allaboutwomen

Having just received a home fuel bill that would pay off the national debt of a small Central African republic, I'm all up for energy saving ideas.

We have double glazing and all the insulation we could ever need and having waded through all the price comparison sites on the weekend, once you get down to the basic idea of paying monthly by direct debit, there's little between the providers. It's the actual unit cost of electricity and gas which is the problem, not the way you pay your bills.

So it's a matter of finding alternatives. Solar heating has been around a while and is gaining ground as its price drops, as is the use of photo-voltaic cells for electricity. And for big projects, like the billionaires' block of flats at One Hyde Park, the use of ground source heating through geo-thermal pumps is also being introduced.

But what if you could find something completely different to keep your home warm? Like the heat generated from an incinerator as it burns dead bodies?

Don't laugh, it could become a reality as Redditch Borough Council in Worcestershire is looking to save a massive £14,500 of its annual bill for heating the local swimming pool by plugging into a nearby crematorium.

Greener way of heating the pool

And why not? The heat generated, which reaches 800 degrees Celsius (1472F) is currently just heating the atmosphere. So it's certainly a greener way of heating the pool albeit a little spooky.

I imagine it will help a few leisure swimmers to cut their lap times significantly just so they can get out of the water.

One local undertaker says people may flinch at the idea of swimming in a pool heated by the warmth created as their loved one is committed to the eternal flame. From an undertaker, I find this squeamishness a little out-of-character, particularly when his role faces a whole new dimension and he'll become like the coal-man of days gone by.

One in four workers are unhappy in their job and would not recommend their employer, while many others are only motivated by spiralling debt, a new report has claimed.

A survey of more than 1,000 office employees showed that most were less happy than a year ago, with spending cuts, the economic climate and the change of government all blamed for the dip in morale.
Staff in finance and law were the unhappiest workers, according to the study by recruitment firm Badenoch & Clark.

Heidi Waddington, associate director at Badenoch & Clark, said: "The relative decline of happiness in the workplace over the past year can be attributed to a number of factors. The VAT rise, inflation and the recession are all hitting workers hard. Longer hours and lack of job security mean that happiness at work is remarkably low.

"Economic uncertainty over the past year has put tremendous pressure on employees. This trend is particularly evident in professional services, which has resulted in heightened intensity in the workplace and increasingly poor morale.

"It is important that organisations foster an environment where their employees are able to develop a strong sense of self worth. Failure to do so may result in loss of talent, which in turn will lead to loss of potential revenue.

"Our findings demonstrate that happiness is high on the agenda for many UK workers and is emerging as the critical business issue of our time."