If you know all about the fantastic health and lifestyle benefits of hot tub ownership but don’t know where to start with your search you are not alone.

The hot tub market has boomed in recent years and picking the right hot tub has become pretty confusing, especially for first time buyers.

Picking the right hot tub will guarantee you and your family many years of enjoyment and relaxation but a mistake at this stage could just as easily lead to a costly and disappointing experience.

For this reason, we have put together a list of the top 5 mistakes that buyers make when searching for a hot tub.

1. Focussing solely on installation costs

Of course, everyone has a budget that they need to stick to when purchasing a hot tub, but far too many buyers focus solely on this single number and fail to account for ongoing costs.

The financial aspect of your hot tub search should be based on the ‘long term’ costs just as much as the initial expenditure as a poorly insulated £3000 hot tub could easily end up costing you more than £5000 one which will require far less energy to heat and requires less ongoing maintenance.

It may be worth investing slightly more when buying your tub if this secures a unit constructed of high-quality materials, parts, and that is extremely energy efficient.

Another initial cost that will more than pay for itself over the lifespan of your spa is an energy saving cover that will help to reduce heat loss when not in use, not to mention keeping out debris and increasing durability.

2. Not identifying your key requirements

Modern Hot Tubs for sale Scotland can be fitted with all sorts of fancy features which enhance the experience of the user.

With so many brands and types available it can be difficult to know what you do and do not require.

This is why it is so important to identify exactly what it is you are looking to get out of hot tub ownership prior to beginning your search.

The most common reasons that people choose to purchase a hot tub are:

• Health benefits
• Relaxation
• Pain relief
• Social occasions

By identifying the main reasons that have instigated your decision to purchase a hot tub you will be able to better understand which features would be beneficial to have and which are unnecessary.

For example, if you are looking to relax with family and friends after a tough day at work, a 15ft swim spa with in-built water current probably isn’t the best option, but a Bluetooth speaker system and LED lighting? Yes Please!

3. Overlooking maintenance

One of the biggest complaints we hear from owners of less advanced hot tub systems is that they require far more ongoing maintenance than they realised.

Many tubs require the manual addition of chemicals, regular draining, nozzle cleaning, and monitoring of the water filtration system.

Whilst maintenance is always important and no tub is completely maintenance free, if this constant care is something you would rather avoid there are hot tubs which will require far less maintenance than others.

For example, many premium spas are now equipped with self-cleaning filtration systems that require significantly less ongoing attention and chemicals to keep the water clean, reducing the frequency with which the entire tub must be drained.

At Bubble Box, we also offer clean water technology which neutralises deposits of soaps, oils, and other organic matter found in the spa’s water by introducing ozone into the water via the filtration system.

4. Not considering space

Space is hugely important when choosing a hot tub. Your home spa should be the focal point of your outdoor space but should not overwhelm it and choosing the perfect location is key to ensuring the aesthetic you are looking for.

Furthermore, there is nothing worse than finding your perfect tub, only to later realise that it won’t fit in your garden.

By identifying the area where you are going to put your shiny new tub and measuring it to get a precise idea of the size the unit needs to be, you will save yourself a huge amount of inconvenience down the line, as well as helping to instantly narrow down your search parameters.

5. Not researching the dealer

It is vital that you choose a reputable, established supplier when finding your new hot tub.

Read plenty of reviews, both positive and negative before making your decision, and take care to compare each company’s offering alongside the tub itself in terms of after sales care.

This will help you to avoid disappointment in the long-term as a failure to provide support following installation can ruin any hot tub buying experience.

Divorce is a difficult and emotionally demanding process which for many people proves incredibly hard to navigate. Some hope to resolve things quickly and not involve a lawyer – but is this a viable approach? In this article we’ll discuss why you always should enlist the services of a lawyer to help with a divorce.

The Problems of a Divorce with No Lawyer

There are serious issues which could emerge if you don’t secure yourself a divorce lawyer.

General Problems

There are some important things to remember when it comes to divorce. Firstly, divorce is a complex legal matter and involves many different laws, paperwork, forms, and rules which require key attention to detail and experience to navigate. It can be a very demanding process to try and navigate and often confusing and stressful. It is possible to make serious errors during the process, and these can cost you seriously as a result.

Amicable?

