B&Q has re-launched its One Planet Home pages on diy.com, which will display hundreds of products alongside a wealth of hints and tips, interactive tools and links to useful sites, for those wishing to go green at home.

They have also opened the first ever eco shops in B&Q’s flagship stores
in New Malden and Sutton. The eco shops will enable homeowners to get everything they need all in one place, to live a more sustainable home life and save money whilst doing it.

As part of the company’s bid to help people eco-vate their homes, B&Q is introducing two new roles - Eco Advisors and Eco Experts.

B&Q’s Eco Advisor qualification – an eco NVQ - is a UK first and will see staff qualified to City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Retail Skills standard, enabling them to advise and help customers on eco products for their homes.

The first eco Advisors will be on hand at B&Q’s Sutton and New Malden eco shops.

The eco advisor job will then be rolled out across the country with 1800 qualified advisers available by September.

The second role to be introduced is the B&Q Eco Expert, who will be qualified to offer in store and at home consultations and provide homeowners with an Energy Performance Certificate, enabling them to understand how energy efficient their home is.

Initially the Eco Experts will work from the New Malden and Sutton stores and will be able to back up their audit findings with recommendations to make energy saving improvements and offer a full range of eco installations.

It is inevitable that soon British homeowners will be facing the challenge from the Government, to reduce their homes’ environmental impact, and with Government targets set at a 30 per cent carbon emissions reduction by 2020, the process can seem quite daunting.

However you can now B&Q it through these new customer initiatives, specifically designed to make greening up homes easy and affordable.

For further information visit the new One Planet Home website.

The rising temperatures of the summer months mark an annual increased pressure on water resources across the country, but a few home measures can radically cut household water usage and help families make significant savings at the same time.

Rainmate Water Butt - Thousands of litres of rainwater fall on the average roof every year. So why not employ a water butt to collect this water and use it in the garden; it’s better for lawns and plants and better for the environment?

The Rainmate is unique in its field – it’s made from sturdy plastic to the highest specifications and simply clips together.

It has a 200-litre capacity and has a number of special features including its own integral stand, a childproof lid with leaf grill and tap.

The lid allows it to be used with a down pipe without the need to cut a hole and it is designed to catch and collect falling rain; a standard down-pipe rain diverter can also be used. Priced at £44.99.

Another simple water saving measure, the Brita Elamaris XL Water Filter Jug – involves keeping cool water stored in the fridge, so that you don’t need to run water down the sink, every time you need a cold drink.

With its modern, stylish look, this jug is ideally designed to fit into any fridge door.

The Elemaris XL Meter has a 2.2 litre filtered water capacity and a 3.5 litre total capacity; it also includes the first intelligent cartridge exchange indicator, with a 3-way measurement of water quality.
It determines not only how much time has elapsed since the cartridge was inserted, but also the volume of water that has been filtered and the level of hardness (limescale) in the water. Priced at £24.49.

Both products and more water savers are available online at:

Web: http://www.ecoutlet.co.uk
Tel: (0207) 272 7233

On average, each of us uses about 150 litres of water every day; that’s 30% more than in 1970, and a lot of it is wasted. So where does the water go - and what can we all do to use less of it?

B&Q has introduced a new range of water efficient products to make water work better for you and the environment; all are designed to save you money indoors and keep your garden green this summer, which is forecast to be hot and dry.

In the garden, water butts and underground storage tanks are an efficient way to catch and store rainwater:

• For the larger outdoor area, the Argonaut Vertical Underground water tank offers an excellent solution and provides 1,100 litres for the care of thirsty greenery. Priced at £1,648.
• The featured Titan Rainwater Tank 900 Litres is equipped with two draw-off points, and comes complete with a diverter and a submersible pump. Priced at £798.

Watering wisely can ensure a little goes a long way, so concentrate on the areas that need it most.

• The Hozelock Water Butt Pump is a simple way to achieve this at £14.98.
• Alternatively, the Hozelock Aquapod is an automatic watering system that can save up to 90% of water normally used, by gradually dripping the right    amount of water to your plants. Priced at £44.98.

Visit the website for information on other efficient ways to save water around your home:

Web:  http://www.diy.com
Tel: For your nearest B&Q Store (0845) 850 0175

With water shortages back in the news, hosepipe bans and drought orders already in force in some parts of the UK, and more expected for the summer, what measures can gardeners take to preserve this precious resource?

B&Q have put together some hints and tips for green gardeners who want to save water:

• Choose plants which don’t require much water. B&Q’s range of Oleanders and Bottle Bush Palms require very little watering.
• Watering from a watering can is still permitted during hosepipe bans - so why not invest £3.28 a Standard Watering Can from B&Q?
• Water your garden in early morning or late evening, but not during the day, otherwise much of the water is wasted in evaporation, and you run the risk of scorching the leaves.
• Consider adding mulches or chipped bark to flower beds, to help retain moisture in warm weather. B&Q’s Hardwood Chips are produced from sustainable sources and cost just £4.98 for a 65 litre bag.
• Use a water retaining product like Phostrogen Swell Gel Crystals (£4.98 for a 250g bag at B&Q) to retain water in hanging baskets. This saves water, and watering time too!
• Hosepipe bans mean water could be at a premium this summer, so why not invest in a water butt, which will allow you to save rainwater to keep your garden well watered until Autumn. This slim space-saving water butt costs £17.98 from B&Q.

web: http://www.diy.com
tel: (0845) 850 0175