HowardSurviving the Real Estate Bubble
September 16th 2006 12:33
Here is some advice on energy conservation from my friends at www.biogreenlife.com go for the green
August 28, 2006
Energy Conservation Tips from Your Local Realtor
Updated August 16, 2006
Real estate people can be annoying, and they’re always trying to raise home prices, but they can have some interesting advice. A survey of websites and blogs show some advice for energy conservation in your home.
In the summer, keep your thermostat at 78 degrees F. It is really not that uncomfortable, and some people can be comfortable even with a temperature of 80- F. Turn off your air-conditioning when you are not home, especially on hot days. With the strains on the existing power system, if thousands of people turn off their air-conditioning when they’re at work, that can be the difference between whether or not there is a black-out. That’s more than an energy conservation issue, that’s a public safety issue.
During the cold weather, here’s a tip for energy conservation. Add some extra insulation for your attic, especially if your home was built before 1980. If you go to the energystar.gov website, you’ll get all sorts of ideas for insulation. You can buy sheets of polyurethane, or even call up a contractor who can literally blow in plastic foam for insulation. It is recommended to have 9 inches of insulation in your attic, or a rating of R-30. Insulate hot water pipes and ducts when running through unheated areas.
Another cold weather tip is to buy a humidifier to make your house feel warmer in the winter. You know about all those heat-indexes you hear when you get the temperature on a weather report, but it works the same way in your home. If it’s 68 degrees, with a humidifier it can feel at least 5 degrees warmer.
Open the shades and let the sun in, it’ll help you warm up. Close them at night to keep the warm air in. Also, 68 degrees in the winter is usually tolerable for the average person.
Don’t leave the hot water tap dripping. Turn off lights and heaters when leaving a room, or close air ducts. Save dishes and clothes washing until you have enough of them dirty for a full load.
Go back to that energystar.gov website, to get a list of ideas and recommendations to fix your windows. Tremendous amounts of heat can flow literally out the window on cold days. Replace single-paned windows with double or triple-paned windows. You can also put storm windows on, which may be cheaper, and attach a long piece of clear plastic tightly to the windows.
Don’t forget to use sealants and caulking to seal off any obvious drafts you have in your home. Other places that leak air, are your air-conditioners. If possible, remove them from the window during the winter months. If not, you must cover them, because air travels through your air-conditioner, even when it’s not on. Check for cracks around your air-conditioning and tape on some insulation to seal up the cracks.
Change your furnace filters frequently. Make sure your furnace and radiators are operating properly.
energystar energy conservation humidifier insulation
Tags: Green Technologies
Bookmark this post at:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
Copyright 2006, New Media Publishing.
August 28, 2006
Energy Conservation Tips from Your Local Realtor
Updated August 16, 2006
Real estate people can be annoying, and they’re always trying to raise home prices, but they can have some interesting advice. A survey of websites and blogs show some advice for energy conservation in your home.
In the summer, keep your thermostat at 78 degrees F. It is really not that uncomfortable, and some people can be comfortable even with a temperature of 80- F. Turn off your air-conditioning when you are not home, especially on hot days. With the strains on the existing power system, if thousands of people turn off their air-conditioning when they’re at work, that can be the difference between whether or not there is a black-out. That’s more than an energy conservation issue, that’s a public safety issue.
During the cold weather, here’s a tip for energy conservation. Add some extra insulation for your attic, especially if your home was built before 1980. If you go to the energystar.gov website, you’ll get all sorts of ideas for insulation. You can buy sheets of polyurethane, or even call up a contractor who can literally blow in plastic foam for insulation. It is recommended to have 9 inches of insulation in your attic, or a rating of R-30. Insulate hot water pipes and ducts when running through unheated areas.
Another cold weather tip is to buy a humidifier to make your house feel warmer in the winter. You know about all those heat-indexes you hear when you get the temperature on a weather report, but it works the same way in your home. If it’s 68 degrees, with a humidifier it can feel at least 5 degrees warmer.
Open the shades and let the sun in, it’ll help you warm up. Close them at night to keep the warm air in. Also, 68 degrees in the winter is usually tolerable for the average person.
Don’t leave the hot water tap dripping. Turn off lights and heaters when leaving a room, or close air ducts. Save dishes and clothes washing until you have enough of them dirty for a full load.
Go back to that energystar.gov website, to get a list of ideas and recommendations to fix your windows. Tremendous amounts of heat can flow literally out the window on cold days. Replace single-paned windows with double or triple-paned windows. You can also put storm windows on, which may be cheaper, and attach a long piece of clear plastic tightly to the windows.
Don’t forget to use sealants and caulking to seal off any obvious drafts you have in your home. Other places that leak air, are your air-conditioners. If possible, remove them from the window during the winter months. If not, you must cover them, because air travels through your air-conditioner, even when it’s not on. Check for cracks around your air-conditioning and tape on some insulation to seal up the cracks.
Change your furnace filters frequently. Make sure your furnace and radiators are operating properly.
energystar energy conservation humidifier insulation
Tags: Green Technologies
Bookmark this post at:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
Copyright 2006, New Media Publishing.
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