Many people approach divorces believing they are going to be easy because they will be amicable and as a result, they won’t require a lawyer. This is not as easy as it seems, and it can result in serious problems. A divorce involves,

• Drawing up an agreement – and drawing it up in a form a court will accept
• Going through the court process – presenting documents
• Getting the judge to accept and approve the documents
• Finalising the divorce

Each step of the divorce process takes a lot of time and effort – not to mention a great deal of mental energy. There are also unforeseen problems which can crop up – i.e., errors with agreements – or you may be granted your divorce but have drafted a poor deal for yourself – something you’ll be unable to fix.

Having a divorce lawyer will allow you to draft agreements that will flow through the court process smoothly while also ensuring you avoid making mistakes which could cost you in the future.

Knowing the Law

The biggest thing to remember is that Divorce Lawyers and Solicitors know the law – and in most cases you will not. The law is a complex matter and unfortunately you need someone who knows it clearly when it comes to divorce. If you don’t, you will need an expert.

Divorce Lawyers also know the judge – which is important too. They also have extensive knowledge of how the divorce system works, and what is necessary to get your case organised and done properly.  Most non-lawyers will not even know where to begin.

The best way to ensure a simple and clean divorce is by having an experienced divorce lawyer.

Do I need a Lawyer?

Legally speaking you do not require a lawyer – but there are some very good reasons to enlist the help of one. These include,

1. Avoiding Court

Oracle Lawyers Glasgow offer one huge benefit: they offer you a way to avoid a difficult court process.

Going to court is always the final approach of any good lawyer. An experienced solicitor will aim to reach an agreement out of court. This can save you an incredible amount of stress and worry, and ensures you don’t have to engage in a long court case.

2. Finances

This is one of the most important areas to navigate when dealing with a divorce and making mistakes here can have long term implications. If you do not have the proper legal advice, you’re unlikely to know exactly what you are entitled to when it comes to divorce. What should happen to your matrimonial home? Do you have a claim on your former spouses’ pension?

The complexities of these issues means they should only be organised and considered with expert legal advice and the assistance of a solicitor.

Even in situations where finances appear to be relatively simple (i.e., there are no children and neither partner wishes to make a claim against the other), it remains possible for there to be issues – a lawyer can ensure this doesn’t matter.

3. Children?

If you have children, it’s necessary to form a parenting plan and schedule. You will need to determine child custody. In the UK in most cases women maintain a joint custody of children. However, organising this is not always easy – and if you disagree it’ll be necessary to look for mediation. Custody disputes can also involve third parties as well – such as grandparents. These are complex and emotionally demanding

If you cannot agree and if you believe that contact with the other parent will be acceptable for the child (in the case your ex-partner Is abusive or there is a history of violence) it’ll be likely that you will need to engage with a court to secure full custody. This is not an easy or simple process, and it will require the assistance of a lawyer.

Every year in the UK, people face the decision of whether to undergo major financial transactions with or without the help of a professional financial advisor.

Whilst there are pros and cons of going it alone and consulting with a professional, the fact is that if you are looking to maximise your chances of successful investing, using a financial advisor is the smart decision.

Do financial advisors make a difference?

We could spend forever listing the benefits of financial advice but at the end of the day the numbers speak for themselves, and the fact is that those using a wealth advisor have been shown to have a much higher chance of getting a significant return on their investment.

According to the International Longevity Centre (ILC), an independent organisation with no ties to the financial advice industry, there is a tangible and “very real return to obtaining expert financial advice”.

ILC research found that those who took some form of financial advice prior to a significant financial decision were likely to both save their money more effectively than those who did not and see a better return on the investments that they made.

According to the ILC report, those who took financial advice ended up around £43,352 wealthier than those who did not when both investment value and pension savings were taken into account.

This is even more impressive when you consider that this figure was measured after the cost of the advisor’s services over the period had been subtrtacted.

What do Financial Advisors do?

There is no doubt, therefore, that there is a proven advantage to consulting a professional financial advisor in terms of money saved and investment return.

But what is it that they do that makes their services so effective that a money savvy individual couldn’t do themselves?

Some of the most common tasks that you can expect a financial advisor to perform include:

1. Scouring the market for the best products and investment opportunities

Many mortgages, insurance premiums and other financial products are available exclusively through a broker or financial advisor so failing to use one could significantly limit the options available to you.

