Running taps has trickle effect on water

Insurance

Just one small tap running water all day amounts to the same amount of normal usage by nine homes, the council said. FBD said yesterday that its advice had been misinterpreted and it urged people to conserve water.
The same newspaper also reported this week that householders are ditching car insurance in a bid to cover household bills. More than one in 10 have cancelled a variety of different policies as they struggle to meet mortgage repayments and keep food on the table. Of those who have stopped paying for insurance, one in four of those has given up motor cover. Other insurance premiums that have been cancelled include life, travel, home and income protection policies.

Mortgages

The price of homes fell by 20pc last year according to the Irish Times. Large detached homes in the capital fell by the most dramatic amount, the survey carried out by the Irish Auctioneers and Valuers Institute found. The IAVI believe that the market is close to rock bottom but it will be well into next year before there is any sign of recovery. There was a slight pick up in activity in the last quarter of 2009, the paper reports but any major increases in property prices are "unlikely to materialise for some time yet". Residential rents have also dropped in Dublin and in Munster.

Banking

Enjoy the low interest rates while you can warns the London Independent. They're on the rise. Not in England, Europe or in the US - at least not yet - but China is now going to follow where Norway and Australian central banks have led. The newspaper says the Bank of China announced that it would increase the reserves that banks have to hold, the first such increase since June 2008. "That is not a headline increase in rates as such but it is a sign of things to come. China matters hugely. It is not only becoming the world's second-largest economy as it is now passing Japan, but it is also the world's largest source of savings." In any case, as any street corner economist knows, a rise is coming. The question is when?

Digital TV

Seems like the US arm of Setanta has been thrown a life line. The owners of Setanta Sports's pay television business in the United States have agreed to sell the company to Fox Sports International, a company that numbers media magnate Rupert Murdoch as a major shareholder. Setanta Sports refused to comment on the deal but deal according to the Irish Times is due to close this week. And on a personal note, though possibly not newsworthy to everyone, 24 is back next week. Jack Bauer finds another way to save the world by trying to prevent an assassination at a peace conference between America and Iran. Let's hope it's as engrossing as the last seven seasons - should be if the trailers are anything to go by! See more Jack Bauer antics below

Broadband

Kids spent the recent cold snap indoors glued to the internet according to a blog post we came across this week. Alpha Broadband a fixed wireless broadband provider in North Wexford said its traffic rose by 60pc during the recent snowy weather. Traffic has fallen back to more regular volumes according to the company now everyone is back to school. During the last big snow in '82, we just spent our time throwing snowballs, going downhill on makeshift toboggans and building snowmen until our hands were so numb with the cold they were sore. Ah nostalgia. Where would you be without it? (Incidentally, my kids were out in the snow building snowmen, going downhill on a makeshift toboggan and having snowball fights. But then, they are a bit young to use the internet yet. And yes, their hands went numb.)