Rock Wool Insulation
With winter here - as well as the heating bills - it's important to understand how a home uses its energy. In particular, it helps to understand how
your home uses its energy. Essentially, there are two different ways: efficiently and inefficiently. If your home isn't up to snuff in its energy efficiency, you'll want to keep reading this article. It won't only save you headaches, it will save you money.
One of the first principles in energy efficiency is keeping the energy you're producing, and this is often done through insulation. Much of the energy your home is using is for generating heat. If you're losing heat to the outside world all the time, then your energy bills are going to stay sky-high. You'll essentially be using more energy to keep the same amount of heat other people have. If your home is old, it will help to check the insulation you have in your walls, learn about crucial points in which you can save much of your heat, and learn ways to test for "heat leaks."
Consider installing more energy-efficient windows and doors to amp up your home's ability to insulate, as well. If you're buying a home, ask about having these installed right off the bat.
Another way to change how energy efficient you keep your home is to purchase equipment that will simply use less energy off the bat. New, modern heaters, air conditioners, and washers/dryers will be able to do much of the same job using less energy, helping you save on your monthly bills. Of course, these appliances can cost a heavy sum upfront, so it might take a keen eye for shopping and perhaps a bit of sacrifice in order to make your home energy-efficient. Key appliances like refrigerators, washers/dryers, water heaters, and dishwashers are some of the appliances to think about. If you want to upgrade to a more energy-efficient appliance, you might consider selling the old one, as well, in order to offset the costs.
Optimizing your home's insulation and the equipment that use energy are great places to focus on reducing your energy uses. You can also use conservation as a way to stave off your energy usage, but if you want to maintain your lifestyle with less energy, you can do that, as well. For many people, simply utilizing both strategies reduces the most energy use possible.
Photo Credits: iLoveButter
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Posted by Fix Handyman on January 26, 2010 in
Energy, Handyman, House, How to Fix
Cold showers?
If you're like me, you don't particularly like that first few minutes of taking a shower when the water is running and you're waiting for it to warm up. You'd rather simply jump right in, not waste any water, and get the shower over with so you can move on with your day. If you're sick of wasting water and wasting time - even if it's just a few minutes, a quick fix on your cold shower head can improve the quality of your life. Even if it's just those few minutes each day!
Here are a few tips to fixing that cold shower head and getting your next shower to be warm in an instant.
- Take a shower after you use water elsewhere. If you're really short on ideas but need to take a quick, warm shower, try this: shower in "batches." That is, take a shower right after someone else in the morning. Their usage of the water will ensure that it's warm for you right away, and you'll be able to climb right in without missing a beat. Just make sure that you don't wait at the door until they're finished! (One note: You don't only have to wait until someone else takes a shower. If someone is using hot water from the same water heater your shower uses, keep in mind that it could be a great time to take a shower if you need it.
- Install a tankless water heater. If you want to spend a few bucks so you don't have to wait until someone else has used hot water, but you don't want to break your bank account, either, try and install a tankless water heater. What is a tankless water heater? Quite simply, they are water heaters that work locally to cover some of your bathrooms - in other words, it's a water heater that doesn't heat up your whole house. This can be great for bathrooms if you have a family that needs hot water in the mornings but at different times. It's also less expensive than simply purchasing an entirely new water heater.
Like so many aspects of home improvement, fixing your cold shower head starts by looking at your problem from its cause. You really can enjoy hotter showers if you use a little imagination and get proactive with your home improvement.
Photo Credits: sburke2478
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Posted by Fix Handyman on October 6, 2009 in
Bathroom, Shower, home repair
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