2. Explaining Financial Terms

Investing can be confusing, especially if you are inexperienced, and many people who rush in make costly errors that limit their long-term returns.

A professional advisor will explain each step of the process to you, breaking down any complicated phrases into laymen’s terms and being on hand if you are ever unsure as to the best way forward.

This will also be beneficial when signing complex agreements for mortgages as your advisor will be able to go through the fine print and make sure that everything is as it should be in a way that would be impossible for the untrained eye.

3. Monitoring Investments

Keeping an eye on your investment portfolio is a time-consuming task and in order to make sure that you are making the right decisions at the right time you will need to commit a large amount of your free time and effort to learn the market.

For this reason, many DIY investors end up neglecting their assets as they are simply too busy to devote the required attention to them.

A financial advisor will take all this stress away, using their years of experience to monitor your investments for you and make recommendations on any action that you should take based upon their observations.

This will leave you free to enjoy your life whilst letting your money work for you, safe in the knowledge that should anything important take place, you will be informed in a timely manner.

4. Develop a plan

The key to meeting any financial objective is to have a well thought out, rational plan in place.

A financial advisor will help you develop an achievable realistic investment plan based upon your goals and requirements.

This could involve saving for your children’s university fees, meeting mortgage repayments, or creating a nice little nest egg for your retirement.

No matter what you are hoping to achieve with your money, you are far more likely to be successful with the assistance of a financial advisor paisley than you would be alone.

Get In Touch Today

CSR financial has over 30 years of experience providing customers in the West of Scotland and across the UK with bespoke financial support.

If you are looking to invest your money wisely, secure a mortgage, property management advice, or simply to talk to one of our expert financial advisors contact us today by phone on 0141 212 2636, or by email at colin@csrfinancial.co.uk.

Air source heat pumps have become a popular alternative to traditional means of heating the home. Low carbon and energy efficient, air source heat pumps have received a lot of interest in the search for more environmentally friendly ways of keeping the home warm – as well as ways to cut down on the costly energy bills imposed by traditional boilers and electric heating.

Greener Energy Group has a combined 30 years of experience installing green energy solutions all over the country. We’re pioneers in the market of air source heat pumps, working to offer customers and clients

In this article we’ll discuss why you should go for an Air Source Heat Pump, and the advantages it can bring for your home.

What is a heat pump?

Air source heat pumps are a low carbon, alternative option for heating your home – offering the potential to generate renewable heat and cut down on costly energy bills.

Heat pumps extract the ambient heat from the air or in the ground and use it to warm the home. An air source heat pump, as the name suggests, draws this heat from the air (as there is always heat present in the air).

Heat Pumps are remarkably energy efficient; they do still use some electricity, but they transfer three to four times the amount of energy into a property which they use to initially extract it from the air.

How it all works

Heat Pumps work by taking warm air from outside and increasing its temperature by compression. This hot air is then transferred to your homes heating systems,

Air source heat pumps are often likened to a refrigerator in reverse. The process works as follows,

1. The heat pump absorbs the warmth outside into a liquid coolant
2. The coolant evaporates into a gas, which is then compressed and grows in heat
3. The heat is then sent to your radiators or stored in a hot water cylinder

The Benefits of a Heat Pump

So why should you get a Heat Pump? There’s a range of serious benefits you can access by having one installed by the professionals at the Greener Energy Group.

Reduced Running Costs

Because Heat Pumps are so much more energy efficient than boilers and other traditional heating systems, the actual costs of running them is also much lower. This means that keeping your home warm and getting hot water for baths and showers is far cheaper, and so in the long run you can seriously cut down on costly heating bills and other costs.

Low Maintenance

Traditional boiler and heating systems are notoriously demanding when it comes to maintenance. The presence of so many moving parts, alongside age, and the demands of heating the home make them vulnerable to breakdowns and breakages which necessitates often expensive repairs. As a modern heating system, air source heat pumps do not have these kinds of mechanical issues. Components are refined and easy to replace, and maintenance is overall much more limited than that of other systems. This also gives them a much longer lifespan.

Eligible for RHI payments and other initiatives

The British and Scottish governments have increasingly put forward financial incentives and assistance for helping people access Air Source Heat Pumps. These include paying for a large part of the Heat Pump, making it far cheaper to install. Not only does this make switching over to a Heat Pump far easier but can quickly help recoup the costs of the initial installation.

