turning2green.co.uk money-saving ideas that help the environment too

The Briquette Maker compresses waste paper into rectangular paper ‘logs’ measuring about 21cm long x 9cm wide x 6cm deep which will burn as well as wood for up to an hour or more in a fire-grate or wood-burning stove. You can use a mix of junk mail, newspapers, magazines, envelopes and so on, although too much glossy paper makes the logs difficult to burn. The paper needs to be put through a shredder or torn up by hand, then soaked in water overnight or longer until it goes really mushy. The pulp is then packed into the briquette mould and pressed into blocks which are left for a few weeks at least to dry out ready for use.

I had one of these years ago and I wasn’t really sure how to use it.  I tried it out once, decided it was all just too much hassle, and sold it at a car-boot sale. Then a few months later I found the dried out paper logs I had made at the back of the shed – when I put them in the wood stove and saw just how well they burn I realized I had made a mistake selling the thing!

The briquette maker is a very robust piece of kit which can can save you a lot of money by producing free logs that are solid and dense and burn surprisingly well. It does take a while to get the hang of using the press properly, and it’s quite a messy process, so it’s probably best to make the logs in large batches outdoors in summer. Then they can be left under cover to dry out ready for the winter – if they haven’t dried out completely they just won’t burn properly.

The eco paper log maker video at youtube shows how to use the Briquette Maker properly, and Log maker review is quite a good demonstration of how NOT to do it!

The Briquette Makers shown above are both available through Amazon, where you will also find user reviews of both models:

eko-mania Heavy Duty Paper Log Maker - Green

eko-mania Paper Log Maker - Black

See also my posts  Heating your home with horse manure for a different way to use the briquette maker,  and the Logmaker which makes less dense ‘logs’ but without the need to wet the paper.

Posted under energy, money saving ideas, paper log makers

Boost the heat in your home AND save energy?

The Radiator Booster is designed to increase the efficiency of central heating by sucking hot air out from behind a radiator and circulating it into the room. The idea is that energy is saved as the room heats up more quickly, allowing the boiler to shut down sooner. The manufacturers say that most of the tests carried out with the Radiator Booster have made it possible to reduce heating thermostat settings by more than 2 degrees. (UK energy providers state that reducing your thermostat setting by just one degree Celsius could save the average home £49/year or 10% of heating bills.)

The unit is powered by 2 small fans similar to those in a home computer, and runs for about 500 hours on 1kW of electricity (currently about 15p) giving a total running cost of about one penny a week.

I’ve been testing one out and have found it makes a noticeable difference to the temperature of the room and also eliminates cold spots. Initially the noise from the fans was a bit irritating, but they settled down after a few days. To prolong the life of the fans the booster should not be used for more than six hours a day, so I have put mine on a timer to come on each evening.

The unit is 700mm long and about 56mm square, very lightweight, and very easy to use – you just sit it on top of the radiator and plug it in. It can only be used with water filled radiators, as storage heaters or oil filled radiators get too hot and damage the fans.

The Radiator Booster is not very robust and has a trailing cable leading to a power socket, so I wouldn’t recommend it for a house with very small children. Otherwise, it does seem to work as intended and might reduce your heating bills by over £50 per year, or it could be the answer if your heating is struggling in the cold weather.

For more information or to buy a Radiator Booster visit Nigels Eco Store.

Posted under energy, money saving ideas