Make your home more energy efficient
 
Making all aspects of your life more sustainable is very popular at the moment. Saying no to plastic carrier bags and buying a bamboo toothbrush are all popular options, but have you considered how you can make your home more energy efficient? We have lots of expertise in the gas, plumbing and electrical industries, so we thought we would put together some tips to help you make your home a greener place! 
 

Put Central Heating on a Timer

A simple yet effective tip that you don’t need plumbing or gas engineering training for, is to simply set a property’s heating using a timing mechanism.
Whether you set it to come on an hour in the morning and an hour in the night at a residential property, or between 9 am and 5 pm for a commercial one like an office, this will ensure the heating is only on when it needs to be on.
This is an easy way to ensure energy is not wasted when a property is empty, which will not only help the planet but save the bill payer some pennies too. 
 

Fit Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs

Energy-efficient light bulbs come in two types: Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). According to the Energy Saving Trust, replacing a regular light bulb with a CFL will save around £5 a year or up to £70 over the lifetime of the bulb. LEDs usually come in spotlights and therefore traditional fittings may need changing to use these. This can be both cost and energy efficient in the long run though as switching from halogen lights to LED could save around £35 a year. 
 
Energy Efficient Light Bulb

Update the Boiler

On average, heating accounts for 60% of annual energy bills, so becoming more efficient could save a homeowner hundreds of pounds a quarter. 
Most modern boilers are condensing, meaning it has a larger heat exchanger and recovers more heat. Gas boilers are most likely to be affordable if the property has mains gas and a combi boiler will be more compact, meaning it will take up less space in the property. 
 
If the cash funds for a new boiler aren’t available, it may be worth insulating the boiler as a temporary fix. You can read more about this in our blog post: Should You Wrap Up Your Water Heater This Winter?
 

Make Sure the Property is Insulated

Talking of insulation, how well insulated in the property? There’s no point in fitting an energy-efficient heating system if there is considerable heat loss, and this could be highly likely if you have an older property. 
Around 25% of heat loss is through the roof, 35% through walls and 10% through windows, so having a property properly insulated could cut this drastically. This may also alter a property’s EPC rating which can increase the value of the property. 
 

Learn More With Our Training Courses 

Want to be able to offer some of the above services, but not qualified to do so? Then why not sign up to conduct further training? Browse our different courses by clicking the button below, or give us a call on 0800 345 7492 to enquire today!
 

new career ideas

Are you feeling a bit tired of your current job? Have you been doing the same thing for so long that it's become boring and monotonous? Are you looking for a new challenge that will give you a chance to really shine?

If any of the above apply to you, it may be time to start looking for new career ideas. When you first decide that you'd like to change jobs, it can be a bit daunting - after all, there are lots of different career ideas to choose from - and so we're here today to provide you with some inspiration.

If you're thinking about starting a new career in the trade industry, here are five exciting new career ideas for you to consider this year:

Marine Electrician

The perfect role for adventurous electricians! Marine electricians are responsible for installing and maintaining electrical equipment aboard ships and other sea vessels. They may also be tasked with handling emergency repairs on ships in port or out at sea.

Bathroom Fitter

The bathroom is one of the most important parts of any home, so the people who install them are always in demand. Your responsibilities as a bathroom fitter will include making sure that all of the fittings are correct and that the new bathroom looks perfect. You can train to be a bathroom fitter with our Bathroom Fitting Course

Electrical Machine Repairer 

Electrical machine repairers play an important part in the repair and maintenance of electrical equipment. This job is incredibly important and can mean the difference between a machine running smoothly and catching fire due to an electrical fault. To help you train for this type of job, why not take a look at our range of Electrical Courses?

Roofing Plumber

If you like the idea of working outside then roofing plumber could be the ideal role for you. Roofing plumbers fabricate and install metal roofing, gutters, and downpipes. A roofer can work for the council or as their own boss.

Oil Rig Electrician 

Though this may seem like a lonely, solitary job, oil rig electricians are paid exceptionally well for their work. This is an exciting job for truly daring souls - any industrial electrician can work on a rig, so if you're not put off by the long hours, this may be a career path for you.

Here at Access Training Academies, we provide a range of trade training packages that can set you on your way towards a new career path. Even if none of these career ideas inspires you, we have lots of different courses that will allow you to pursue a new career idea anywhere in the UK!

View all Courses Here >

 

Some of you thinking about applying for a course with us at Access Training might consider education to be something of a distant memory and find the thought of examinations an unpleasant ordeal.

The very word exam might bring back traumatic memories of awful school exams, which you’d rather forget about. 

However, Access Training exams bear no resemblance to those terrible tests of the past - they are all multiple choice and involve no writing whatsoever.

If you are dreading the prospect of having to sit exams after not having done so for a number of years though, here is a brief guide explaining the simple techniques that you can use to get yourself back into the swing of things:

Distributed Practice

Studies undertaken by University College London have found that splitting your revision into regular, digestible chunks is far more effective than cramming long hours of learning into one go. That is, by studying for between half an hour to an hour at a time, you retain more information than you would should you read for 3 hours continuously.

Rather than pushing your brain to its maximum capacity, you might find more success by putting some music on, making a cup of tea or taking a walk and then coming back to it later.

Self-Testing

Self-testing has been proven to be an effective way of obtaining information; that is, regularly testing yourself instead of simply reading over your notes repeatedly.

It is of great use to write out questions that you’ve devised based on the notes you’ve made and try answering them using the information in your notes. This way, you are learning and understanding, rather than simply reading and memorising, which is far more beneficial in the long run and makes it far easier to hold on to what you’ve learnt.

Taking Breaks

Your brain needs time to allow the information you are learning to sink in. Without having short, consistent breaks, your memory can become clogged and less information will be allowed in. A short break is well recommended in order to avoid tiring your brain.

Buffet Studying

Contrary to popular belief, it is far more efficient to study a variety of different subjects in one go, rather than to focus on one theme for a long period of time.

Research done by UCL advises learners to think of studying like ‘taking from a buffet, rather than eating a set dinner’. This means that it is far more effective to learn in smaller, more digestible chunks, as opposed to biting off more than you can chew..excuse the pun!

Story Telling

Associating phrases and principles with elaborate stories is an excellent way of sealing the memory. One successful method, as proven by researchers at UCL, is creating a ‘memory palace’, in which you try to link words with objects in a room.

In fact, this technique is so effective, it helped a 16th century Jesuit priest named Matteo Ricci to pass China’s highest civil servant exams, which required him to remember reams and reams of classical poetry. If it worked for him, it might work for you too.

Whichever way you decide to learn, we can say with confidence that nobody who is considering applying for our course ought to worry about the course examinations. Our tutors are very experienced and are well-accustomed to the exam curriculum we offer, so they know exactly what to teach and how to teach it.

If you're thinking about a change of career or looking to start a career with exciting prospects, enquire today about a course at Access Training by clicking below or call us on 0800 345 7492.

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