Potentially 400% Energy Efficient

The energy efficiency of air source heat pumps is a major factor in why they’re so much better than traditional heating systems. The energy efficiency of air source heat pumps ranges from 300% to 400% – compared to only 50% to 75% of traditional boilers. Even biomass, modern oil, gas, and LPG boilers can hit only 90%, which while good simply can’t compare with that of an air source heat pump.

The Renewable Energy Choice

Renewable energy is one of the biggest benefits of an air source heat pump. Air source heat pumps use only a small amount of electricity (far less than direct energy heating systems) and produce no carbon emissions. If the electricity used to run them comes from a renewable source, then an air source heat pump can be made entirely carbon neutral. If you are worried about your carbon footprint, then an air source heat pump is a fantastic option.

Contact Greener Energy Today

If you’re eager to get the full benefits of an Air Source Heating Scotland, get in touch with the Greener Energy Group today. Our expert team can provide you with a fast installation.

The current British economic climate has seen an increasing number of properties left vacant or void. In turn, there’s been a huge growth in,

• Vandalism
• Squatting
• Theft
• Arson

These impact both commercial and residential properties and cause serious issues for both the owner and the local community. The damage, costs of repairs and other problems can build up to become a serious issue for the owner.

Prime Secure has 20 years of experience providing clients all over the UK with professional Vacant and Void Property security, ensuring these properties are kept safe from a range of different issues and problems. In this article we’ll discuss some of the problems that face Vacant and Void Property, and the measures we offer to provide security for empty properties.

Vacant Property – The Issues they Face

As noted, Void Property face a swathe of serious problems.

• Vandalism: Vandals consider void property an excellent target; they consider them easy to attack and damage because there is usually little chance of any kind of response. This damage can build up over time – especially because vandals will often repeatedly attack the same property if they recognise it is unprotected.
• Squatting: Squatting is a major worry for the owner of a void property. Squatters frequently target both commercial and residential property, taking up residence in the building. Squatters will often vandalise the building, engage in theft and make use of the utilities. This alone will rack up significant bills and demand repairs, but even worse is the long-term difficulties in removing entrenched squatters. This can create an expensive legal battle. This can prove to be a stressful, difficult experience.
• Theft: Fixtures and fittings in vacant buildings are commonly targeted by thieves in search of metals such as copper and lead. In other cases, thieves will break into buildings looking for any valuables which have not already been removed. This is obviously a problem for any home or property owner – the loss of the materials itself will be a serious expense while the damage to the building itself (which includes the walls, roofing and floor). The cost of replacing the lost fixtures and fittings can become huge.
• Arson: Arson is a serious problem; fire damage can utterly wreck a building and the cost of repairing it will cost a huge amount of money – sometimes more than that of the property itself. It is not only deliberate fires which cause issues – 60% of accidental fires occur in vacant or void properties. These are just as destructive.

Many of these issues will see serious insurance premiums if there’s a failure to provide appropriate security measures.

How Prime Secure Can Help

Prime Secure has well over 20 years of experience providing our clients with extensive security measures to keep their void property safe.

CCTV

CCTV is an excellent way to deter vandals, squatters and thieves. Many criminals will avoid a CCTV equipped property as the potential to be caught on camera increases the chances of being caught by the police and prosecuted.

Prime Secure offers a modern CCTV system designed specifically for void property. Mobile and capable of being moved around a site as required by the owner, it is tamper proof with an armoured shell and able to issue audio warnings to any intruders it detects. It can be added to an existing static CCTV system and furthermore, with monitoring options available, any criminals spotted by the camera will spur an alert to the police or manned guarding service.

Alarm and Keyholding

Alarms on their own are a good way to deter criminals; the presence of an alarm system will see many criminals avoid a property. To get the most out of an Alarm system, the best approach is to make use of a Keyholding Service. This means any breach of an alarm will see a trained Prime Secure professional attend the site ASAP – who can investigate and handle the issue in the manner discussed with the property owner.

Manned Guarding

Manned Guards are a superb deterrent – the visible presence of security of security guards will encourage criminals to avoid the property. Prime Secure Manned Guarding Services are amongst the most effective means to protect your property. They can easily patrol a large property and respond to any incidents without delay. Manned Guarding services can also report any accidental fires or alert you to any damages that occur right away – ensuring you are always on top of what’s happening on your property.