FAQ

Energy Saving Tips

So we thought we would put together a few handy energy saving tips for you to consider, which can help you reduce your energy costs and also be a little kinder to the environment (which is no bad thing, right?).

We want to make your home more energy efficient so why not try implementing some of these ideas, they could make a real difference.

• TURN DOWN YOUR THERMOSTAT. We're not talking 10°C here, but if you reduce the temperature on your thermostat by as little as 1ºC, which lets face it, you're not going to notice, you can save as much as 10% on your heating bill.
• GET ENERGY SAVING BULBS. If some of the lights in your house are on for a number of hours every day, it really is worth switching to energy saving bulbs. Traditional light bulbs are incredibly inefficient, they use about 90% of their energy through heat rather than light. The technology in energy saving bulbs has greatly improved in recent years, gone are the days when it took half an hour for the bulb to brighten up. Not only are energy saving bulbs pretty much on a par with traditional bulbs in terms of lighting, their life span is about 12 times longer and they use only around ¼ of the energy.
• THERMOSTATIC RADIATOR VALVES (TRV's). If your radiators do not have these, get them installed, they will assist with the tip below.
• TURN DOWN RADIATORS IN UNUSED ROOMS. Turn down or turn off the radiators in unused rooms in your house, and also remember to close the doors into these rooms. This reduces the area your heating system has to heat, allowing it to use less energy in the process.
• CLOSE YOUR CURTAINS AT NIGHT. An extremely large proportion of the heat lost from your home, is lost trough the windows. Your curtains can act as a great insulator. Make sure to tuck the curtains up onto the windowsill if there is a radiator under the window, this will prevent the heat going straight up behind the curtain and out the window.
• BUY ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES. Especially if you a purchasing something like a new washing machine, pay attention to EU Energy Label, the appliance will be rated from A - G, "A" being the most energy efficient and "G" being the least.
• USE YOUR APPLIANCES WISELY. There is no point in buying an extremely energy efficient fridge and then leaving it open while you are pouring milk in your tea! Also opening your oven when you don't need to, while you are cooking dinner can be quite wasteful in terms of energy usage. A good tip for this is to keep your oven door clean so you can look in without opening the door, to make sure that chicken is cooking nicely!
• DON"T STANDBY, TURN OFF. If you leave an appliance ie. your TV on standby it will use 20% more energy than if your switch it off completely. This is also the same for things like washing machines.
• BOIL LESS WATER. Need a cup of tea? There's no need to boil a full kettle of water, if you just boil the amount you need, you will greatly reduce the amount of energy used. It is also not recommended to reboil Irish tap water as fluoride may become more concentrated when the water is boiled for too long or reboiled.
• SHOP AROUND. For anyone who is still weary about changing energy supplier, you really shouldn't be. It is worth going to competitors of your energy supplier and seeing what kind of deal they can offer. Quite often you could save 10 - 15% on your bill. If you do not want to change provider, most of them will offer you the same discount if you tell them you have been offered it by another company.

All of our standard range of attic stairs have fully insulated and draft sealed trapdoors, this is extremely beneficial for reducing heat loss via your attic opening.

We do hope these tips will be of benefit for you in your home.

All the best.

The Original Attic Stairs Team.

What is a Building Energy Rating (BER)?

A Building Energy Rating is a certificate and advisory report given to a home. The certificate shows the homes currant "Energy Rating", on an A to G scale, A being the highest or best performing buildings and G being the lowest or worst performing buildings, in terms of energy efficiency. An A rated home is likely to be highly insulated, allowing the building to be heated using much less energy, while a G rated home will be the opposite. The advisory report will then outline possible ways to improve on the buildings energy efficacy which will ultimately lead to an improved energy rating.

BERs are carried out by registered independent assessors, who must have completed a credited training course. To calculate a BER the heating of the home, heating of the water, lighting and ventilation are all taken into account. The most important considerations relating to these areas are the size and layout of the home, the heating system and the water heating system and also the insulation. The energy performance will be given in the following format:

Energy use per unit floor area per year (kWh/m2/yr)

and

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions (kgCO2/m2/yr)

A BER does not take into account the energy usage of electrical appliances such as fridges, cookers, washing machines and televisions. The BER will only have accounted for electricity used related to heating, lighting, pumps and fans.

It is the home owners responsibility to provide a Building Energy Rating when offering a home for sale or rent. The details of the BER details must also be provided on any advertisements relating to sale or rent. This is important as it provides the potential buyer or renter vital information on how much the home will cost to run, which ultimately affects the sale and/or rental value of the property.

For the best possible BER we would recommend choosing us to fit one of our "Thermo Extra" attic stairs. 

We hope this was helpful.

All the best.

The Original Attic Stairs Team.

Tips for motorists.

Tips for driving long journeys. 

Tips for people who drive a lot. 

Tips for road safety.

As part of Original Attic Stairs' fitting or installation service we travel all over Ireland every day. So here we would like to share with you some tips and ideas that may make your journeys a little less stressful, possibly save you a few euro and perhaps more importantly, contribute to road safety.

