CR Smith Blog

If the weekend’s wild weather hit you, unfortunately, the weather forecast is for more wind and rain to come, http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/edinburgh-east-fife/more_wind_and_rain_to_come_1_1987641

The worst of the westerly winds blew gusts of over 70 miles an hour causing problems from Edinburgh to the Cairngorms, while heavy rain lashed many parts of Scotland. Such weather can expose failings in a home’s winter defences.

If you’re in need of a few tips to keep out the wet and windy weather and keep energy bills down, CR Smith has a few suggestions:

Top energy saving tips to see the family through the winter

• Cure draughty windows with http://www.crsmith.co.uk/repairs/locks,-handles-and-hinges If you are having problems opening or closing your doors, you may not need a new door, just a simple adjustment can often return your door to its original working condition.
• Before winter sets in, check your gutters.   Clear out vegetation and other debris to ensure that the coming rain and melting snow is guided away from your windows, walls and foundations. If the guttering and the brackets attaching it to your home are deteriorating, the snow can cause extensive damage so maybe it’s time to replace them.
• Close off empty rooms to keep the rooms being used warmer.
• If some of your windows are not CR Smith Lorimer UPVC windows, http://www.crsmith.co.uk/windows/lorimer-upvc-windows/ heavy curtains help to keep the heat in and the cold air out. Alternatively, look at the energy savings you can make by installing uPVC double glazed windows.
• If you’ve not already done so, it’s time to insulate your loft.
• Invite friends over, rumour has it that a single guest is the equivalent of a 175 watts heater.  The more the merrier… or warmer! http://greenlivingideas.com/2008/01/31/winter-energy-conservation-tips-for-the-home/
• Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent and typically saves around £60 per year. If you have a programmer, set your heating and hot water to come on only when required rather than all the time.
• Use a hot water bottle to warm the bed up, rather than an electric blanket!

“The latest energy price rise comes into effect this Thursday (10 November) when EDF Energy raises its prices by 15.4% or £101 for gas and 4.5% or £21 for electricity. Energy bills have rocketed over 2011, so if you’ve not got round to looking at energy efficiency at home, now is the time to do so.”

CR Smith will be at the Royal Highland Show this week (Thursday 23^rd June to Sunday 26^th June) where we will be launching new products including Solar PV. We would love for you to come and visit us at the stand and if you are interested in any of our products there will be a special show offer available.

All the political parties have recognised the need to put jobs for young people high up on the agenda. Youth unemployment stats released last month show the numbers rising and there is widespread fear that a generation could be lost to under-achievement and poverty.

But can we believe their manifesto promises?

The report from Glasgow University’s Centre for Public Policy for Regions is a shot across the bows for all the parties to come clean with voters. The academics can’t make the numbers stack up and the politicians are loath to give any sort of detail behind their grand statements.

Where the future of our young people is concerned I would like to see all politicians explain exactly how their plans are going to work as a matter of urgency.  Speaking as an employer, I would like to understand where the jobs for all the apprenticeships promised are going to be found? How additional training is going to lead to real jobs? And how funds are to be used to support employers and students?

Voters should be given detail, not headline grabbing numbers. The Herald

Gerard Eadie CBE, Chairman of CR Smith acknowledged that even though times were tough, he was “enjoying the challenge” of ensuring that the upvc windows, doors and conservatories company beats the impact of the recession. He said:
“CR Smith operates in a very tough market and current economic conditions have seen sales slow, but we have always taken a very positive approach to our business and we are investing in what makes us strong and distinctive – our product and our presence.
“We’ve worked hard to develop the business, develop our products and get the pricing structures right. As a result, we’ve seen enquiry levels shoot up, proving that the desire for purchase and the underlying market is still there.
“We’re enjoying the challenge.”

CR Smith, Scotland’s leading upvc windows, doors and conservatories company has reported strong results, despite difficult trading conditions in the property and home improvements markets.
For the year ending 31st March 2010, sales were reported at £18m with profits at £135,000.
While the figures are understandably down on the previous year, the accounts lodged at Companies House on Monday, 28 February 2011 also reflected a major capital investment programme undertaken by the family business which has continued into 2011.
In the year reported, CR Smith invested over £562,000 in tangible fixed assets, principally on its show complex and IT. In the current financial year, the company has invested over £600k on new vehicles, including Mercedes vans and trucks as part of an ongoing investment plan. All funding has been through existing cash held in the business without the need for bank borrowings. At the 2010 year end, the company had no bank borrowings.
The investment programme has seen the expansion of the company’s ‘Factory Direct’ service and upvc cladding products. CR Smith is also planning a significant investment in its Cowdenbeath manufacturing plant.
The company, which has been owned by Gerard Eadie for nearly 35years, continues to recruit and currently employs nearly 350.