Once you have the final design, it’s time to measure up accurately so you can order the right boards. Remember, that many mock Tudor planks come in a range of RAL colours, so you can match and contrast with your home’s exterior to complete your overall mock Tudor aesthetic.
Fitting Tudor Style Boards
When ordering your beams to create a Tudor style exterior, it’s important to also order the fixtures and tools you’ll need to easily place and secure your boards. When fitting the boards, ensure you follow correct health and safety protocols with using ladders and be confident in drilling precisely, as otherwise you’ll be left with lots of unsightly holes that you also need to fill!
Don’t worry if your planks have imperfections, as handworked, irregular beams were typical of the Tudor homes of the 16th Century, so you’re just in keeping with this architectural style.
If you want to extend the Tudor styling of your home, you can also consider features such as open plan spaces, large and elaborate fireplaces, small windows with vertical mullions and oak skirting boards.
There are more tips on designing a mock Tudor house on this website: tudorboard.com.
Dos and Don’ts for Designing Home Cinema Rooms
If you love film, there is nothing quite like a home cinema space to truly immerse yourself into the sights, sounds and all round entertainment of a movie. Of course, designing home cinema rooms isn’t the most straightforward of home improvement projects. There are so many different factors to keep in mind when designing a room that will deliver the visual and sonic experience you design, complete with home comforts.
To help you avoid some of the mistakes that are so often made during home cinema installation, we have a list of important do’s and don’ts to take note of.
Do look closely at the chosen room
The room that you choose to install your home cinema systems in influences every choice that you will make, so be careful to choose the best available space in your home. The size and shape of your room will determine:
- The size of screen you need – too large or too small a screen will detract from the cinematic experience.
- Projector or TV? – for a small room, a large TV monitor may be more suitable than a projector and screen.
- Seating – how many people do you wish to seat? You will need to choose seating solutions to suit the size of the room and how many people you want to cater for.
Don’t forget lighting
Whilst it may seem easy enough to just turn off the lights to make the most of the screen in front of you, it’s important to remember that you will need to move around the room at some point, so to do this with minimal disruption for those around you, it’s important to consider lighting solutions that help you move safely without detracting from the viewing experience.
Consider wall mounted fixtures that emit a soft light, floor lights, or even table lamps. Lighting that is too bright will reflect off the screen and affect the picture quality. It’s always advisable to consult home cinema installation experts to choose suitable lighting.
Do invest in surround sound
A big screen isn’t the only element that provides a true cinematic feel. Surround sound is essential for a fully immersive home cinema setup, and whilst modern soundbars have improved considerably over the years and are perfect for a lounge area, to create a true cinema room, surround sound audio systems are a must. For help in choosing the best suited systems for your room size and shape, and advice in spatial distribution, consult home cinema specialists.
Don’t use light colours and reflective surfaces
Whilst light colours are popular for modern interior decor, when it comes to decorating a home cinema room, darker colours with a matte finish are always best to limit the amount of light reflected from the screen and lights in the room. If you choose white or other light colours, or decide on a glass finish paint or wall covering, much more light from the screen will reflect back, somewhat negatively affecting the picture quality.
It’s also important to choose carpets and soft furnishings rather than hard laminate flooring or furniture. If sound bounces around the room before reaching your ear, it can make for a messy, echoey sonic experience, defeating the point of money spent on a great surround sound system.
Do budget carefully
When it comes to budgeting for the different elements that make up a home cinema room, it’s important to make sure the balance is right. If you spend thousands on the latest 4k projector screen but don’t leave enough money to spend on surround sound, or the many essential high quality cables and components needed, then you’ll be extremely disappointed with the finished results.
Don’t underestimate the benefits of professional home cinema installation
Given that there is so much to consider if you are designing and building a home cinema for the first time, it certainly makes sense to seek help from specialists that have completed the design, installation and programming of many home cinema rooms.
Veritais are experts in smart home integration, specialising in home cinema installation.
Choosing Thermal Blinds to Insulate Your Home for Winter
One of the key concerns for many households in 2022 has been finding ways to reduce energy consumption to try to counteract the rising energy costs. If you are looking for ways to keep your home warm over winter whilst also keeping heating related energy use as low as possible, then choosing thermal blinds is a great long term investment to help keep that valuable warmth inside your home, and keep the wintry cold safely outside.
