All walls need some kind of insulation otherwise you’re risking a loss of heat in your home through cool drafts, thermal leakage, or actual condensation and damage along the inside of the wall itself. By adding this barrier between your walls, you will be able to reduce drafting, dust build-up, noise pollution, and the temperature on your thermostat, creating savings on your utility bill. However, if you live in an older house with no pre-existing form of interior padding, then your best option is blown-in insulation. Unlike the common batting which is often installed in walls as the original construction is being performed, this loose fill material is literally pumped into the pre-existing wall through a small opening made by your contractor.

Water flowing in pipes can cause all kinds of weird noises. We all know what water running through a pipe sounds like, but what about some of those other plumbing sounds – like creaks or cracking sounds, rattling, whistling and the most annoying or scary of them all, that loud banging noise? Let’s look at what causes those sounds and how you can fix them.

Creaks or a cracking sound
These are usually caused by the expansion and contraction of the water pipes themselves. As hot water runs through a pipe, it naturally heats the pipe, causing it to expand slightly. Once the water stops flowing, the pipe cools and the metal contracts, resulting in the creaking or cracking sound. The easiest way to fix this is to put some insulation around the pipe, or if the pipe is running through a tight fitting hole in the wood framing, cut a notch in the framing so the pipe can expand and then contract without that creaking sound.

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These 19 tips, from easiest (and cheapest) to hardest, will help you save money by going green, this year and for years to come. Don’t delay: Winter’s coming, and lucrative federal tax incentives won’t last forever.

1. Dodge the Draft(s)
2. Change Furnace Filters
3. Run Fans in Reverse
4. Winterize Your A/C and Water Lines
5. Turn Down Your Water Heater
6. Install Storm Doors and Windows
7. Give Your Heating System a Tune-Up
8. Mind That Thermostat
9. Put Up Some Plastic
10. Use an Energy Monitor
11. Use Caulking and Weatherstriping
12. Put on a Sweater
13. Boost Insulation
14. Insulate Your Pipes
15. Seal Those Ducts
16. Take Advantage of Tax Credits
17. Choose the Right Contractor
18. Get Creative and Go Alternative
19. Upgrade to an Efficient Furnace

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Electric heaters are the most popular way to warm rooms not only in United States, but across the globe. People use electric heaters to warm their homes and offices because they are convenient and efficient; all you need to do is plug it into an electric outlet and it will start providing you instant warmth. The ample varieties in design as well as capacities offer plenty of options to a buyer. However if they are not used correctly, they may be unsafe and not efficient. Here are a few tips on how to use electric heaters wisely.

Don’t leave an electric heater unattended while in use. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, electric heaters account for 40% of the deaths and 30% of the injuries each year in the United States that are heating related. Even with safety features, electric heaters may catch fire if used for long hours without supervision, or something near heater may catch fire after long exposure to the heat.

Use only as directed. Place the electric heater on a level, flat surface. Use the heater on a tabletop, only if the manufacturer permits it. If you place it on furniture, it could fall and be damaged or cause fire or injury. Do not use electric heater in a damp or wet area unless designed for use in bathrooms or the outdoors.

Keep children and pets away from an electric heater. Children may put their hand on a hot electric heater and can burn themselves. Pets could knock the unit over or could also be injured.

Use it when you need it. Electric heaters take less time to warm an area, so when you don’t need it on, turn it off. Some electric heaters include a thermostat that maintains the temperature you set. By keeping this tip in mind, you will not only save on electric bills but will also save energy.

Get it inspected by an expert regularly. This ensures that all electricity points are working correctly and helps prevent any injuries or fires. Get the electric heater repaired if there is a problem.

These suggestions will not only help you use electric heaters safely but will also reduce the costs on your electric bill.

Being passive isn’t always a bad thing, especially when it’s passive solar heating and cooling. The idea behind passive solar is to design buildings that take advantage of natural heat from the sun in winter; and shade and wind and in the summer. Although the concept has been used in many cultures for centuries, passive solar design principles recently have been refined a great deal, even since the 1970s.

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When the cold nights are too much to handle, a woodstove or fireplace is a great investment. But don’t forget to keep your chimney well maintained, or your heating system will be much less efficient–even hazerdous. This section is dedicated to the maintenance of chimneys and will give you all the information you need about flues and water damage.

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These recommendations depend actually on the height and size of the room; the season; and the activity taking place in the room.

The basic fact of nature is that warm air rises to the top and cold air settles on the bottom. Air settles in layers from warm at the top to cold at the bottom, if left alone at equilibrium.

Ceiling fan recommendations:

In the winter
Set the fan to run counterclockwise (reverse; this looks clockwise as you are looking up). This will redirect the warm air from the ceiling and down the walls and into the living space where the people actually are. In a house, you would run the fan at a low speed so that you don’t actually cool the warm air that you are moving downward. If you have a high ceiling, or are trying to heat a hall or a church, you may want to increase the fan speed so that the warm air will reach the living space as long as the fan speed does not create an unwanted downdraft at the people below.

In the summer
In a room of normal height (8 – 10 ft), you should operate your fan so that it turns clockwise (this looks counterclockwise as you are looking up), causing a more directed downdraft, especially with the fan running slightly faster. This causes a wind-chill effect because the skin evaporates slight amounts of water from the sweat glands and thereby provides cooling through the skin’s surface. However, the air is only moved but not cooled! You may find that you can turn your thermostat down a degree or two and save more money on energy costs. The air blowing down won’t actually cool the room though, so you should turn the fan off when there are no people (or animals) in the room.

In a high hall or church
It may be best NOT to run the fans at all in summer. This lowers the demand for cooling since the hot layer on top is an excellent insulation between the cool air near the floor (and the people) and the hot roof and outside.

A large, tall manufacturing hall would typically have different goals. There one would have a floor full of heat producing machinery plus the people operating it, working hard and welcoming a bit of a breeze. Then it would make sense to run the fans at fairly high speed to create a certain and directed downdraft. And with the shifts going throughout the days of the week, the fans should be running all the time and maybe in all seasons.

Finally, fans typically use 80-100 watts. When used properly, ceiling fans can really help to optimize the comfort level of the people and save energy and money.

Source: WikiAnswers

A fireplace is an attractive addition to any space. It adds warmth and style and it’s a great focal point. What if you only have a small space for a fireplace? Or what if your room is oddly shaped? That’s all right, as today’s fireplaces are available in various sizes to accommodate different room sizes and budgets. Corner gas fireplaces are available in direct vent, vent free or natural vent and usually come with either wood or marble mantels.

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