You really should consider a Portable Electric Fireplace

Do you miss the fireplace from your childhood? I do. We had one in every house growing up yet when I got married we suddenly have never had a fireplace in any home we own. I would love to change that. Unfortunately we don’t have the available space for a fireplace and the chimney was torn out of our existing house. Installing a “real” fireplace would take forever and cost a fortune. Time to consider the electric fireplace.

Here are my basic reasons for wanting an electric fireplace:

1. Easy installation – instructions are included, generally a beautiful mantel comes with it, you just plug it in and have heat.

2. Quick heat without chopping logs – forget the backbreaking labor of cutting wood and storing it on a firewood rack. You can flip a switch and have instant heat from a fireplace with fireplace inserts that look like real wood. What could be better?

3. Come in a variety of beautiful styles to fit pretty much any decor – these days the electric fireplace comes with its own custom fireplace mantel surrounding it. They are available in almost every shade and type of wood, or even plastic and fiberglass.

4. Simple to take care of – remember the days of cleaning your chimney flue and shoveling out ashes? Enough said, that was a horrible job. No need to do it with an electric unit.

5. Pretty Cheap – For a few hundred dollars you can have the full beauty of a fireplace without having to do any remodeling or demolition in your home.

6. Electricity is currently very cheap in my part of the country – this isn’t true everywhere, in some places gas is cheaper, but during today’s high priced world of gas I’ve found electricity to be economical and more efficient.

As you can see there are many wonderful benefits to owning an electric fireplace. If your home has the space I would recommend you go on a little shopping trip to see what’s available in your area. There are also many wonderful websites that have these available.

Relationships

Surveying Applications in the Demolition Industry

The demolition trade has a certain reputation for being a harsh atmosphere in which brute force takes priority over calculated thought; however this image is far from appropriate. There is a huge amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction industry that is firmly grounded in the academic world. Furthermore, this unseen work is critical to the success of the more visible operations.

One part of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more precisely pre-demolition and post-demolition topographical surveying. This type of work calls for a good balance of specific technical know-how as well as experience of the industry and a natural intuition for the intricacies of the job. This article explores the ins and outs of this work.

Topographical Surveys

A topographical survey is a report of the actual features of a particular plot of land. The aim of a topographical survey is to chart the naturally occurring and man-made traits of a specific landscape to a high degree of accuracy.

Topographical surveys could be carried out on a very wide range of environments, from open countryside to urban areas and across a variety of elevations and land surfaces. Surveys can be designed to take into account a great number of factors, such as ground conditions or vegetation, and as such can be used for a number of tasks.

Common Applications for Topographical Surveys

Perhaps the most widely used, and most commonly recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern day maps include a great amount of information about the terrain they relate to, including waterways, reliefs and ground surface, all of which will have been gathered via a topographical survey. This information is also being provided online.

Topographical surveys also have a major role to play in the construction industry. When people or organisations are looking to construct any kind of structure they will need to carry out extensive surveys as part of the design stage of the project. These surveys are often an indispensable part of any application for planning permission as well.

Surveys definitely play a key safety role in primary industries like mining, or in other industrial sectors that interact with the land, such as demolition and infrastructure. Businesses in these industries will use surveys to prepare their projects, but also to be sure that they can ensure the safety of their workforce on site. As such, topographical surveys are often a legal requirement for these types of projects.

To comply to specific safety restrictions a demolition survey is usually required before demolition jobs taking place.

Types of Survey

The world of topography addresses a large number of physical characteristics so it is beneficial to determine what type of topographical survey is appropriate for a particular scenario. A few of the more typical types of survey required for construction sites are reviewed below.

“Lie of the land” Surveys

These types of topographical surveys are designed to create a summary of the physical properties of any given plot of land. Whilst the data collected by the survey will be extremely accurate, and may be very extensive, the objective of these surveys is to provide a site summary. They will often be the first type of topographical survey that is carried out on a job.

These surveys will usually incorporate a boundary survey that sets out to determine the extent of the site and spotlight any specific restraints that are determined by the geography of the site. They can also include a level survey that will measure the elevation of the land and the numerous gradients that exist.