Blinds have long been an important fixture in the modern home, providing control over light and shade, along with privacy, but the thermal qualities of certain styles of blind are more valuable than ever before. Here we look at the thermal blinds to choose to keep your home warm in the coldest months.
Which Window Blinds are the most effective Thermal Blinds?
Roller blinds
Roller blinds are one of the most effective thermal blind styles for winter. The reason for this is that this type of blind has just one sheet of fabric, and as a result, when the blind is closed, there are few gaps to for heat to escape through, and cold draughts to enter through, so when blinds are closed at night or when you are away from home, heating systems do not need to work as hard to keep your home at a comfortable temperature.
Whilst closed roller blinds block out a lot of light, you should also consider that in daylight hours, when there is light shining into interior spaces, opening the blind helps generate heat from the sun’s UV rays.
For even more effective insulation, roller blinds are available with ‘perfect fit’ installation. This means that the blind fits perfectly with the window frame, closing gaps more effectively than a free hanging roller blind. Blackout fabrics can also be chosen for a thicker thermal blind, to provide a stronger layer of insulation.
If you are looking for blinds that maintain the functionality of traditional roller blinds, but provide more control over light, then vision blinds, also known as day and night blinds, can be considered. Vision blinds feature two fabric layers, one opaque, and one that lets in light, allowing light control to be adjusted whilst the blinds are rolled down.
If you are concerned about losing some thermal insulation value when choosing vision blinds, consider that they feature 2 layers of fabric, so they can trap and retain heat to help reduce energy bills in winter months. Like traditional roller blinds, day and night blinds are also available in ‘perfect fit’ and in thicker, blackout fabrics.
Cellular blinds
If cutting energy costs is a key consideration when choosing new blinds, cellular blinds and pleated blinds are also a great choice. Cellular and pleated blinds offer an extra layer of insulation, blocking cold air from entering, and preventing warm air from leaving. As is suggested by the name, cellular blinds feature a cellular, honeycomb like structure. This creates air pockets when the blind is closed, effectively slowing down thermal transfer from cold windows, and providing a barrier against heat from central heating systems.
Like roller blinds, cellular blinds are available with ‘perfect fit’ installation, ensuring fewer gaps for warm air to escape through and vice versa. An extensive range of choices are also available when it comes to colours and finishes.
Thermal Blinds Installation
Investing in blinds with excellent thermal insulation properties can play an important role in increasing the energy efficiency of your home, helping reduce energy bills and even increasing your home’s value, should you decide to sell.
To discuss your requirements for energy efficient window blinds and for expert installation, you can contact Birmingham based company, Taydec.
Home Cinema Rooms for Festive Film Nights All Year Round
You could certainly argue that Christmas is one of the most visual times of the year. Christmas lights and decorations are there to dazzle the eyes both at home and out on the town, but as this year’s festive adverts launch, notifying the start of the festive season and Christmas themed films showing on the television throughout December, many eyes are on screens. Needless to say, it’s a special time of year for many, but home cinema rooms bring that extra bit of magic.
Christmas in your home could be even more special with a big screen, and with the benefits of smart home cinema integration, the perfect festive film night conditions are at your fingertips.
Whether you are looking to create a dedicated cinema room in our home, complete with projector screen, tiered seating, specialist lighting and surround sound, or looking to upgrade your media room to include complete smart tech integration and the latest audio visual equipment to enhance your viewing experience, home cinema is for life, not just for Christmas!
Why home cinema rooms are so loved at Christmas and beyond
Let’s look at some of the most important reasons that home cinema rooms are so popular.
Getting the family together
By investing in great audio visual systems, along with comfortable seating, blinds and everything you need to create a perfect viewing environment, it’s easier to get the family together in one room for an extended period of time. Create a home cinema room and enjoy bringing the family together.
Relaxation
The lead up to Christmas can be a stressful time, as people work to finish their work in time for a holiday break. In addition to long work hours, it’s common for people to attend different celebrations and get togethers with friends, so by the time the Christmas turkey has been eaten, most of us are ready to relax and wind down. There’s no better way to rest and let your Christmas dinner digest than to enjoy a favourite Christmas film in the comfort of your home cinema.
One of the biggest benefits of a cinematic experience at home is that you can pair this with home comforts. Recline in comfort and have your favourite Christmas nibbles and drinks at hand.
