The best energy deal for your flat? We can help!

Just in time for the colder months, a number of energy suppliers have announced price rises - a concern for many tenants, whether they are students or professionals. But does this mean that you should cancel your contract and look for a new supplier immediately?

Maybe not that quickly. Whilst there is a lot of advice available on choosing energy suppliers, consumer advocates Which? have found that only ten percent of the UK population are able to identify the cheapest deal when looking at energy suppliers' tariffs. Why do they struggle? Mostly because price plans are presented in a complicated style, making it hard to assess what is or isn't a good deal. Consequently, the number of people reading comparisons right increases to nearly nine out of ten as soon as price plans are presented in a simpler fashion.

What does it mean for your rented property in Edinburgh? First of all, take a look at how much energy you are using and what for and check whether you could use less or use energy more efficiently. Then take a look at your bills and shop around for the best deal. This may take a few hours, but will be well worth it when the bills arrive.

If you're looking to move, ask to see the property's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). A reputable landlord will be happy to show and explain it. Check the state of doors and windows, too as this will give you an idea of whether there are especially drafty areas.

Last, but not least, review your energy contracts regularly.

Unwanted house guests?

What does it take to make a guest's visit turn sour for you?

Here are insurance company Sheila's Wheels' top ten:
1 Leaving mess lying around (38%);
2 Never tidying (33%);
3 Not offering to contribute to bills (29%);
4 Eating someone else's food from the fridge (28%);
5 Never saying thank you (28%);
6 Avoiding washing up (26%);
7 Hogging the television (26%);
8 Making loud noises (23%);
9 Everyone having to change their sleeping routine (22%);
10 Talking during films (22%).

Apparently, the worst culprits are adult children moving back in with their parents. What would you like to add to the list?

How to manage student finances

The new academic year has only just started, so there's never been a better time to ensure your fnances are sorted this year - check out moneywise's guide: http://bit.ly/OasWTz

How to survive uni in 2012

Edinburgh University Student Association have published an Undergraduate Survival Guide for 2012! You can read it here: http://bit.ly/S7plAI. Whilst it's currently only available online, a number of people have already requested a download version, so check back regularly for an update!

Sunny & dry weather? No, thanks

While we were all enjoying yesterday's sunshine, 'our' trees in Teaghlach Wood in Perthshire would have breathed a sigh of relief when today turned out to be a little cloudier.

Believe it or not, when the whole country was complaining about the never-ending rain over the past couple of weeks, our trees couldn't have been happier. Trees4Scotland's Angus Crabbie explains: "Trees really do love rain as it helps them grow, especially when they're young."

And while we were rejoicing about finally dusting off the barbecue again, forests are looking forward to the next rainy day to continue to develop.

There is a more serious side to this story as well: While trees need rain to grow, reforestation in general is one way to prevent landslides etc as the roots help avoid soil erosion - a natural contribution to our flood defences.

Cullen Property has teamed up with Trees4Scotland to offset the carbon footprint of our managed flats. To find out more or to get involved, please email us.

How many trees to buy?

Last week, we introduced our partnership with Trees4Scotland, aiming to neutralise the carbon footprint of all 320+ properties managed by us.

We've done our figures and here are some of them: initially, we'll be investing over £1,600 on behalf of three clients which will buy us 232 trees. Those trees will also offset the carbon footprint of our office and the company vehicles.

The properties are rated depending on their size: a 2 bed flat with kitchen, bathroom and living room would need 5 trees whereas a 5 bed flat with 2 bathrooms and a combined living kitchen would need 9 trees in total.

So far, so good! Over the next couple of weeks, the team will be hands-on at Teaghlach Wood, planting trees and we're delighted to be joined by a couple of clients based locally.

We can't wait to see with our own eyes what our contribution will mean to Trees4 Scotland's project and pictures will follow.

We're going green(er) with Trees4Scotland

We're joining Trees4Scotland with the ambitious goal to offset the carbon footprint of all of our managed flats.

We're well aware that every business does have an impact on the environment and needs to work on minimising it. Trees4Scotland seemed the perfect partner: their initiative to restore native Scottish woodlands is a perfect way for us to do our share.

For each property, Angus Crabbie of Trees4Scotland will help calculate the amount of trees we need to plant to offset its carbon footprint.

We will be starting with three clients initially, but all of our landlord clients will be invited to join us with their properties and go carbon neutral. Find out whether your flat is part of the initial stage of the project or get in touch if you want to contribute, too.

There are plenty of ways to minimise the environmental impact of properties and we have a number of handy tips ready for you to put into practice. Just email us for more information.

In our blog we'll follow the progress of the project, i.e. the growth of the trees quite literally and will keep you updated on how it all goes.

Let us know if you have any questions at all!