Save Energy, Gas, Money and More With Your Home Improvements

by: Jim AmesHigh gas prices at the pumps and higher utility and other bills all adds up one thing. It’s time to think more and more about conservation and savings efforts, especially with your home improvements. Here are some tips to help you get more and use and spend less:

? Your shower – Take a shower over a bath and upgrade your shower head to an energy saver model. You will use less water in a shower then you will by taking a bath. That means less hot water usage and in turn less energy to heat the water. Bath tubs take a huge amount of water to fill up, leaving you with much more energy needs. That is unless you happen to take very long showers and in that case, try to cut down on the length of your shower for sheer improvement in your energy bills quickly.

? Laundry – When washing clothing, consider washing in the coldest setting allowable for the fabric and look into replacing your current model washer and dry with energy efficient units for long term savings and conservation. This also means no over dry clothing; set your timer to alert you as soon as the laundry is dry rather than when the timer ticks on. Plus only wash clothing in full loads. Smaller loads just waste water and money in energy. You may also want to consider new detergents that claim to be able to wash your laundry with just as much benefit in cold water.

? Your cooking habits – The way that you cook also makes a difference. In the summer, use the outdoor or indoor grill to keep the heat from the oven out of the home. In the winter, back breads and make dinner around the middle to late afternoon when it is the coldest. This will help to keep up your home. Your cook top should also be used more often then your oven as it uses less energy to work. Look at energy ratings on your cooking alliances and grills.

? To conserve automotive fuel, start by checking the air pressure in your tires. If your tires are not filled correctly, you will not get the most mileage for your vehicle. If they are under or over filled, you could be wasting money. If you are not sure, check your owner’s manual for specifications. Check your tires at least once per week. And before you head out for home improvement projects, check around first and find your hammer, duct tape and other materials before you buy more. You may find what you need around the house without wasting gas and time running around town.

? Change your oil regularly, per your manufacturer’s guidelines. Doing this regularly will allow you to get the highest function from the vehicle including in gas savings.

? Drive correctly. Do not step on the gas pedal hard. Ease into speed. Drive at the speed limit which has been created to help you to save gas. If you drive quickly and start quickly, the vehicle needs to use more fuel and that wastes money in your pocket.

? Most experts agree that there is little fuel savings from more expensive qualities of fuel. Stick to the lower costing product unless your vehicle specifies a higher quality is a must.

? Driving with the windows up or down does not matter as much as having the air conditioning on full blast. Even on the freeway, keeping your windows down and the air conditioning off is much more cost effective.

You can easily add these into your every day usage and see benefits right away from doing so. Energy conservation does not have to be hard or challenging, but should be smart.

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Masters Touch Offers Homeowners Key Ways to Save Energy This Winter

by: Steve DubinDATELINE:  MEDFIELD, MA…                                                          

Replace your windows.  If the windows in your home are 15 years old or more, chances are they are not very efficient.  At least 30 percent of heat in your home is lost through the windows.   Even if your home was built in the 80’s, it’s time to replace the windows.  There are certainly more energy efficient windows on the market than those available 20-plus years ago. 

Replace your doors.  Amazingly enough, many people will replace all their windows and save creaky old doors.  The same rule that applies to windows, applies to doors that are 15 years old.  Consider replacing your main front door and back door; the doors to the basement, and the door between your home and the garage.

Inspect and install insulation.  Have all your visible insulation inspected to make sure it is installed correctly and that there is enough.  And if you have an old home that doesn’t have any insulation between the inner and outer wall, by all means hire an insulation company and have some installed soon!

Check your heating system.  It’s imperative to have your heating system checked annually.  Contact a local company to service your burner and consider an upgrade if it is an old system.  The technician who performs the service can make recommendations.

Replace all your thermostats.  Replace all your thermostats with digital, programmable units and set them to lower the temperature at night or when you are not home during the day.  This will help to save on energy bills. 

Add Energy Efficient window treatments.  You can easily increase the R-value, or insulation value of your home by installing energy efficient window treatments throughout your house. From insulated and thermal shades to blinds, draperies and more, the right window treatments can prevent heat loss in during the winter as well as help block the heat from entering your home during the summer.

Add a pellet stove.  With the price of oil these days, consider a pellet stove or other alternative heating source.  A pellet or wood stove is much more efficient at generating heat than an open fireplace.

“Just one 275 gallon tank of oil can cost up to $1,300.  On average, homeowners with oil heat fill their tanks at least six times during the winter.  The costs for electric and gas have also increased significantly.  That being said, the fall is the time to incorporate measures to reduce those energy bills,” explained Doug Masters, founder of Masters Touch.

He continued, “The changes you invest in now should see you through at least the next 20 years and the cost of upgrading will be offset by rising energy costs.”

The Masters Touch

Masters Touch is a full service design/build and remodeling contractor.  With a team of more than 50, including architects, interior designers and project managers all working together, Masters Touch can handle all of a client’s home building or improvement projects and provide expert guidance to DIY folks.  The company was recently named #249 in the “2008 Top

500 Contractors List” in Qualified Remodeler magazine.                      

Masters Touch was founded by Doug Masters in 1997.  From high-end design and build projects; kitchen and bath renovations; exterior painting, roofing and siding projects to flooring, interior painting and decorating projects, Masters Touch caters to homeowners throughout the Metrowest area. 

