Britain's plot holders dug through two wars and a waiting list
Enclosure created the British allotment and the 1908 Act made councils provide it. In 2023, a count found 174,183 people waiting for a plot.
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Household.
Making a place work, from the small repairs to the rooms you come back to.
Raised ground can defeat a UK home's damp-proof course
A damp-proof course repels ground water that climbs a wall by capillary action. Soil or rubble piled against the wall can bridge it and let damp in.
On an induction hob, the pan makes the heat, not the glass
An induction hob generates heat in the pan itself and needs a magnetic pan. In a Which? test it boiled water in 4.81 minutes against gas's 9.69.
Fruit flies breed in a week, so traps alone rarely end them
A fruit fly goes from egg to adult in a week. Which? says to clean the bins and throw out rotting fruit first, because a trap alone rarely ends them.
Heat kills bed bugs. So can cold.
Heat above 45C, or a few days in a freezer, kills bed bugs. Look for brown spots on the sheets, and call a pest controller once an infestation is established.
What a duvet's tog rating actually measures
A duvet's tog number measures heat trapped, not thickness. Labs heat one side and compare temperatures. A 4.5 tog suits hot weather and 13.5 tog midwinter.
UK installers fill cavity walls through the outer brickwork
Installers drill through a UK home's outer brick and inject insulation into the cavity. A typical job costs about £2,200 and could save up to £370 a year.
Water puts out wood fires but makes oil fires worse
A water extinguisher works on wood because it cools the fuel. On burning oil, the same water splits the oil into droplets and makes the fire worse.
Triple glazing's second gap cuts heat loss further
Triple glazing adds a third pane and a second gas-filled gap, so it loses less heat than double glazing. The whole window, frame included, sets the result.
A combi boiler heats water only when a tap opens
A combi boiler connects to the mains and heats water the moment a tap opens, with no cylinder to fill, top up or wait to reheat.
Smart thermostats learn your routine from your own adjustments
A smart thermostat learns a routine by copying the adjustments a household makes. The Heating Hub's Jo Alsop says geofencing drove Tado's 28% saving claim.
A dual-flush toilet saves water with one valve, not two
A dual-flush toilet releases four litres or six through a single drop valve rather than two tanks, and that valve is also where leaks begin.