• PLAN YOUR ROUTE. Before you set off it is always a good idea to have a look at which route you are going to take to get to your destination. We do highly recommend Google Maps for your smart phone to act as a "SAT NAV", it is by far the most accurate mapping system available today (far better than any expensive purpose built sat nav we have used!). But even when you're using these devices, it is still a good idea to know roughly where you are going beforehand.
• HAVE A SECOND DRIVER WHENEVER POSSIBLE. Having a second person in the car who can drive is always a good idea. Make sure they are insured to drive your car before you leave.
• CHECK YOUR TYRES. Before you set off, you should have a quick check of your tyres to make sure there are no bulges on the wall of the tyre and to make sure they are not excessively worn. This could prevent a blow-out and also may insure you will be able to stop the car suddenly without getting into a skid, particularly in poor weather conditions. 
• TAKE PLENTY OF BREAKS. In accordance with EU rules on drivers, the road safety authority state that it is mandatory for professional drives to take a 45 minute break for every 4.5 hours driven, we would strongly recommend that this is broken down to at least a 20 minute break for every 2 hours driven, for professional and non-professional drivers alike.
• FILL YOUR  TANK. Fill up on fuel at your local filling station, there aren't always filling stations where you might expect them to be, so filling up before you leave is a good idea.
• KEEP YOUR WINDOW WASHER FULL. This sounds simple and obvious but not having liquid in your window washer can be quite dangerous, particularly on a winters morning when the sun is low in the sky and the road is wet. It becomes very difficult to see when your windscreen is dirty and the sun is blinding you.
• EAT BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME. Grabbing food on the road is extremely expensive in Ireland, so you can save yourself a few euro by eating at home before you set off.
• SET UP AN EFLOW (or Similar) ACCOUNT. For people who travel with any great frequency, we would strongly recommend setting up an EFLOW account and getting one of there tags. Not only is it faster and easier than fumbling around looking for change at a toll or forgetting to pay the M50 toll on time, in some cases it can actually save you money. There is a €1(+VAT) monthly service charge but in some cases, such as the M50 where there is a €1 reduction in the cost of the toll itself, it does not take many journeys to pay for the service charge. You can pay monthly or top up your account when you need it. The tolls which are covered by EFLOW tags are as follows: M50 Dublin - M1 Meath & Louth - M3 Dublin & Meath - M4 Dublin Kildare & Westmeath - N6 Galway - M7 Laois - N8 Cork - N25 Waterford - Dublin Tunnel - East Link Bridge Dublin - Limerick Tunnel.
• FAILING THAT MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF CHANGE. You don't want to be one of those people holding up several cars at a toll, because you can't find any change, do you?
• LEAVE YOUR DIPPED LIGHTS ON. In a country like Ireland with short winter days and regular poor weather conditions we should all have our dipped lights left on. If your lights are focused correctly (which they will have to be to pass an NCT test) there is no reason why they cannot be left on constantly, even when you don't think you need them. Getting into this habit will get rid of the possibility of you forgetting to turn them on if conditions worsen while you are on the road.
• WATCH OUT FOR VULNERABLE MOTORISTS. Always keep an eye out for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, particularly in poor weather conditions.
• LEAVE YOUR PHONE ALONE. If your phone rings and you do not have an appropriate hands free car kit, you should not even look at it until you have pulled in safely. We are all busy and trying to keep on top of things but there are very few phone call that can't (really) wait, particularly if it could save your or someone else's life! 

Thank you for your time and drive safe.

The Original Attic Stairs Team.

Ladder Safety

We would like to inform you of the best practices when using some of the most commonly used types of ladders (we have some experience in this area :). This is quite important, as if used incorrectly, ladders can be very dangerous. This is highlighted by the fact that one third of all reported "fall from a height" incidences involve ladders. If you fall from a ladder at any height, the chances of getting injured in some way are very high, serious injuries are common and even death is an actual possibility.

In this piece we will be focusing mainly on step and extension (straight) ladders but if the only need you have for a ladder is to get into your attic / loft, the safest thing you can do is to get professionals like us to install a folding attic ladder unit, which we be solid and safe without having to worry about many of the following safety precautions (although, some of them still apply!).

• CHOOSE THE CORRECT (APPROPRIATE) LADDER FOR THE JOB. This is very important as using the incorrect ladder for a certain job will greatly increase the risk of falling and/or injury. For instance, if you are changing a light bulb, you should use a step ladder or if you want to clear a blockage in your gutter you should use an extension or straight ladder. (And if you want to get into your attic / loft, get Original Attic Stairs to install an appropriate product for you :). This is mainly common sense, but if you are unsure you should always ask someone with experience or at least Google it!
• INSURE THE LADDER IS THE CORRECT HEIGHT FOR THE JOB. Once you have chosen the correct type of ladder for the task you wish to carry out, it is also very important that it is the correct height. Under no circumstances must you overstretch to the point of being off balance while you are on a ladder of any kind. You should not stand on the top two steps of a ladder (with the exception of an attic stairs), this means your ladder must be high enough for you to comfortably reach your work area without standing on eider of the top two steps.
• SET UP THE LADDER CORRECTLY AND APPROPRIATELY. Any ladder needs to be set up facing your work, you should never turn around and lean on a ladder with you back. All ladders (Particularly step ladders) need to be set up on a firm and level base for complete stability. If you are using an extension (straight) ladder you must set it up at the correct angle, the distance from the ground to the ladders point of contact with the wall must be 4 times the distance of the wall to the base of the ladder (4:1 ratio). You should also secure an extension ladder at the top (by tying it to an anchor point) and at the bottom (by securing it with weight etc.)
• INSPECT BEFORE USE. Before using any ladder you must inspect it. You need to look of for excessive ware and damage, such as rust, lose screws and/or rivets and cracks or brakes.
• WEAR WHAT'S RIGHT FOR THE JOB. You need appropriate footwear (no sandals or slippers!). Don't wear excessively baggy clothes which could get caught or snagged on a nail or screw. If you are carrying tools you should wear a tool belt so you can have safe access to your hammer etc. 
• MAINTAIN 3 POINTS OF CONTACT. When climbing any ladder you should always maintain 3 points of contact, which means basically that at any given moment you should always have your two feet and one hand on the ladder or two hands and one foot.

We do hope this was helpful. Thanks for your time and climb safe!

The Original Attic Stairs Team.