Building Surveys

Building surveys are more typically concerned with man-made constructions on a site, including the surveying of special apparatus and even infrastructure characteristics. This type of study is more regularly associated with the demolition sector since it can give a detailed plan of the building to be demolished. It can be used for other projects as well.

A building survey will almost certainly include a measured survey, which involves creating a precise plan of the external and interior proportions of a building. Depending on the requirements of the project, a measured survey might provide basic building “footprint” dimensions, or might produce a highly detailed plan of the structure. This information can be used to produce internal floor plans and even roof plans.

Content of a Topographical Site Survey

A survey of a demolition site will almost always include the information gathered by the types of boundary and building surveys described above. This information will be required so that the demolition firm can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and safe. Often these surveys will also be legally required.

Surveys will often include information about the utility services that are present on a site prior to any demolition or construction work happens. This is an important safety factor because any unmonitored destruction to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity might be very dangerous.

Another aspect of the site survey will often be an audit of resources on the site. This type of study will be a quantity survey of the various kinds of materials that can be located on site, for example, tiles and masonry, concrete that can be used as hardcore or even timber. By taking an accurate audit of site materials the construction firm can more precisely gauge the need to import building materials, or they can re-use the materials on a different job.

Although it is one required short-term cost, a pre demolition survey may well produce financial benefits in the long-term by highlighting potential complications.

Importance of Site Surveys

Possibly the most important reason to undertake a topographical site survey is to ensure the health and safety of the people who will be doing work on the site. The industrial sectors that most commonly call for site surveys are risky enough as it is without having to be concerned about the integrity of the ground on which they are working.

Another important reason to get a suitable survey done is to identify any potential problems that may arise because of the physical characteristics of the area. Certain things will not be evident on the surface of the site and will only be discovered once digging or demolition has begun. By then it may be too late to resolve these problems, or at best they will be costly problems to solve.

The inventory of site supplies, as previously stated, can be of great value to a demolition or construction organisation working on a project. Not only are building materials themselves expensive, but transporting them to the site may be a very expensive task in itself. Any time that material can be reused on site provides an opportunity to save development time and money. Only by taking an accurate audit of these materials can a company properly plan its imported material needs.

Topographical surveys can also identify other areas that will be of use to the project managers. For example, if the gradients on a site would be prohibitive to certain vehicles or equipment then a new access route or alternative machinery will have to be found. Equally, a suitable site will need to be found for the base of control operations for the project. Good site surveying can help out in these less tangible ways.

Positioning of Survey Control

During the surveying and construction stages of a construction project, the equipment required for the physical surveying of the site and control of the survey information will often be stored on-site. This is obviously a problem when it comes to the demolition phase of a project since the equipment is both expensive and sensitive.

Once the demolition has taken place and the site has been deemed safe for workers to return to it, the surveying equipment can be restored to its original position on site. This will allow for effective data collecting to take place for a post-demolition survey, and retains a single point of contact for anybody who requires the topographical survey information. Most surveying companies will oversee this redeployment.

Experience is often a deciding variable whenever picking a buildings demolition service provider since every project has unique requirements and unique challenges.

Who can Perform Site Surveys?

Because topographical site surveys can play such a crucial role in the success or failure of a building or demolition venture it is vital that they are carried out carefully by the correct people. There are different divisions of site surveying and each one will have specific qualifications associated with it. Finding surveyors with these specific qualifications will certainly be advantageous.

When selecting a company to undertake the surveying work required for your project it will be wise to choose a business with a good reputation and a proven track record. Ask to see examples of their previous work and try to get feedback about their overall performance on previous projects.

Who will use the Survey Information?

When an adequate level of information has been accumulated by a site survey it must be passed out to the appropriate people on-site. Who gets which pieces of information will mostly depend on the job roles being performed, but can also rely on the stage that a project is at.

Project Planners

Project planners will usually require access to all of the information gathered by a topographical survey, though they will particularly need to use information about the physical relief of a site before the design phase, and a site materials inventory before they can prepare the construction phase.

Demolition Experts

Demolition organisations will want to know about the interior and external properties of any building or structures that they are set to take down. Whilst every job will have individual requirements, demolition workers will typically need to know about the fundamental structure of a building and the materials it is made out of.

Site Engineers

Construction engineers on-site will be mainly interested in the survey data about the relief and topography of the site. It is usually the case that they will need to assemble on a flat surface, so they will use details about the natural lay of the land to calculate what work will be needed to create a steady footing for any building.

