Cbeebies favourite Mister Maker hits the Crucible for half-term fun

This is an excellent question and one that most people only ask themselves when they have dug out the blankets and dug out the jumpers during the first cold snap of the year. Around eight million homes in the United Kingdom collectively lose more than eight billion pounds per year due to inadequate loft insulation. So – and this is only if you have one – starting in your loft is a great idea to keep your house warm during the cold winter months. Installing adequate loft insulation in a standard semi-detached house is a much quicker and simpler process than many people think it is and it could save homeowners around £200 a year for the next 40 years – that is based on current prices. Bringing in professional installers can cost up to £950, but remember that this is a fairly simple DIY job once you have the right advice and safety equipment so it can be fitted cheaper. Energy prices in the country are predicted to rise by ten per cent on October 1 and unfortunately, the forecasting is that they are going to remain at a high for years to come so savings will likely increase. Investing in adequate loft insulation (to about a 30cm depth) before temperatures drop, could pay for itself in as little as four years but last for 40 years. And also, helping older people to insulate their lofts is a smart financial move. There are millions of pensioners who are set to lose their winter fuel allowance this autumn, so finding ways for them to cut energy bills and help to keep homes warm this winter is more important than ever for those that we love. Although energy bills may be at their lowest levels for two years, they remain around £400 higher than they were three years ago and they are expected to rise on October 1, 2024, to an average of £1,717. If you own a detached home, loft insulation installation will cost you around £1,200 and you could save around £340 annually. For a mid-terrace, it’ll cost you around £900 and yet save you £180 annually. Keeping your home warm is probably the furthest thing from people’s minds right now, but homeowners could be in for a real shock when energy bills start to go up again. Now really is the time to put preventative measures in place and tackle that job that you might have been putting off for years. Loft insulation is the single most impactful thing homeowners can do to reduce heat loss quickly and it is often cheaper and easier than people think. There is a Government grant available for some people to add loft insulation and other home improvements. The Great British Insulation Scheme is open to people living in the least energy efficient homes and in certain council tax bands. Visit https:/www.gov.uk/apply-great-british-insulation-scheme site. Celebrity spot Singer Lana Del Rey has been a long time advocate for climate change and environment. 39 year old has said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but if you wait for too long then no amount of help will be able to change irreparable damage done. (Fact) I don't know how important the truth is to you… But to me it matters the most. That's why science is cool, because the facts are real whether you believe them or not. Green swap Swap shopping list for something different. According to WWF, 75 per cent of world’s food supply comes from 12 plants and five animal species, diversifying what we eat will not only prevent over farming and but it’ll help food security too. Going green on electrical items to save planet New research has found that electrical appliances are thrown away in homes across the United Kingdom about every 15 seconds. SUEZ – this is the firm behind the research handle waste for more than 50 local authorities, and they say that more than 2.15 million Britons are binning a small electrical gadget annually. Their research also found that a quarter of adults have thrown away a small kitchen appliance, which includes things such as a slow cooker or perhaps a microwave after experiencing a fault – suggesting that we are more likely to ditch those electrical items than to repair them. Recycle Your Electricals is a United Kingdom website where you can learn all about how to recycle or how to reuse or how to fix your broken or unused electrical items. The website has information on where you can take your electricals to sell them, where you can recycle them or where you can take them to get them fixed and anything with a battery or a plug is covered and they also have information on 26,600 recycling centres. Dr Adam Read MBE, who is the chief sustainability and external affairs officer at SUEZ, said: "The UK is facing a huge environmental challenge to deal with the mountain of electrical waste we produce. "Please don't just throw your appliance in the bin, it is always better to recycle or re-home an item." If you are in the market to buy a new electrical item, no matter what it is, then just have a think about buying second hand. Plenty of second-hand electrical websites offer guarantees and warranty’s that mean you’re protected as a consumer.” While the Air Fryer revolution has been around for a while too it is worth remembering that microwaves were there a long time before air fryers were on the market and they are cheaper to use so depending on what you’re going to be cooking, it might be that you don’t actually need an air fryer and that your microwave oven will do the job just as well. Research all the way from Taiwan also found that using air fryers in an enclosed area that is not very well ventilated resulted in an increase in particulate matter which led to reduced air quality. The study in question from the Taiwan Society of Indoor Environmental Air Quality found that air quality dipped with an increase in particulate matter which led to spiking up to 1,525 times higher than normal so just have a think if you really need one. There is no doubting however that air fryers are a part of most kitchen landscapes these days, but thinking about how we get rid of them and how we use them has a massive effect on the environment. Fact or fiction £55 million Cost of the Spanish drought to farmers and the agriculture sector. Fact. The severe drought which has left tap water in several regions undrinkable has cost the agriculture sector 65 million Euros in lost crops and yields.