Avoiding arguments
With all the excitement of Christmas, sometimes games with family members can be a little over stimulating, potentially leading to arguments between clashing personalities amongst the family or friend group. When tensions are high, settling down to enjoy a film is always a good idea, and a smart home cinema is usually enough to convince all members of the family to agree.
Christmas is one of the best times of the year for television
There’s no denying that Christmas is a great time of year for television. With terrestrial and digital channels playing popular films and Christmas specials, combined with on-demand and streaming subscriptions, there are endless choices for films and series to watch at any time over Christmas. Home cinema technology only enhances the experience!
There is plenty to look forward to in 2023 and beyond
If you thought 2022 was a big year for film, 2023 promises to deliver once more. As well as all the great films from the last year headed for blu ray and streaming release, we have so many new movies to look forward to, from independent films to huge blockbusters. Even if you don’t make it to a public cinema to see them, with a cinema room at home, you don’t have to worry – your experience will be even better.
A personalised experience
The best thing about installing your own cinema room at home is that it can be designed specifically to suit you and your family. Along with the best audio visual equipment and lighting to suit your budget, when it comes to home comforts such as seating and heating systems, you can dial everything in to suit your needs. Whilst public cinemas are getting more comfortable, they will never be able to compete with the recliners or sofas you can choose at home.
If you have often felt cold or too warm in public cinemas, a smart climate system can be dialled in to ensure you enjoy your viewing experience with the perfect temperature for you.
Specialists in Home Cinema Room Installation
If you are ready to invest in a truly immersive cinematic experience at home and are looking for home cinema room specialists, then look no further than Veritais, home cinema installation experts in the Midlands.
How Smart Home Automation Adds Festive Magic to any Christmas Celebrations
Whilst Christmas is a time to relax for some people, for others, it’s a time to get into the festive spirit and enjoy as many celebrations as possible. With smart home automation set up, setting the perfect ambience for any Christmas occasion is at your fingertips.
Here are some simple tips to make sure your smart home systems provide plenty of Christmas cheer.
Smart lighting for every occasion
Smart home devices such as smart plugs provide a great way to take control of the colourful lights on your tree, and adorning different pieces of furniture during the festive period, but Christmas lighting can be much more than plug-in fairy lights when you make the most of home automation. Your existing smart lighting systems pair perfectly with your Christmas decorations to add to the holiday spirit.
With smart home automation, it’s possible to set your home lighting for all occasions. From adding a little more colour than usual in your living spaces, to dimming the lights a little to create excitement when opening presents, wall, ceiling, spot, and any other fitted lighting fixtures offer a wonderful choice of ambience. Smart lights can offer many colours of the rainbow and the ideal level of intensity to set all moods.
Fill your house with Christmas music
Music is a big part of Christmas for many, and home automation systems help to make sure the right playlists are playing at the right time to set the mood. Why not set up a playlist of carols or gentle instrumentals for some Christmas dinner background music, or when you are wishing to get the party going, it’s time to bring out the big Christmas hits and play them throughout the house.
Of course, everyone has different tastes, and there can be times when certain members of the family want to listen to something a little different. Smart controls allow you to set your audio systems into zones to ensure that every part of the house has a playlist to please someone.
Settle down for your favourite Christmas films
Music isn’t the only media to get us in the Christmas mood. At this time of the year, we all like to settle down and watch our favourite Christmas films, old and new. Smart home technology helps to provide the best Christmas home cinema experience, whether you have a dedicated home cinema room or not.
There’s no better way to experience films that in complete home comfort. With the touch of a button, smart control systems can create the right environment for your entertainment. A home cinema or media room may offer the ultimate home viewing experience, but when your smart devices are all linked to the same smart control system, you can get quite close in your lounge or even your bedroom. Lower the blinds, dim the lights down low, turn on your TV or lower your projector screen, and press play!
Make the most of smart home automation all year round
If you need assistance in making the most of your smart home systems, or are ready to invest in home automation technology to help you create the perfect ambience for any occasion, all year round, then it’s always a good idea to call in the experts.
For expert smart home installation, from initial designs to finall installation, programming and aftersales support, you can contact Midlands smart technology specialists, Veritais.
The Biggest Benefits of Smart Climate Control this Winter
As we enter winter and central heating systems are turned on, at at time when we are experiencing increased energy costs, it’s understandable that many people have worries about energy bills and are looking for smart ways to reduce their energy consumption where possible, whilst staying comfortable at home. Investing in smart climate control is one of the most beneficial upgrades you can make to your home this winter.