Importance of Natural Energy

Importance of Natural Energy

We all very well understand the grave concern of depleting natural resources on our the world. The day just isn’t miles away when we will be left with no natural resource and is going to live without electricity and travel without cars; Aero planes and ships if no sufficient steps are taken on time. Petrol and water are two such non renewable resources which are for the verge of extinction as a result of over use. We use these two resources within the maximum quantity and for this reason we are looking for out some alternative natural energy that will prove beneficial for individuals.

Natural energy is of great importance. In almost everything that we use natural energy is needed some or even the other way. We humans cannot even imagine our life without natural energy. As i’ve already explained sources that produce natural energy are depleting it is essential to look at up necessary measures for preserving them. One quite effective and cheap procedure for preserving least available important resources is by using resources you can get in plenty. It is necessary that now we reduce the burden in the classic fuels while focusing our attention to resources like solar power.

Solar panel technology is a kind of natural energy that’s available in large volumes. We are able to use solar power all our life and still will probably be available because it’s a sustainable energy, it is usually renewed a duration of time. You can use solar power in almost everything and save electricity bill. Solar panel technology appliances can be bought in market at affordable prices. In the event you care about your planet then it one among the essential step you have to take so that you can save natural energy.

Solar Panels for Home Use

In fact, solar panel technology stands out as the way for the future. Solar power production is an extremely simple process to be aware of . A solar, or photo voltaic, cell collects direct sunlight. A solar cell is really a semiconductor device that may be constructed using photo voltaic materials. It contains no liquids or chemicals, and no moving parts. Solar cells convert sunlight into electricity.

A solar panel generally comes with a series of individual cells, which are sustained by a module that allows cellular structure to work together. The energy which is usually captured through the panel is stored in a battery. Solar panels generate household power (DC) energy. Many solar power systems have inverters in them which allow direct current (DC) electricity to get changed into alternating current (AC). Most consumer products for instance appliances and electronics work on AC current.

Unless there is a vast expanse of land to house a selection of solar panel products, it can be unlikely you will be qualified to power your whole home with solar energy. However, you may power a single room room which has a small variety of panels fixed towards roof of our house. Multiply the wattage of every individual electrical device by the amount of hours you expect for their services daily. That combined number will likely be your benchmark, or the bare minimum your system must have the capacity to generate. Choosing the right materials will make your solar panels cheap.

There are many of possibilities to people who have decided you’re converting to solar energy. A basic system which they can use to power your working computer and added small items is sold for approximately $1000.00. Naturally, the value will increase when using the production capacity of one’s system. For most regions, the buying price of an installed system will cost somewhere in the division of $10.00-$12.00 per watt.

Solar technology is one of a number of truly renewable resources which they can use in energy and power generation. Every hour of the day, sunlight blankets our planet with enough energy to sustain our global energy needs for the year. As the technology behind solar panel construction photovoltaic energy advances, consumers might be struggle to resist the urge to convert.

Plenty of resources are being place into the introduction of solar energy technology. Almost all of the major oil and energy companies have entire divisions dedicated to solar power. Researchers and engineers are spending countless hours attempting develop the technology today that can vastly improve conditions anywhere tomorrow. It isn’t an secret that we cannot continue down the path we’re on. Non-renewable fuels are no longer a feasible option for energy production. Solar panels for home use are the long run in most homes. The near future is now.

Four Reasons Why Residential Solar Power Is Becoming More Common

Let’s face it; solar power is becoming increasingly popular mostly because it can save you a considerable amount of money each month. However, there are numerous other reasons as well.

Buy familiarizing yourself with these reasons, it will become apparent as to why such a vast number of people are now opting to have solar power in their homes. Listed below, are just some of the reasons why residential solar power has become so popular.

One: Essentially, once solar power has been installed in a home, it is virtually maintenance free and this in turn means that it requires very little upkeep.

Two: Solar panels are known for having a long life span, which means that you won’t have to replace them all the time. This will save you money in the long run.

Three: Solar panels are made in all different shapes and sizes, which means that no matter what your home’s design is, you can pretty much install solar power almost anywhere.

