Lou's Quick Tips

Get Your High School A New Paint Job!

Mon, 10 May 2010 06:10:30 -0500

Ace is taking submissions for a nationwide contest to award paint makeovers to a deserving high school in every state. Each winning school will get a $2,000 paint makeover along with a day of labor from community volunteers. Visit acehelpfulhands.com - write an essay and send in some photos or a video and maybe your school will get a helping hand from Ace!

Keep the Fireplace Safe

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:35:56 -0500

Think of the classic American home in the winter, and a few details pop into mind: a white picket fence, a welcome mat and a warm fireplace aglow.

In reality, the typical fireplace is far from a comfort zone. As it burns, even a modest-size fire sucks a lot of oxygen and heat out of your home. Then there's the safety factor. Burning logs release a flammable substance called creosote that can be extremely dangerous after building up on chimney walls.

Don't put out the fire just yet. You can take steps to make your hearth safe and inviting. Keep combustible materials at least three feet away from the firebox opening. Wood-burning fireplace chimneys should be swept once a year. Spread dropcloths in front of the fireplace, then extend long brushes on poles and a vacuum nozzle up the chimney to brush away the creosote. To be safe, shovel the ashes into a metal bucket in stead of paper bags or cardboard boxes so ashes won’t ignite. Or to find a qualified chimney sweep go to The Chimney Safety Institute of America at www.csia.org.

Of course, you could just take the radical approach. I recently installed a gas-log kit. One advantage is I no longer spend 20 minutes lighting a fire with unseasoned wood while smoke and soot belches into the house. An even bigger advantage is my wife, who rarely started the fire before, now switches on the fireplace all the time. Coming home on cold winter evenings, I won’t see that puff of smoke outside, but I am greeted by all the warmth and romance of a fire glowing within.

Test Before You Paint

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:33:30 -0500

Painting is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to change the look of a room. But choosing a color for your walls can be daunting. Now you can test drive wall colors for as little as $3.99. In the past after you narrowed your color search the clerk at the paint store would mix you a few quarts to take home and try out. At an average price of $10.00 a quart you could spend $50-$100 on cans of paint that would never see the light of day. Now almost all makers of paint have color samples in 3-4 ounce containers. These samples offer you just the right splash of color to help you make the right color choices for your home.

Lou's Top 10 Energy Saving Tips

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:18:51 -0500

Service your heating system every year. It's the best money you'll spend. Cost for a typical service call to clean the unit and change filters in both the furnace and humidifier? An average between $75-$100, depending on where you live.
Install a programmable thermostat. A must. There are many different brands on the market that range in price from $40-$100. You can program it to lower the temperature while you're at work or sleeping and save up to 30-percent in a well insulated home. What's more, outdated thermostats are the weakest link in conserving energy. According to the government's Energy Information Administration, only about 11% of U.S. homes are equipped with modern programmable thermostats. Honeywell®, a leader in control technology, estimates that homeowners can receive one to three months of free heating and cooling by installing a programmable thermostat. What are you waiting for?
Add weather stripping around windows and doors. A project that any homeowner can do, this also has a real impact on drafts and conserving energy. Door thresholds, window caulking, and plastic window film can go a long way in saving you money this winter. If you live in a drafty home, you could save up to 20% with an investment of as little as $25.
Utilize or install ceiling fans in your home. Remember learning that heat rises in physics class? Well, running the fans slowly and in reverse will keep that warm air circulating and keep you more comfortable. The bonus? The time your furnace runs will reduce. So will your monthly bill.
Check the arrangement of your furniture. Really. Many times people put couches and chairs over vents and in front of baseboard radiators, decreasing the efficiency of the units. By restricting the airflow, you increase the use of your furnace or boiler, and ultimately the energy used to heat your home.
Consider installing a tankless-water heater. Hey, this technology has been around for almost 70 years. Now units are less expensive and can save you hundreds of dollars each year. How? They create hot water on demand so there's no stored water needing to be continuously heated. (Think about when you're away or asleep.) Cost? Around $200-$250 more than a standard heater, but you'll recoup the cost increase in just two years.

What's more, standard water heaters tend to reduce in efficiency as time goes on. A seven-year-old tank heater runs at about 60-70% efficiency. While a tank-less heater of the same age runs at about 82%. The limitations? Multiple fixtures can't run at the same time, making it difficult to run your washing machine and take a shower simultaneously. But the savings are really worth it. Trust me.
Be smart about the temperature you set in your home. According to the EPA, you'll save up to 3% on your energy bills simply by turning down your thermostat just one degree.
Install thermo-pane windows in your home. You'll increase your home's energy efficiency up to 70%. Multi-pane windows can have R-values of as high as 9.1. The higher the R-value, the more resistant the glass is to losing heat. Conversely, your typical single pane glass has an R-value of 1.
Make sure your ceilings and attic are properly insulated. Heat rises, and if there isn't enough insulation in the space above, your money is going out the roof. Literally. Most ceilings and attic spaces should have at least an R-30 rating, although some areas of the country recommend an R-40-50 rating.
Let the sun be your guide. Why not? It's free energy. During the day, open up those drapes and blinds and let that sun heat your home. At night draw the curtains to keep the heat inside.
BONUS TIP: A small label can save you big money. Look for the energy star label on your appliances, easily found on washing machines, computers and stereo equipment. This label means the department of energy and the EPA have deemed these products as energy efficient.