Good Energy
Switch to a supplier who supplies electricity only from 100% renewable sources. Saving the planet can only be a good thing!
CORGI Consumers
Find a gas installer near you. Important information on safety and general gas use.
uSwitch
Find out if you are paying too much on your utility bills and save money! You can switch online, it's easy and a real eye opener.
Energy Linx
Compare your bills with other companies and see if you are being over charged. Very simple site. You can't change suppliers on this site.
First Imperial Plumbing
24 hour call out, there is a section on emergencies which gives you step by step instructions on how to turn of the water supply in case of a burst pipe etc...
Safe & Secure
Got an emergency? Need a plumber, glazier, electrician or locksmith then type in your phone number and they get straight back to you. No price quotes online, you have to wait for them to call you.
Matren
Directory of electricians in your area, covers the whole country.
SpareKeys
A brilliant idea, you give sparekeys your details and they hold on to a set of your keys, so if you are locked out you can call them 24/7 and they will sort you out! A yearly membership fee is only £29.00! Much cheaper than calling out a locksmith.
Master Locksmiths Association
Find a locksmith nationwide, but think about the fact that you're unlikely to have convenient internet access when you're locked out of your house.
hints-n-tips
Genius site that is full of amazing tips from people around the world who just email their hints and tips. A pretty basic design but really useful and fun.
Fishonline
Find out if the fish you're buying is sustainably caught. There are a depressing number of species on the 'fish to avoid' list.
Low-Impact Living Initiative:
You've heard about solar energy and biodiesel - but how do you get hold of them? The Low Impact Living Initiative has fact sheets to help. This website is a bit boring but very worthy.
Any Junk?
Great service to use for house clearances, garden waste, or any junk you want to get rid of. Only available in certain parts of London.
Freecycle
Find your local group to give away or exchange things you no longer want - and get stuff for free! It's can be tedious going through all the lists to find your local freecycle site
Centre for Alternative Technology
Learn to build your own eco-house at the Centre for Alternative Technology or just shop online in the green shop.
Ecojunk
Genius idea, they collect your junk and recycle a large percentage of it, the rest goes to charity . Only available in certain parts of London.
Recycle For London
If we all started recycling what a difference we would make to our precious planet. This site offers loads of help as far as how to recycle. When you read the figures on how much waste London alone produces a year it's very alarming.
Recycle now
Loads of tips on how to start recycling. Enter your postcode and find out how recycling works in your area and whether the council collect your recycled rubbish.
Graham and Green
Brilliant site with so many fantastic ideas for the home as well as presents. A real treasure trove.
Farrow & Ball
Wonderful paints and wallpaper, you can order samples. The site is so easy to use and has such a fantastic range. When ordering wallpaper make sure you are 100% certain of what you are buying as it is non-returnable.
Homebase
All the varied DIY and household stuff you'd expect. Looking at the website is almost as exhausting as going to Homebase
Fired Earth
Mouth watering products, from paint to furniture. Expensive.
SALVO
Excellent portal to many UK architectural salvage businesses and info on fairs plus details of forthcoming demolitions. It takes a long time to visit all the different websites
B&Q Online
B&Q online, great ideas at reasonable prices, you can shop online. Possibly TOO much choice.
DIYTOOLS
DIY persons heaven!! Loads of tools for sale, lots of discounts, well worth looking at. Not the prettiest site but that's not really the point. It's all about the tools!
Dulux
You can order colour swatches and calculate how much paint you will need to cover the area you are painting. Make up your own scrap-book with all the colours you want. Sadly you can't order the paint online.
HomeTips
Entirely dedicated to diy and home improvement, there are fantastic tips and advice as well as links to other sites.
Diy Fix It
Very easy to use this site explains how to do DIY in such a simple way that you will be able to take on most tasks, the graphics are fun too! Great tips. Some pages seem to be unavailable.
Screwfix Direct
Tools at trade prices, join their chat rooms to discuss power tools and builder stuff! If DIY is your thing then this could be your idea of paradise.
HANDLES Direct
Handles galore but unfortunately the website is not well organised. You have to look in several different places so it's difficult to see choices of handles side-by-side
HSS Hire
Hire tools, just enter your postcode to find out where the nearest store to you is. You can also open an account on line. They do deliver your hire equipment or you can pick it up.
Retail Junky
Loads of mad gadgets and gifts. Do you really need a smoking donkey or a Jesus action figure? If the answer is yes then this is the place for you.
Cath Kidston
Gorgeous and quirky products for every room in the house in signature Cath Kidston pastel and floral prints. Take care -your house might get so full of floral print knick-knacks that you have to move out and live in the Cath Kidston floral-print tent!
SCP Furniture
Stunning contemporary furniture. You can't buy online and many prices are not listed.
Europe by Net
Good: Buy contemporary designer furniture at discount prices
Bad: For a website selling high-end designer gear we think it should look more stylish.
The White Company
Superb bed linens and towels delivered to your door.
LAURA ASHLEY
Some truly gorgeous items to be found on here! Really easy site to use.
Conran Shop
Everything you need for chic urban living. Deep pockets required
Cologne & Cotton
Beautiful linens and the most divine selection of room fragrances and scented candles.
Muji Web
Organise your life! Buy all the fabulous Muji boxes and drawers online. For a company that specialises in products to organise your life the website is surprisingly confusing.
C.P. Hart
Cutting edge designer bathrooms but you can't find out the price of anything
Habitat
See all the latest funky Habitat stuff from home. You can't buy online.
Pussy Home Boutique
Funky house style items from sofas to cocktail sticks. Don't go overboard or your home could end up looking like a fashion student's gaff.
The Rug Company
See lots of lovely rugs at home and imagine how they would look in your room.
Wallace Sacks
Lovely cushions, vases and bits and bobs to jazz up your home.
John Lewis
Lots of super-useful John Lewis wares to buy online. Unlike Ocado, you can't choose a 2 hour delivery slot but are expected to hang around all day.
IKEA
Find out if the things you want are actually in stock at your local branch. No buying online - you still have to go to Ikea.
Heal's
Excellent range of modern furniture and useful home wares. Delivery times seem a bit vague.
Gardenseeker
Nifty site with a great guide to pruning shrubs and lists of garden centres and services nationwide. This is the work of a committed enthusiast.
The Urban Garden
Well-designed and interesting selection of garden accessories.
Garden Zone
A simple site with straightforward advice about growing organic vegetables and herbs.
The long list of a menu makes the page you want quite tedious to find.
English Nature
Gives guidance and factsheets on creating a nature garden. Great info but boring website. Needs more photos of plants and flowers.
Readersheds
You've heard of Readers Wives... see photos of other people's garden sheds. Everyone thinks their own shed is the sexiest.
Unflatpack
They will go to Ikea for you, deliver your order and then even put it all together - for a fee. Obviously if you order the Ikea meatballs or hotdogs they will probably be cold by the time they get to you.
The Clutter Clinic
Amazing service that comes and de-clutters your home, available in London, the south-east and Northern Ireland. The site is very well designed.
buy:time
Cash rich but time poor? Buy time provides helpers to do your shopping and organise your life. Mostly in London.
Primelocation
Search and compare many properties in your area, see photos and floorplans without wasting time traipsing out to properties that don't meet your needs. Just like a real estate agent, this website will show you properties that you didn't actually ask to see.
UpMyStreet
Get your neighbourhood profile- find out crime rates and how many of your neighbours have satellite tv - fascinating.