Four: Unlike in days gone by, solar power has become more and more affordable for the average person. At the same time, oil and gas prices continue to spiral out of control and as a result more and more people are finding they can save money by installing solar power.

The sun can give you all the energy you need for your home and will then convert that energy to electrical power using generators. This is a much cheaper way to power your home with electricity.

These are not the only reasons why residential solar power is becoming more popular every day, but they are the most important ones. Now that you know why it is becoming popular, you need to know some important factors to take into consideration before you decide to use solar power for your home.

For example, does your home get an adequate amount of sunlight? Of course, it only stands to reason that if your house is mainly in the shade or if you live in an area where you experience a lot of cloud cover, then solar power may not be an ideal choice.

Considering that the efficiency of a solar power depends almost entirely on how much sunlight the house receives, its vital that you take the weather into consideration.

Two: You have to take into consideration your local ordinances. There are some cities that will not allow you to use solar power. So, check with your neighbors and check the laws regarding this before you decide to use residential solar power.

Now that you’re aware of the main reasons why people choose solar power and also what factors you need to take into consideration, you’ll be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not residential solar power is the right choice for you. Remember, while it may be ideal for some, is not the best choice for everyone.

There are a few educational do-it-yourself resources showing how to install solar energy for your home. Visit these sites for more detailed guidance: Power 4 Home Review and Earth4Energy Review.

Electric Tankless Water Heater

Compared to our traditional water heaters, an electric tankless water heater only heats water when you want some.  These new water heaters are generally known as instantaneous or On Demand Water Heaters.  They’ve been in demand in the market due to their energy saving potency and straightforward design.  Unlike with a traditional water heater where the hot water is retained inside a tank, with the new tankless heater, hot water will only be produced when needed. 

One of the finest qualities of this product is being an energy saver.  When the faucet for hot water is closed, this water heater doesn’t consume electricity unless you use the faucet.  As to the normal water heater, where the water that’s kept in the tank needs to be heated and re-heated to be used, not like the tankless water heater, which only uses electricity when hot water is required. 

In choosing any sort of electrical tankless water heater, you can select between a central unit, where all points of water supply can be supplied with hot water, or a point of use water heater, for instance, if you want to only use hot water in the loo or kitchen.  A central unit is bigger than a point of use unit, so it is best to discover a acceptable place to store the unit.  For a point of use water heater, it is sometimes little in size and can be fixed to walls to economize space. 

The theory of how the hot water is produced is sort of the same as the idea of gas units.  When you try and open your faucet, cold water will run into the tankless water heater and then the cold water triggers the heat exchanger in the water heater to turn on. 

Apart from being energy efficient, these water heaters can even last as long as 20 years which shows how worth while purchasing this product is.

How Do You Decide If You Should Be Using Home Solar Power Systems For Your Home?

If you’re currently considering solar power then you should know that there are a vast amount of people also opting for solar power as an alternative energy source in order to power their homes.

You need to take the time to decide a few things and also to figure out if home solar power systems would work to get your home the electricity you need. This article is going to tell you how you can decide if solar power is right for your home.

Before making a decision with regards to solar power being installed in your home, one should take the following things into consideration:

One: Of course, as you can well imagine, a solar power system is for the most part a permanent fixture and as such, if you intend moving from your home you will be unable to take the system with you. In this respect, you need to be confident that you’ll remain in your current property long enough to benefit from your investment.

Two: Is there big enough area on your roof to install solar panels that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight every day? For solar cells to work their best, the solar panels need to be placed where they will get the most direct sunlight each day. Dont put them on an area of your roof that has a lot of trees because this will block the sun from reaching the solar panel system.

Three: Are you scared of heights? This is something one needs to take into consideration if you intend installing your own panels because of course you will need to climb up on the roof in order to do so. If you don’t feel confident walking around on your roof, then you should rather consider having the panels installed by someone else.

Four: Another important decision to make is whether or not you intend doing the job yourself or having someone else do it for you. This is important for two reasons. First, if you decide to use a company you’ll first need to locate one which is reputable. Secondly, you need to realize that the cost of a residential solar power system can be significantly more expensive when you make use of a company for the installation.

These are the most important things to take into consideration when you are trying to decide if you should be using home solar power systems. Do some research to learn all you can about having a solar power system before you decide what to do. Just make sure that you take all of these things into consideration before you decide.