What is smart climate control?
With a smart home control system, installing a smart thermostat can have a big impact on reducing energy bills throughout the year. Linked to heating and cooling systems via the same control system, a smart thermostat helps to automate climate control systems, keeping a home at a comfortable temperature, as well as preventing energy waste.
Unlike traditional standalone thermostats, smart thermostats throughout a home can be connected so that individual areas can be managed together or separately to suit preferences. In addition to more data of temperatures within your home, smart climate control systems can also draw on real-time weather data from the internet, helping them to react to weather and temperature changes without you having to lift a finger!
Intuitive heating
Many people like different levels of heat at different times of day. For example, it is often a preference to lower the temperature a little at night, with people choosing instead to snuggle up in thick duvets to stay warm and comfortable at night, whereas in the morning, when it’s time to get out of bed, most people would prefer the temperature in their home to rise so they aren’t shivering as they wait for their morning coffee.
Despite having different heat preferences throughout the day, the majority of homeowners simply set their thermostat to a constant temperature, which means your heating systems have to work harder to achieve this temperature, even when there is nobody at home.
Smart climate control systems learn your preferences and preempt your needs, so you never feel uncomfortably warm or cold at home. Rather than working hard all day to achieve a certain temperature, with smart control systems, you can simply set your heating to come back on to heat up in time for you to arrive home, or in time for you to wake up in the morning.
Remote heating control
A key drawback of old fashioned thermostats is that they require you to be there to manually adjust the temperature. With a smart thermostat integrated with your smart home control system, you can control the temperature in your home from anywhere. If you notice that outside temperatures are dropping, you can simply boost the temperatures in your home using your smartphone. There’s no need to worry about freezing pipes or cold pets.
Smart connectivity
In the age of wireless connectivity, smart climate control can be connected with other smart devices in your home with ease, making your life all the more easier. Integrating smart thermostats with smart control systems allows for increased functionality and ease of use. For example, linking smart climate control to voice control means you can simply set a temperature by speaking.
Money saving benefits
Needless to say, one of the most important advantages of smart climate control this winter is to reduce energy consumption and save money where possible. By making your climate control systems smarter, this in turn helps to prevent wasted energy use by ensuring your heating systems work more efficiently. When you add up the savings, you will be delighted just how much you can save on your energy bills over the course of the winter months.
Ease of use
With help from smart home specialists, you’ll have your smart climate controls ready to use in no time. Smart control systems are designed for ease of use, so once you’ve had help in installing and programming your devices, you’ll find staying in control of your home temperature to be a piece of cake.
Veritais are experts in smart home technology, providing a complete home automation installation service, from initial designs and technology selection, through to installation, programming and after sales support.
The Best Home Automation Ideas to Improve Your Lifestyle
With the wealth of smart devices and technologies readily available, today it’s easier than ever before to transform your house into a complete smart home. No matter where you are in your smart home journey, there are always new home automation ideas to introduce into your home to help make every little aspect of your home living a little easier than before.
With a professionally installed smart home control system in place, the opportunities for automating everything from security and climate control, to lighting, home entertainment and beyond are practically endless.
Here are what we believe to be some of the best home automation ideas to consider for your smart home.
Smart Security
There are so many advantages of automating your home security systems. Whilst you may have already integrated intruder alarms with your smart control systems, or invested in a video doorbell, there are a wide range of ways that automation can improve the security of your home whilst also making life somewhat easier.
If you have ever left home, only to have a funny feeling that you didn’t lock up properly when you left, automation can solve this problem. With smart locks, doors can be automated to lock behind you when you leave the house, not only ensuring your home is secure, but saving you time by removing the need to turn back.
Smart Lighting
There are many lifestyle benefits of automated lighting systems. From dimming and energy saving, to setting different lighting modes to create the perfect atmosphere for any occasion, the possibilities for smart lighting are huge.
Simple Commands
By integrating lighting systems with smart control systems, it’s much easier to turn lights off and on around the house, wherever you are. Whether you realise you have left a light on elsewhere in the house, or want to turn all lights off at once without having to traipse the house in the dark, smart lighting systems can allow you to take care of all lighting commands via a single app, or even via voice control if this is set up in your home.
