Exciting steps cut Knowsley's carbon footprint

KNOWSLEY has made great strides towards shrinking its carbon footprint; thanks to a number of exciting steps taken by First Ark Group.

Knowsley Housing Trust, which is part of First Ark Group, build and manage thousands of homes in Knowsley and have set impressive targets to make 'planet Knowsley' a greener place to live and work.

They have reduced their carbon emissions from their homes by 37,500 tonnes of CO2 per year which is the equivalent of the annual greenhouse gas emission from over 7,000 cars!

If 100 other organisations achieved this, we would be able to shut down one coal-fired power plant.

Using a combination of advice for residents, building greener new properties, insulating and improving existing homes, and using solar panels to generate electriCity, First Ark Group has dramatically cut emissions.

Anthony Jarvis, Investment Manager, Green Initiatives for First Ark Group, said:- "This week was national Energy Saving Week, (27 January to 31 January 2014) and Knowsley's communities can be proud of what has been achieved so far towards cutting our carbon footprint. This is just the start of our plans as First Ark is committed to doing all it can to create energy-efficient, greener communities where people can live and work."

Among the initiatives are:-

► A 'Save Energy Save Money' project which has saved local people over £100,000 in energy costs over the last 3 years. The project involves giving advice to residents on low-cost ways to cut energy consumption such as using less water, cutting food waste, advice on controlling heating and energy tariffs and rebates.

► Building 11 'super eco' homes that comply to the acclaimed Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 standard. These properties include high levels of thermal insulation, energy display devices, triple glazing, solar PV arrays, flue gas heat recovery devices, rainwater harvesting and mechanical ventilation heat recovery.

► Through our promise made to KHT tenants all KHT properties have had improvement works done to them; the home improvement programme has seen all homes being assessed and improved with measures such as cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation, loft insulation, double glazing and efficient gas boiler heating systems. This has reduced emissions by over 55%.

► By installing over 500 solar PV arrays Knowsley residents have helped generate electriCity savings of around £125 per property, and when the remaining 600 arrays are installed it's estimated the project will generate electriCity worth £138,000 a year.

► A retrofit project has seen multi foil insulation installed to homes at 3 sites. The insulation to the property walls, roof and top of the foundations has helped reduce heat loss. Mechanical ventilation heat recovery units have also been installed to manage moisture levels, maintain air quality and recover as much heat as possible. All the properties are being monitored for carbon emission reductions with results as high as 82% achieved.

For more information please visit:- firstark.com.

Tax return deadline just days away

IF you're one of the 2.8 million people who still haven't filed their 2012 to 2013 tax return, you've only got until midnight on Friday to do it online and pay what you owe.

Returns received by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after 31 January 2014 will result in a £100 late filing penalty; even if you have no tax to pay, or you pay your tax on time.

The more you delay, the more you pay, as you'll be hit with further late-filing penalties after 3, 6 and 12 months.

Recent research by HMRC showed that taxpayers in Central London were more likely to file their return late than people in any other part of the Country, with 1 in 9 (11%) failing to beat the deadline. This compared with only 1 in 17 late filers (6%) in the South West of England; the most punctual region for tax returns.

You can file your tax return for free via HMRC's website. Using a search engine to find HMRC's online filing web pages can produce results which include third party websites that charge to file on your behalf. Therefore, if you want to file for free, type the HMRC website address into your internet browser.

HMRC's Director General of Personal Tax, Ruth Owen, said:- "There's not much time left, so make a start on your tax return today. Leave it too late, and you'll be hit with a penalty."

A short YouTube question and answer video featuring Ruth Owen can be viewed a on YouTube YouTube.  For general help and advice on completing a return, visit:- hmrc.gov.uk/sa  or call the Self Assessment helpline on:- 0300 200 3310 (open 8.00am to 8.00pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8.00am to 4.00pm on Saturday).