All the underground, ninja stealth tactics for Earth4Energy can be yours! Check out this free website Earth4Energy Review before they try to shut it down.

The Australian Building Business During WWII

After the declaration of war in September 1939 house construction went through a period of decreasing activity. But it did not drop to its minimal level until February 1942 when National Security Regulations posed severe restrictions.

Private building ceased in many areas and was limited in others. However, under the War Housing Program, state and commonwealth authorities did continue with essential housing, such as that needed for munitions workers and their families.

Clear indication of the degree of change is seen in the official statistics. More than 40000 new homes were built throughout Australia in the financial year 1938-39, but in 1942-1943 there were fewer than 4000.”

In the editorial of the Australian Home Beautiful for January 1942, we read of conditions up to that time. Building restrictions, at the moment of writing, limit expenditure on new domestic buildings to 3000 pound and on renovations to 250 pound; but conditions grow harder week by week. In spite of this, a great deal of new and interesting building is being carried on over a widespread area and this will continue as long as materials are available.

War in Europe and North Africa was distant enough for Australia to seem relatively secure. With the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, and their inexorable advance in our direction, any remaining complacency evaporated.

A. V. Jennings, the well-known construction company founded in 1932, continued building houses on its construction within 25 miles (40 km) of the Melbourne GPO as well as restrictions on the transfer of land brought development of the estate to a halt.

As early as May 1941 wartime conditions had begun to cause shortages of building materials and dwindling sales. In that month A.V. Jennings advertised seventeen villa sites and seven business sites, all lots to include, electricity, gas, sewerage, roads, paths and crossings.”

Of the 121 residential blocks, fifty-nine houses had been completed by the beginning of 1942. They were typical of the well-built, double-brick houses constructed by Jennings over the previous decade. Beauview Estate was in a very attractive elevated area with panoramic views and a mere six-and-a-half miles (10.50 km) from the city.

In 1942, with home building now at a standstill, A.V. Jennings averted complete disaster with the sale of all unsold blocks on the estate to the large Melbourne estate agency T.M. Burke. As a company Jennings actually gathered strength through the challenges offered by wartime government construction contracts, so that when it returned to housing on a large scale in the mid-1950s it was able to regain and extend its early reputation in the domestic field.

Brick houses of the type built by A.V Jennings between 1932 and 1942 were basically conservative in their design when compared with the few examples of International Modern built at the same time. Some of the forms or details suggested the continuing popularity of `Spanish Mission” or `Old English”, but generally, there was a tendency toward a common sense functionalism with easily maintained surfaces, modern kitchens, hot-water services reticulated to five or six points, internal toilets and many other features taken for granted by generations.

Designing a pool to go with your Australian dream? For pool fencing Brisbane and frameless pool fencing Brisbane, contact Oz Glass Pool fencing. Frameless glass pool fencing looks great, is safe and affordable.

How To Make Your Home Energy Efficient

Efficient Home Energy

Maximizing the Use of Your Home Energy

With the technological advancements we have today, it is hard to resist the temptation of having each electronic device available on the market. And why not grab the latest if you can afford it? However, with the increasing fuel cost and electric rate, there are things that need to be done. You may simply grab the latest plasma television or the most advanced heating system today but the thing is, you have to pay the price not only on these items but the electricity that they will consume. And chances are, if you have all the high tech stuffs at home, your electric bill does not come cheap.

So, as was mentioned earlier, something must be done in order to make sure that your are getting the most out of what you are paying each month energy. And the very first place to do some changes is right at your very home.

A typical household would spend about 1600 per year on electric consumption. You might fall under this figure. This is big enough right? But this is not the end of the story. Dont you know that a big portion of what you are paying for electric bill is never been used? Let us put it in other words. Energy is wasted month after month right at your very home. Thus, you are spending on something that you never even use.

To make up for this, here are the changes you can do in order to get the most out of every cent you pay for your electric bill.

Turn off unnecessary devices. If you are not watching your television, never leave it on. This also goes with your stereo. Learn how to turn them off if you dont need them. Turn off the lights if you are leaving the room as well. Also switch off the air conditioning system if you dont plan to return for a while. If you dont use the computer monitor, turn them off. Like the television, it consumes electricity when you are not using it.