Dimming
There are many benefits of automated dimming, from reducing energy use slightly, to slowly lowering the lights at night time to help you get ready for bedtime, or even brightening very slowly in the morning to mimic the sunrise, waking you up gradually rather than being jolted awake by a noisy alarm.
Light Your Way
If you are returning home in the dark, then smart lighting systems allow you to set exterior lights to turn on as you arrive, making it easier for you to see properly to use your key. You may even set your hall lights to turn on, so you can see where you are going inside your house without having to blindly reach out for light switches.
With geofencing, you can trigger your lights to turn on when your phone reaches a certain distance from your home, so you won’t even have to do anything!
Set The Mood
Lighting plays an important role in setting the atmosphere. Whether you are having friends over for a party, or are looking forward to a low key movie night, smart lighting systems can be set into certain modes to change the brightness or colour of lighting for any occasion.
Smart Audio Visual
Remote controls certainly made life so much easier when they were introduced many years ago, but home automation systems allow for all home entertainment systems around the home to be linked and controlled from anywhere.
Smart Speakers
With smart speakers around the house, the same music or audio can be played throughout the house, controlled from anywhere, without the need for complex wiring systems. By connecting all speakers to the control system, you can control where audio will play, depending on your needs. For example, if you are having a party, you may wish to keep the party mood going throughout the house, or you may decide to set up a quiet, chillout zone.
TV Controls
If you want to make sure your children are going to sleep when they should be and aren’t secretly staying up to watch TV, you can set all televisions and home entertainment systems around the house to be turned off at the same time, ready for bed.
Convenience and Comfort
Needless to say, one of the most important reasons for home automation is convenience. With smart technologies, even simple tasks can be made much easier, from setting temperatures, to remembering to unload the washing machine or dishwasher.
Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat has many benefits, not only for your comfort, but also helping you to save energy. For example, a smart thermostat allows you to adjust the temperature of individual rooms within your home for the preferences of different people, but can also be adjusted to suit your location and the time of day. By understanding the local weather and exterior temperatures expected, a smart thermostat can ensure heating and cooling systems work efficiently to achieve a comfortable temperature throughout the day.
If you have ever wasted energy by leaving windows open whilst the heat is on, then a smart thermostat, integrated with window sensors, can be an excellent energy saving solution. If windows are left open for a period of time, with smart home automation, climate control systems can be triggered to switch to energy saving mode to help prevent your bills from escalating.
Smart Notifications
How many times have you done a load of washing, only to forget about it when you don’t notice that the wash cycle finishes, resulting in damp smelling laundry? Automation can fix this issue by notifying you on your phone, wherever you are. You could also set up the same notification for other appliances in your home, for example, a dryer or dishwasher. Smart appliances are readily available, but even if you do not have them, vibration sensors can be linked to your control system to tell you when a cycle is complete.
With a smart home, there are so many useful notifications that can be automated to help make your life easier.
Implement New Home Automation Ideas
To make the most of your home automation systems and implement new ideas, it always pays to call in the experts. For smart home design, installation, programming and support, visit veritais.com.
How to Run a Hot Tub Economically During Winter
Whether you have recently purchased a hot tub, are a hot tub veteran, or you’re considering investing in a hot tub, you may have questions about how much it will cost to run a hot tub economically during the winter months. Energy bills are in most people’s minds today, so it’s understandable that energy use is a key concern for any hot tub owner or prospective buyer.
To help you run your hot tub as energy efficiently as possible, we have listed some of our most important tips.
Inspect your hot tub cover
To reduce the amount of energy your hot tub uses to maintain your preferred water temperature, it’s important to remember that heat rises, so it’s important that your cover is functioning properly. If you are a hot tub owner, make sure to check how effectively your cover is preventing heat from escaping; does it seal effectively around all edges, or are there gaps that hot air can escape through?
When you are buying a hot tub, make sure that the cover it comes with has important characteristics such as inner insulation and radiant heat shields, designed to keep the heat in. When you purchase a leading hot tub model from a world renowned brand such as Jacuzzi, from a Jacuzzi supplier, you can rest assured that your spa will be paired with a high quality cover.
Invest in a hot tub thermal blanket
If you do not own a hot tub thermal blanket, then it’s highly recommended that you purchase one. Sitting directly on top of your hot tub water, underneath the cover, a thermal blanket provides an extra layer of insulation to help heat remain within the hot tub. This simple, lightweight and low maintenance accessory can help to noticeably reduce energy costs compared to a hot tub with no thermal blanket.
