ThermaPureHeat is a completely chemical-free new process called Structural Pasteurization that utilizes clean, pure heat to kill mold and bug infestations of any size without harming pets, plants or people.

Used effectively in difficult infestations such as bed bugs, it leaves no residues or smell behind. The treated areas can be safely occupied right after the treatment by anyone, including pets and small children.

The process is also scalable: it can be applied to a whole house, to a single floor or even a single area or room and the concept is very simple. Giant heaters — 500,000 bpu each — blast hot air into the house until it reaches the desired temperature. Different infestations require different heat settings but the treatment will kill the mold or bug infestation, with the added bonus of killing many harmful bacteria and viruses as well.

Here’s a Discovery Channel Video about the process:

It’s important to remember your current location and the design and layout of your home. This plays a major role on the style and selection of energy-efficient windows you select for your home.

A family living in the northern region will need different windows than a family living in the southern region. The environment and climate conditions are entirely different, and windows will need to serve each purpose.

The windows you select should be purchased by the design of your home. The direction and size of the windows are more important than one would think.

In hot or heat dominated regions, windows facing south should be heavily glazed. This is done to make efficient use of solar heat during the cold and bitter winter months. The windows should also possess a solar heat gain co-efficient of more than .6 but a U-factor of less than .35 to assure heat transfer is reduced during the hot and humid summer months.

Those who live in cooling dominated regions should focus on the north-facing windows. It is a good idea to have the windows facing the south shaded by trees, bushes and porches to minimize the sunlight and heat. Tinted or reflective windows are not suggested for these climates. It has been suggested they reduce the SHGC and allow more heat in during the spring and summer months.

In the regions where temperature fluctuates higher, wooden frames should be avoided. This has been suggested because the materials have been known to expand and contract. Wood laminate window frames are a better option and maintain the same aesthetic appeal.

If you live in heat-dominated regions, glass-filled windows are the best choice. They provide better insulation and considerably reduce the U-factor. Tinted glass is popular and a good choice. The only downside to tinted glass is it can cause indoor plants to die due to the lack of sunlight.

Glaze glass is another good choice. They have multiple panes of glass. Such types of glass are recommended for cooler climate regions. However, the cost of double-pane or triple-pane windows is much higher than single-pain windows, but they last indefinitely and dramatically reduce cooling costs in the hot summer months.

Before making any quick decisions you should consider the variety of glass before buying energy efficient windows. This is what will determine the amount of energy you conserve. Whatever your choice may be, remember to always take into consideration the available options and select one that best fits your needs.

Article originally published here: http://www.homeremodelingct.org/connecticut-contractors/36-windows-doors/140-tips-for-purchasing-energyefficient-windows.htm

In general, homes with slanted roofs will use energy efficient metal or tile roofing materials.  Metal reflects sunlight and is very durable.  Tile is made of clay or concrete, both of which are sustainable and eco-friendly.  Often, tile roofing can have an additional energy efficient coating added.

For flatter roofs, membrane roofing can be expensive but it is long lasting and it installs quickly and easily.  Membrane roofing is common in commercial buildings more than private homes.  Sprayed-on polyurethane foam roofing is less expensive than membrane roofing and very resistant to leaks because there are no seams.  This is also used primarily in commercial buildings.
There are key terms to be aware of when deciding on an energy efficient roof.  Emissivity is the rate at which a material releases heat as it is absorbed.  Reflectivity is a number—the higher it is, the more the material reflects heat.  Insulation has to do with additional energy efficient weapons.  What lies beneath the roof now?  Will it work with any new roofing materials, or will it need to be changed?  Be aware that the right new roof may make you eligible for an energy efficient tax break.

“Energy Star” is an international program backed by several governments.  It assists individuals and businesses with protecting the environment by way of excellent energy efficiency.  Energy Star roofs meet the tough criteria that will save you money—and support the “green” cause.

You should get at least three estimates before deciding on a contractor for your new roof.  It’s a major home-improvement project.  Take time to consider not just the cost of materials and labor, but also the cost of maintenance.  Do you have a warranty?

Technology will keep producing state-of-the-art building materials that will lower demand on utilities and reduce chemical emissions, leading to cleaner air.  What’s better than a future where it costs less to have a healthy environment?  Take part in the green progression.  Be proud of playing a role in energy efficiency, and the money you’ll save doing it.

Energy Efficient Homes

Can you imagine a house that is able to warm itself without the need of a furnace or any separated heat contraption?  Paying less for your monthly electricity than you pay for a pizza?

The creators of German Passive Houses Project go beyond imagining it. They actually made it a reality and proved it is indeed  possible to have a home that is so energy efficient that you need no separate heating system to keep the house warm and there is no loss of comfort.

The Passive House is the world’s leading standard in energy efficient construction: Energy saved on heating is 80% compared to conventional standards of new buildings. The energy requirement for heating is lower than 10 to 20 kWh/(m²a) (depending on climate), adding up to a low cost of 10 to 25 € ($15 to $36 USD) per month.

For you to have an idea on how energy efficient those houses are, keep in mind that the average home in ths U.S. spends 40 kWh a day. Almost twice of what a passive house spends in a month!