Masters Touch is a Showcase Priority Dealer for Hunter Douglas and offers professional design and installation service.  The one-stop interior design and home improvement shop also offers Marvin and Harvey windows; six lines of custom and semi-custom cabinetry; over 150 types of granite and Corian countertops; paint; carpet; hardwood and tile flooring; home theater design and installation and much more.

The company offers written warrantees on all their work.  Masters Touch is located on Route 109 in Medfield, MA.  For more information contact 508-359-5900, e-mail info@masterstouchweb.com or visit masterstouchweb.com.

stopglobalwarmingtogether.com

Insulate Your Home and Save Energy

by: Art GibEnergy is being wasted in your home as you read this. Where is it going? Right through the walls! Even in well-insulated homes, heat escapes through the walls when it’s cold out, and heats comes in when it’s hot out.

A great way to experience this is by going from an insulated part of the home into a non-insulated part (the garage or attic perhaps?) during a hot summer month. Better yet, try it in California’s Death Valley where temperatures can soar into the 120′s. You’ll gain a rapid appreciation for California insulation technology.

When you’re done being cooked, take a look at your energy bills and your home’s insulation and see if there is some money that might be saved there. The more you can prevent your home’s heater or air conditioner from fighting against outdoor conditions, the more money you’ll save.

Help Me Conserve Energy in My Home!

As mention earlier, the less your home climate control systems have to fight the weather outside, the less they’ll work and the less energy they’ll use. In the next few paragraphs, we’ll discuss what you can do to ensure that warm air stays in the house during the winter months and hot air stays out during the summer months.

The first thing you want to do is make sure that your house isn’t “leaking.” Just like a car tire, having a hole in the house is bad. But unlike a car tire, instead of leaking air out, it’s going to let air in — and that’s exactly what we want to prevent.

Leaks occur most commonly around doors and windows. On a windy day, the large leaks can be easily found by simply running your hand around the frames of your doors and windows. For windows, you can often use silicone to seal around the frame. However, if your window has a hole in it, it’s time to replace it.

Single-pane windows are also very inefficient at keeping unwanted heat or cold outside where it belongs. If you have single-pane windows, consider replacing them with the double-pane variety.

Leaky doors can often be temporarily fixed with wads of insulation or by stuffing folded up newspapers in the cracks. The only problem with the latter solution is what to do when somebody knocks on the door or you need to get out and do some shopping.

Generally, replacing a leaky door is the best option for maximum efficiency.

And finally, to stop warm air from getting out (or vice versa depending on the time of year) make sure that your walls and ceiling are insulated.

Some residents that live in the warm (but not too warm) climate of Southern California might feel like there’s no need for insulating their home. However, even San Diego gets snow sometimes, so be sure to be ready with plenty of insulation for your California home.

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Carol Freyer asked:


How we live affects every aspect of the planet. We use fossil fuels at an unsustainable rate, and we’re polluting the rivers and skies with toxins that are produced by our vehicles, homes, and industries. The price of comfort and convenience is the planet itself. Things are not too late, however. Every change we make, such as recycling, driving fuel efficient vehicles, and reducing our usage of resources has a positive effect on the environment.

Alternative vehicles have been become much more accessible over the last few years. Either fuel efficient or battery operated, these vehicles are becoming part of the mainstream. They are attractive and practical, which makes them a viable alternative to traditional vehicles. Environmentally friendly housing options on the other hand, have been slower to catch on. Alternative housing is generally quite unique looking, and therefore intimidating to the average home buyer.

Thanks to their unique design and adaptability to environmentally responsible technologies, dome homes are the next generation of housing. While they may look strange at first, once you spend time in a dome home and see your energy bills drop, you will fall in love with this unique and revolutionary type of property.

Dome homes are a relatively new option on the housing scene. There are very few of these buildings in the country, but they are starting to get the buzz they deserve. They are among the greenest homes available on the market, making them the ideal housing alternative for the future. Dome homes represent a whole new wave in homebuilding.

Because of their arching shape and lack of barrier walls, energy flows throughout the entire space, thus requiring less energy to heat or cool the space.

There are fewer seams on the exterior of the building than in traditional stick-built homes, thereby reducing the amount of heat loss in the building.

Dome homes are made with concrete and steel rebar. This concrete is thoroughly insulated from the inside out, which allows the heat to be stored inside for use at a later date. Dome homes require only about half of the energy use as conventional homes. The isolating shell on the outside of the concrete keeps the temperature steady, which results in less temperature fluctuations inside the home.

Because these homes are built with energy efficiency in mind, many dome homeowners add solar panels and wind generators to their properties in order to cut down on the use of fossil fuels. In fact, many owners of dome homes live completely off the power grid. They have wells and independent power sources, so they are entirely self-sufficient.

We want our children and grandchildren to inherit a healthy world, not a dying one. While the problem may seem overwhelming, small things do make a difference. Switching to an eco-friendly car is one positive change that people can make fairly easily. Switching to an environmentally friendly home is another step that people can take in order to reduce energy use. If you’re on the market for a new home, why not consider choosing a home that is good for the environment? Why not choose a monolithic dome home?



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