Remember to close air jets
When your hot tub is not in use, ensuring that the air jets are closed is useful for preventing cool air from finding its way into the water. If cold air cools the water, the hot tub will have to work much harder to maintain heat, which in turn boosts the amount of electricity used.
Try lowering the temperature slightly
For every degree you increase the temperature of your hot tub, the more energy is required to maintain this heat, and as a result, the higher your energy bills will be. As normal body temperature is around 37℃, maintaining a hot tub temperature of between 37.5℃ and 39℃ will still keep your body warm, whilst using less electricity than would be needed for a higher temperature.
Keep your hot tub turned on
Even if you feel you will use your hot tub less during winter, keeping it turned on is important as it will take even more energy to bring the temperature back to normal in time for you to use it. If you fear that you will not make use of your hot tub during winter, then you should consider draining it of all water and cleaning out the pipes and jet systems.
Keep your hot tub clean
Not only is a clean hot tub and water more pleasant to use and hygienic for occupants, a clear hot tub also helps to keep energy costs lower. When hot tub filters are full of debris and dirty water circulates the pipes and jets, hot tub pumps have to work much harder, using up more energy and increasing the risk of expensive repair or maintenance costs. Keeping your hot tub and water clean and maintaining the right chemical levels plays an important role in keeping running costs down.
Hot Tub Running Advice from a Jacuzzi Supplier
For expert advice on how to run a hot tub economically during winter and keep energy usage down, you can contact Midlands Jacuzzi suppliers, All Weather Leisure.
3 Ways Home Automation and Smart Lighting Benefit Your Home
Smart lighting systems may seem like little more than an aesthetic upgrade for your home, afterall, flicking a switch isn’t exactly difficult. However, integrating lighting with home automation systems does much more than turning lights on and off, in fact, many special features will be at your fingertips via a central app. Smart lighting provides a huge range of benefits – you may be very surprised to realise just how much impact lighting can make to your life every day!
Making Life Easier
Smart lighting certainly does allow you to switch lighting on without leaving your seat, but automated lighting does so much more than that. For example, by integrating lighting systems into a central smart control system, lights all around the home can be operated with the touch of a button at any time, so the next time you want to make sure all lights are turned off ready to go to bed, you’ll only need to action this on your mobile device.
With smart lights, there are so many possibilities, from setting automatic lighting scheduled to match your lifestyle, to movement sensors or voice activation to allow you to control lights even without an app.
Adding Colour and Improving your mood
Lighting plays an important role in setting mood, both in terms of the atmosphere of a room, and how you feel. With smart lighting, it’s easy to control the intensity and colour of lighting fixtures all around the house, and during the winter months when there is less daylight, setting lights to match your circadian rhythm, mimicking the way natural light changes throughout the day, can have a huge impact on your health.
To help you wake up in the morning, smart lighting fixtures can be programmed to gradually increase in brightness and intensity to help you wake up over a period of time, so you can feel refreshed when you start your day.
During the middle of the day, if the skies outside are cloudy and the light is dim, your internal lighting can be altered to provide a cool tone to help you maintain your energy throughout the day. Then at the end of the day, lights can dim slowly and take on a warming tone to help you wind down ready for bed.
In addition to the intensity and warmth of lighting, smart lighting systems can also allow you to change the colours of lights to suit the atmosphere you are trying to achieve. If you are having a party or get together, green light is perfect to raise the mood, helping everyone to have a good time.
Saving Energy
First of all, one of the major benefits of smart lighting and home automation is that it is easy to make sure lights are turned off when a room is not in use. For example, lighting can be linked to smart motion sensors so that they automatically turn off after a period of time if no movement is detected in a room.
With a smart home control system, you can also monitor lighting from a mobile device when you are away from home. Once you have left the house, it’s easy to check on lighting systems and switch off any lights that were accidentally left on.
Even when lights are in use, you might be surprised at the energy savings that can be achieved by using tunable lighting systems. Something as simple as dimming your lights a small percentage can save roughly the comparison percentage of energy, so when you multiply these savings by the number of lights in your home, dimming them can have a big effect on your energy bills.
Smart Lighting to Transform Your Home
For automated smart lighting to make life that little bit easier every day, it always pays to call in the trusted smart home professionals. For help in designing and installing the perfect lighting systems and integrating them into your control system, contact Veritais.