Here’s a great list of tips you can use as a check list of “to-do” items this winter. Install extra insulation. Install plastic sheets on windows requiring extra protection from the wind (kits are widely available at hardware stores or home centers). Add weather stripping around doors if necessary....
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No Cost Energy Solutions
There are lots of things you can do in and around the house to help save on energy that cost little or nothing. Here are a few ideas for you to try. Thermostat temperature control. A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal...
Dryer Fires
Be safe with your dryer. In 1997, according to the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission, there were 16,800 residential fires reported and responded to by fire departments where the source of the fire was the clothes dryer or vent. These fires caused $97.3 million in damage, 430 injuries,...
Spring Checklist
Here’s a great checklist to follow every spring to be sure your home is in great shape and your family is safe. Replace your furnace filter. Clean the kitchen exhaust hood and air filter. Check your electrical system. Always have a multi-purpose fire extinguisher accessible. Make sure the light...
Dishwashers
Shopping for a dishwasher? Think about one with a stainless-steel tub. Many dishwasher manufacturers now make–or are introducing–models that have durable stainless-steel tubs. These can’t compete in price with models utilizing plastic tubs, but they are quieter, easier to maintain and more efficient during drying cycles because the metal...
Cleaning Your Gutters
Clean your gutters. During a rainstorm, gutters route runoff from a very large surface–a home’s roof-to where it can drain away from the house. By doing so, they protect siding, windows, doors, and foundations from water damage and help prevent flooding in basements. To do their job, gutters and...
Ice Dams
They may make for a pretty winter scene, but ice dams are damaging. Ice dams occur when a snow-covered roof over the attic is warmer than the eaves—the overhang of a roof. If the roof is warm, it will cause the snow to melt and run under snow along...
Energy-Saving Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs
Change a light bulb, save energy. Simply by using one 13-Watt Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL) in replacement of one 60-Watt incandescent light bulb, not only would you have prevented a significant amount of toxins from pouring into our environment, you will save money. Even though they are often...
Ozone
Ozone generators are not air cleaners. Have you been approached by sales people or seen a marketing ad stating that their air cleaning machine makes “activated oxygen” or refreshes the air “like a thunderstorm”. These terms give an impression that breathing ozone is good. In reality, the opposite is...
Geothermal Heat Pumps
Are geothermal heat pump worth the cost? Short answer: YES. Recently a client of mine asked me about the basics of Geothermal Heat Pumps (also known as ground source heat pumps). While the initial expense associated with the installation is about twice (or more) than a typical air to...