Keep the sockets free. Unplug all your chargers. Yes, they consume small electric current but if you leave them plugged in day in and day out for months, you will feel their effects on your electric bills. Remember that these little things, when pile up can be big for you

Efficient Home Energy.

If you plan to leave the house, never let the heating system run at the temperature as if you are at home. Keep them low; better yet, turn it off. You are not using them anyway. Heating system consumes a large portion of your electric bill so you might as well do some necessary changes with them. If for instance you do not want to enter cold home, you can set up remote control heating system or a programmable heating system. In this way, you do not have to leave the heating system running all day. All you have to do is to set the time when you want your heating system to work and you will save a lot of money.

During the day, use the sun to warn up the house. The sun is free so open your drapes and windows and let your heating system rest for a while. Close the windows and drapes at night.

Instead of incandescent lights, use fluorescent. They produce more light but consume less electricity.

If you dont want to turn the lights on and off every time you go in and out of the room, you might want to get some timers, dimmers and motion sensors to do the job for you. They are worth investing for.

Refrain from using hot water when washing your clothes. Also, it will give you much savings if you prefer washing on full loads. On your dishwasher, make sure you also full load them. If there are few clothes or dishes to wash, prefer using your hands. Air dry them so that you do not consume more electricity.

Doing these things doesnt mean you deprive yourself from freely using the electricity you need. It only means that you are wisely spending every cent you pay for electric bills.

Everyone should want to know how to have

Efficient Home Energy

Surviving the Current Financial Crisis

In the current climate of apparent worldwide economic crisis there has been a traumatic worldwide economic meltdown which has put the world economy as we know it at risk. There are many companies who will not survive but there are some who will not only survive but will benefit in these unfortunate times. For instance our business in web design has increased recently because in an effort to reduce costs companies are turning to the internet to improve sales without incurring huge overheads. So companies like ours suddenly are in greater demand. However for the majority of the population it is a question of surviving and getting through it. If your business is on a sound financial footing and you have money behind you then this will be beneficial in the coming years. You may even be able to reduce employee salaries for a period of time, rather than have redundancies or even closing down, but whatever strategy you apply it will need to be with the agreement of the workforce because a company is dependent of the good will of its employees at such a time. During the early stages of the crisis the British company JCB, which makes big machinery like bull dozers and diggers, chose with the agreement of the workforce, to reduce everyone’s salary for 6 months rather than lay off people or go out of business.

Cash flow

Most businesses go to the wall because of problems with cash flow. If there is not enough money coming it to pay for goods and services then it will not be long before a company goes into bankruptcy. Constant monitoring of the financial position is crucial. It is so easy to spend and not realise how much is leaking out and where it is all going. Keeping a tight control on costs is always a vital activity because that is what makes or breaks a company. More profits always come from reducing outgoings whether it’s reducing waste or cheaper purchasing or decreasing the workforce. I once listened to an audio tape on how to become wealthy and the one item to impact me was the advice to plug the leaks. Most people when running short of money try to find a way of making more money, but without a balance of reducing outgoings they never seem to resolve their problem. The simple reason is that when people earn more they spend more. If you imaging a bath with the tap turned on to fill it up. If the plug is securely in place the bath will fill up fairly quickly. But if the bath was full of holes no matter how much water you pour into the bath it will never fill up. The analogy is that the bath is your bank account, the tap is your earnings and the holes are your spending. Since listening to that tape, I have made a point of keeping expenses to a minimum at home and at work and every little sum of money coming in I see as a positive step to achieving wealth.

Avoid buying anything unless you absolutely have to or defer some necessary purchase for a few more months if possible. It’s amazing how you can manage without something for a period of time by using up existing or old stocks and making sure that waste is reduced to an absolute minimum.

Look for Bargains in Purchasing.

When you do have to purchase goods to run the business, make sure you look out for bargains or negotiate for a better deal than you may have achieved previously. When times are tough, sales with no profits are better than nothing and there are some good deals to be had. One company I recently heard about sold a house for half the price when a customer came along with a cash offer. The SEO company that we run had a lot of server hosting accounts with various different companies and we found that we could save at least £3,000 each year through careful consolidation.

Look for Bargains in purchasing.

