Christmas: a time for family, friends, good cheer and unfortunately, burglaries. 

There are sadly many reasons why Christmas time encourages burglaries and break-ins, from storing presents beneath the Christmas tree to empty homes during Christmas shopping trips, the little things we love at Christmas can make us more vulnerable to crime than we think. 

Over the festive period alone, home burglaries increase by an average of 20%, with a usual spike of 25% after the clocks go back in October. 

With such an increase, Christmas is the most important time of the year for home security.

Today, the team at Monster Plumb are sharing our favourite Christmas home security tips to help you keep your family safe this festive season.

Heating of the home is essential during the colder months of the year and is easily delivered through central heating and radiators. But heat loss in the winter is a problem that many of us face here in the UK. It’s an issue that not only affects your wallet but our environment too. So how can you prevent heat loss in the home during those chilly days of winter? 

How Much Heat Is Lost?

Depending on your property, heat loss can differ per household. But according to The Green Age, up to 25% of heat can be lost through your roof, whilst 35% can escape through gaps in walls, windows and doors*.

Where Does It Escape? 

As mentioned above, the most common places for heat to escape from the home are roofs, windows, doors, walls and even through your floors too. 

What Causes Heat Loss?

There are several things which can lead to heat loss. Lack of insulation in walls and the loft, in-proper

Improving your home’s energy efficiency is vital when it comes to protecting both the planet and your wallet. From reducing heat loss in the home to installing energy-efficient appliances, there are a lot of different ways to make energy-saving home improvements that make a big difference to your energy bills. Here are our top 10 ways you can help improve energy efficiency in your home.

Install a smart home heating system

Smart home heating systems allow you to have full, accurate control over the heating in your home, ensuring no unnecessary energy is wasted.

One thing we’ve learned over the years is that it’s never too early to prepare for winter when it comes to pipes and boilers. Every year we are inundated with horror stories of homes being left without water and central heating due to freezing temperatures.  So, with winter just around the corner (sorry guys) this blog will advise on how to keep pipes from freezing, what to look out for and how to protect them.

What happens to pipes when they freeze?

If you’ve had the misfortune of frozen pipes, you’ll know it's always impeccably timed . . . during the morning rush, just before a night out or right as you’re due to have people over!  So what is it that causes pipes to freeze?  Well, as water freezes, it expands, which causes a build up of pressure which can ultimately lead to cracked, or worse, burst pipes.  

If ever there was a topic to ruffle plumbers feathers, it’s the age old debate of copper pipes vs plastic pipes.  Some swear by copper and its ability to stand the test of time, whereas others prefer the speed and ease of using plastic piping.  But which are best for your home?  Well, our team of experts are here to thrash it out.

Benefits of Plastic Piping?

Plastic piping is fast becoming the go to choice of modern plumbing and it’s not hard to see why with a range of benefits including:

While low surface temperature radiators (we’ll call them LST radiators for short) are nothing new to the heating industry. LST radiators have long served a purpose in protecting young, vulnerable and elderly adults from accidental burns for a number of years now, and have been a stipulation within many buildings such as hospitals, schools and care homes.  An outer casing provides a barrier between the person and the heating element, which maintains a much lower temperature of no more than 43°C, which is a considerable drop when compared against a standard radiator where the surface can reach a staggering 75°C.

So How Do LST Radiators Work? 

Much the same as conventional radiators, LST radiators use a convection heating system whereby air is pulled in through the bottom grill, it then travels up as it's heated and is then emitted from the

What if I told you that smart technology could secure your home with a few simple devices?  No clunky boxes, no mass of controls, just state of the art technology controlled by you, from virtually anywhere in the world, pretty impressive right?!  

Gone are the days of panic stricken thoughts as you jet off on holiday wondering if you’ve left the light, heating or washer on. With smart technology you can log in to any device that's connected to check, switch off or amend, giving you peace of mind wherever you are.  

So What Are Smart Devices And How Do They Work?

In today's fast paced society, convenience is everything, so it’s no surprise that connected technology is gathering momentum.  Your smart phone, your heating, your music, slowly but surely smart technology is beginning to filter into our

If the time has come to update your bathroom, then it’s possible that you will want to change your shower too, so if you’re considering the switch to a thermostatic shower then stick around and we’ll tell you all you need to know so you can install with confidence.

What Is A Thermostatic Shower And How Does It Work?

The thermostatic shower is a clever bit of kit that is fed by your hot and cold water supply through a thermostatic valve that maintains the perfect temperature as set by you.  The valve allows the system to mix both hot and cold water without the worry of any hot or cold spots, so there will be no sudden change in temperature should someone use a tap or flush the toilet elsewhere in the house!         

Thermostatic Shower vs Mixer Shower - What's The Difference?

If ever there was a trend that demands attention then its the industrial one, with exposed copper pipes taking precedence as a must-have feature.  But don’t be fooled, while copper pipework may look like it's been there for years with it’s established rustic charm, in actual fact keeping those pipes squeaky clean does require a little TLC.  

So for copper pipework that is worthy of it’s show home status, keep reading for 5 simple steps on how to keep the tarnish at bay.

What Happens When Metal Tarnishes?

While the appearance of slightly tarnished pipework may complement your decor beautifully, it’s worth noting that an ongoing build up of residue could do more harm than good if left untreated.  When metal is exposed to oxygen and sulphur in the air, a chemical bond occurs that reacts with the metal.  This reaction causes a

Smart heating has revolutionised the way we heat our homes.  No more shivering around cold radiators until they warm up, oh no, we can now activate our heating from any one of our devices on the go, so you can walk into a cosy home at the touch of a button.  

So if you’re dabbling with the idea of making the switch to smart home heating, then let us talk you through with this all you need to know guide before you make the jump.

What Is Smart Home Heating? 

Smart home heating is controlled by a smart thermostat that is connected to the internet enabling you to control the temperature of your home from pretty much anywhere as long as you have internet connection.  

Smart thermostats are different to smart meters, which are usually supplied