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You and Yours: Wood Burning Stoves, Nursery Closures, Green Mortgages

15/11/2021

Wood Burning Stoves, Nursery Closures, Green Mortgages

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Wood Burning Stoves, Nursery Closures, Green Mortgages

More people are using wood burning fires because of rising gas prices.

We report on rising demand for wood fuel, chimney sweeps and stove servicing, as homeowners look to avoid rising gas prices this winter.

More people are using wood burning fires because of rising gas prices. Wood fuel companies are reporting an increase in sales. The solid fuel standards association HETAS, says searches on its website for stove serving and chimney sweeps have also increased. We go out on a job with a chimney sweep who says he's surprisingly busy given the current mild weather. 

Over 400 nurseries and pre schools closed last year according to Ofsted, and a third of the closures were in the most deprived areas in the country. The National Day Nurseries Association says this is partly because parents in those areas are less likely to pay for additional childcare, on top of the free government hours each child is entitled to. The Association has also reported a change in how parents are using nurseries - moving their childcare from city centres to places closer to home, and for fewer hours. We hear from a parent facing the closure of their local authority run nursery. 

The government wants banks and building societies to consider your home's EPC rating in lending decisions. Some big lenders have introduced green mortgage products this year, that reward customers that live in the most efficient homes. The products are targeted at homes with an Energy Performance Certificate rated A or B, but the benefits are still relatively small - for example a 0.01% reduction on interest rates or £250 cashback. 

Morrisons is getting into recycling. It's bought into a recycling plant in Fife and wants to use it to deal with the soft plastics that currently are difficult to dispose of. So is this a game-changer when it comes to supermarkets being greener?

Presented by Winifred Robinson.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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