According to the website, such efficiency is achieved through a combination of the following:

• Proper insulation methods
• Design without thermal bridges
• Air tightness
• Ventilation with heat recovery
• Proper comfort windows
• Innovative Heating Technology

This technology can be easily applied in new construction as well as existing buildings.

The next step? The Self-Sufficient Solar House, conceived by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy in Freiburg, Germany.

Controlling indoor pollutants

A few more weeks and summer will be over.  Outdoor furniture will be folded or put away, pools covered, and gardens prepared for a long winter nap. Our windows will be closed, and we will try to close, seal, insulate and caulk every air leak to protect our families from the bitter cold and maximize the efficiency of our heating appliances.

However, once all the windows are closed, another danger emerges: indoor pollution, which according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is 2 to 5 times worse than the outdoor pollution, and can aggravate asthma and allergy symptoms.

This article How to Detox Your House from Good Housekeeping magazine offers a step-by-step guide on how to control indoor pollution, detecting the main problem areas in the house and listing simple measures that can significantly improve indoor air quality during the winter months.

This Bob Vila article explains the ins and outs of tree landscaping. They write that carefully positioned trees can save up to 25% of a household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling. The U.S. Department of Energy also reported that the proper placement of just three trees will save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs annually! A well-planned landscape can reduce an unshaded home’s summer air-conditioning costs by 15% to 50%.  Trees help during the winter, too, by acting as windbreaks to protect your house from bitter, low-wind chill breezes.

This is also great for the environment.  Bob Vila writes, “Trees and vegetation control erosion, protect water supplies, provide food, create habitat for wildlife, and clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.”

Planting trees is a relatively affordable and easy way to gain long-term protection of your house.  Not only do trees provide privacy, but they can save you some money on your energy bills!

Saving money

The Baltimore Sun’s Home and Garden session this week brings us a nice article, listing some easy (and fairly inexpensive) home improvements that will help you save a lot of money in utilities, cut energy use, and make the house more energy efficient.

Cut energy use, make your home efficient with easy steps — baltimoresun.com.

There is, however, a single great improvement the article fails to mention: crawl space encapsulation.

For homes with dirt or concrete crawl spaces, this process is proven to make the whole house on average 18% more energy efficient and improve indoor air quality by protecing the crawl space against moisture and related problems such as mold, rot, dust mites and structural decay.

While newer homes were being built more and more eco-friendly, retrofitting an existing home  just to make it more energy efficient was something very few would consider. Environmentally responsible technologies were scarce, and not exactly cost effective.

But, all of that has changed.  Today, there is a myriad of green remodeling solutions for just about every application. From home finishes, insulation and sealing to energy-efficient appliances, and green heating and cooling technologies.

In addition, the economic downturn, the housing slump and the energy crisis are slowly changing the way we think about green technologies. Implementing them is no longer only the responsible thing to do to preserve resources and save the planet’s future. Going green is actually the smart thing to do today because it allows you and your family to live better, more comfortably and for much less money.

In other words, homeowners begin to understand that going green pays off. How much?

This article explains how much, helps you understand the ratings used by the industry to rate the efficiency of different solutions, and shows you exactly how much you can save by adopting them.

Improvements such as replacement windows, insulation and sealing, as well as upgrades on heating and cooling systems are eligible for the tax credit. The adoption of energy-saving technologies such as geothermal heat pumps, solar water heating, small wind generators and photovoltaic systems is also eligible.

If you are planning an energy-efficient remodel, this  New York Times interview with Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit group that advocated some of these credits, will help answer many of your questions you might have and show you the ways in which you can take advantage of these incentives.

Begin at Home
Money saving tips can be utilized all over your home. The Simple Dollar has a number of great tips to help you stick to your budget. Want to save money on weekends? Invite friends over rather than going out all the time. For the amount of money it would cost to get food and drinks at a restaurant or bar, you could serve a group of friends at your home for much less!

Do you collect something? If your collection has become something that is more out of habit than something that brings you joy, a good money saving tip might be to ease up on it. Maybe put this hobby on hold temporarily until your financial situation has more wiggle room, or even just limit yourself to how much you collect. However, the Simple Dollar warns against cutting out things that you feel strongly about and have a lot of meaning to you, as you’ll have a greater chance of relapsing.

Change Shopping Habits
Oftentimes, a trip to the mall can be viewed as a form of entertainment. However, if every time you leave the mall you’re carrying several shopping bags, it may be time to find some other way to pass the time.

There are few greater temptations then walking through a shopping mall with plastic in your wallet. To keep yourself from spending more than you should, Simple Dollar recommends leaving the credit cards at home and only bringing enough cash as you’ll need. When you’re going shopping, make a list and stick to it. You’ll be less likely to splurge on other items that way. Also, if you’re questioning whether you should make a purchase, use the 30-day rule. Typically, the urge to buy something passes after 30 days.

Article originally published here: http://www.totalbasementfinishing.com/basement-finishing/basement-finishing-ideas/articles/money-saving-tips%3A-make-the-most-of-what%27s-in-your-home