By taking a good long hard look at all of the business overheads I am sure it will be easy to identify those areas similar to ours where you have large outgoings. If those costs are vital to the functioning of the business then looking for better deals with other providers or renegotiate with current provider to maybe save thousands of euros. So in many ways the current economic climate could be seen as a good thing because it forces businesses to review their outgoings and get rid of the dead wood. In any business, the higher the outgoings, the smaller the profits. When there is an economic downturn or some loss of business unless you have unlimited capital set aside, it is essencial to reduce spending otherwise the business will not survive. Most really successful businesses understand the value of controlling outgoings and constantly review costs, even when times are good. I always remember my mother and grandmother saying of someone who was well off, that they were rich because they never spent their money, they hung onto it.

Tighten your Belt – No need for Extravagent Spending

Although looking at reducing large overheads is one way to improve the viability of your company, another is to pay attention to the small amounts going out. It is so easy to think ‘Oh it’s only a few pounds’ but small amounts add up and can so easily get out of control. Remember that old saying ‘take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves’ I think it is so true. So cut out unnecessary spending, no perks on the business such as lunches or dinners to woo customers. They rarely actually need it if your business is offering honest value for money and top class services, and in most cases customers and prospects will appreciate you being prudent if it means you stay in business and continue as their valued suppliers. Bosses can lead the way by paying themselves less or taking a pay cut showing that they are willing to tighten their own belts.

Recently it was announced that Bruce Forsythe was taking a cut in salary for his position as the host of Strictly Come Dancing, one of the most popular programmes on TV at the moment. He believed that they were being overpaid and put his money where his mouth was.

Another major area of expense is salaries and the costs that go with them. If you employ a large number of people the overhead expenses are huge. However there is always a natural wastage where people leave or retire so without actively having to make people redundant there may be opportunities to reduce the wages bill when times are hard. Efficiency and effectiveness of the people working in the company is critical and communicating with the workforce as to how they can reduce wastage and be more effective can be a rewarding policy.

One example from my previous work in organisations was when running a supervisors workshop. One of the delegates was complaining that when he needed to order supplies he had to sent the request up the line and wait until the senior manager had given the go ahead. As he was responsible for keeping supplies stocked and felt very frustrated at the time it took for him to get the approval he needed. I was shocked to hear that he was being so hampered in doing his job properly. So when I asked the question. ‘What’s to stop you ordering the goods yourself?’ after a long think, he said it had always been done that way. Nobody had questioned the procedure and whether it was still necessary to follow it. The outcome was that the he was given the go ahead to do the ordering himself and the senior manager was freed from one task he could happily do without.

Do Your Customers have Financial Liquidity?

If one of your customers is a very large company and they are source of the majority of your revenue then you are in a high risk position. It is a good idea to ensure that you have more than one high volume customer as well as lots of smaller ones so that you will be covered if one suddenly defaults on payment.

Find out the financial stability of your best customers. When the income of a customer falls then their ability to purchase goods and services is affected. If they are able to pay, then you will be able to pay your suppliers. There is nothing worse than doing a lot of work or selling a lot of stock to customer and then not getting paid. Situations like this can often cost you money, and that is the road to financial ruin, so be sure to be aware of your client’s economic situation as best as possible. We use the free Dunn and Bradstreet financial tracking service to identify any negative changes registered against any of our major clients

A customer of ours who are a team of town planning consultants were lucky their business was very healthy with positive cash flow when a large customer went into liquidation owing about £10,000. This was a lot of money to lose but their business was very healthy financially and they survived.

Find out the financial stability of your best customers. When the income of a customer falls then their ability to purchase goods and services is minimised. If they are able to pay on time, then you will be able to pay your suppliers. There is nothing worse than doing a lot of work or selling a lot of stock to customer and then not getting paid. Situations like this can often make the difference between success or failure. The cost to you in money and wasted effort and resources could be the road to financial ruin, so make sure you are aware of your client’s economic situation as much as possible. When the financial crisis happened one of our best customers suddenly switched to a two month payment plan which meant that we did not get any money from them for a month. When we protested the chief executive told his manager to find another suppler. There were a number of outstanding invoices worth thousands of pounds and we were powerless to do anything. Our overheads were compromised for that month but we were fortunate enough to have access to a reserve fund to tide us over. And yes we did get paid the whole amount over time.

Don’t Borrow Money

When the world is in a financial meltdown it is better not to borrow money if you can help it. If you have already borrowed significant sums of money then make sure you talk to your bank and get the best deal on repayments you can. If it’s possible to repay a chunk of money to reduce the interest you are paying out then do so. To me interest is money going out for nothing in return and is not good money management.

Having said all that, the interest rate in America is just over 1% and recently rates have been radically reduced in the UK. But that in itself is what caused this whole financial mess in the first place. People borrow money cheaply then re-lend it at a higher rate of interest and take the difference in profit. Once the interest rate rises to a more normal level they will bail out and take their billions off to buy an island somewhere while everyone else pays the price. I know that is an over simplification of the problem, but it serves to demonstrate that the greed of a few has caused the distress of millions of the majority.

In my property rental business, a few years ago I had to let a house at a reduced rent but found a good long term tenant. This meant that the income was only just covering my costs but subsequently, because of the drop in interest rates, the mortgage repayments on the property have been reduced by £150 a month. This means I have been able to realise a small profit and with that money I am reinvesting it in improvements to the house. Long term I see it as a good investment to maintain the standard and value of the property. So for some companies who have had to borrow money to stay afloat there is the benefit of lower interest rates to reduce the burden of repayments.

You Only Have to Make it Through

The world financial situation at the moment, I realise, is much more complicated than is indicated above. But the simple ways of dealing with crisis can often be the best option. Cut everything down to the bone and think about the days when people did not have such complicated lives. They managed their businesses without a tax advice consultant , a water cooler, coffee machines and other such luxuries that we often take for granted. They made do by either doing extra work themselves or just going without. Obviously as your business grows, or recovers, it doesn’t become economically viable to sit and trawl through tax return forms or to have to do a lot of extra research and administration yourself, so you can restore those facilities that help to make you money once you have recovered your initial position.

Now I am not suggesting that we should go back to the good old days. What I am saying is that we might think we can’t manage without all our gimmicks such as mobile phones that take photos, but the reality is that we can do more with a great deal less, as long as we put ourselves into the right frame of mind and think positively about what we can achieve rather than what we haven’t got. Obviously as your business grows, or recovers, it doesn’t become economically viable to sit and trawl through tax return forms or to have to do a lot of extra research and administration yourself, so you can restore those facilities as and when you have recovered your financial equilibrium.

Think what the Victorians did with the limited resources they had at their disposal. The horse was the main mode of transport and they used the manure to heat cold- frames and managed to grow pineapples without any other form of heating. They did not have cars, computers, mobile phones or even phones. The railway was only just coming into being, and they did not even have electricity. But with their energy and ingenuity they conquered the world. The industrial revolution with their steam driven machines changed our economy for ever. In the past there was no such thing as designer and yet businesses survived|thrived.

Stay in a Positive Frame of Mind

By this I do not mean be in denial and pretend the world is not going through a tough time. But if you are continually thinking and worrying about the negative aspects of the financial situation, then you are likely to make it come true. Don’t forget you get what you wish for and by concentrating on something then it will work like a wish, so why not concentrate on ways of getting new customers, giving better value to your existing customers and how your company could offer new products or services to your existing customer base?

The challenge of any financial crisis is to find ways of increasing your customer base by offering inducements for purchasers to use your company rather than the competition’s services.

Conclusion

Although during this recession there is no doubt times are hard for people who have lost their work. No work, equals no money coming in, so how do people pay their bills and their mortgages? If consumers have been prudent during times of prosperity and they have a nest egg for a rainy day, then they can probably manage for a few months until they get another job. But if they are already up to their eyes in debt then they will face personal bankruptcy and could lose everything.

One economist had identified that in the past the higher the level of personal debt in an economy, the deeper the depression that followed. Prior to the current financial meltdown the level of personal debt was extremely high and the recession is a worldwide event.

In spite of all that, some people are managing quite well if they have jobs or some other type of income. One article I read recently said that the death rate reduced noticeably during recession and put that down to eating more economically at home and not eating so much junk food. So OK we can’t afford to go out for meals as much, and things are more costly, but home prepared food is often better for you and sharing meals with the family is a way of coming together and communicating. So it’s not all bad. Good luck for a prosperous future.

Next Page »