Energy Leaking Walls

Homes should be energy efficient because it saves you money and protects the environment. Unfortunately, most homes leak energy through all sorts of crevices and crannies. One of the most common reasons that homes leak energy is that they do not have adequate insulation in their walls.

When you think of insulation, you think of your attic, your floor boards, or you pipes if you live in the extreme cold. While it is true that poorly insulated attics will bleed energy badly, your walls need proper insulation as well.

The problem lies in the fact that most walls do not have the thickness to support the levels of insulation needed to stop energy from passing through them. Insulation is assigned an R value, the higher the value the more energy it insulates and keeps in the home.

Most attics should be at least an R25 or above. However, it can take six plus inches to reach that R value. Your walls just don’t have that kind of space. As a matter of fact, most walls don’t even make it past an R6.

One way of fighting this issue is to use exterior wall coatings with insulated value. These exterior wall coatings not only help insulate your home, they also provide water protection and help your walls last longer. The next time you need to paint, simply apply an exterior wall coating and you will not only improve the look of your home, but save you money, and make your home more comfortable.

What You Need To Know About Bay Windows

How much do you know about bay windows? Did you know that the main reason for a bay window was so that you could see in different directions from within your house? Bay windows have been around for over 100 years but it wasn’t until the 1870’s that more and more people started using them. What most people didn’t like about a bay window was they were too big and they took up a lot of room outside the house. The truth is a bay window gives the inside of the house more room so naturally it is going to make the outside smaller.

What you need to understand about bay windows is there whole purpose was to give the illusion that the room is bigger when in all actuality it was just a little bit bigger. The reason the room was bigger is because a bay window projects outward and because of that you have a little bit of space where the window is going out. Another reason why it make the room look bigger is because they brought in more light than a regular window which almost always makes a room look and feel much bigger. Read more

Storm Windows in the North

You will find that many people in the north use storm windows for the winter months. Although they do get plenty of cold wintery weather. This is the reason for the special storm windows. It is necessary to use them to help keep the cold out of the houses. They can also withstand large amounts of heavy snow and ice. If you live up north and don’t use storm windows you may want to start. They can save you on your heating bills.

Storm windows are made to withstand more than the average window. They don’t break as easy as regular windows do. They are somewhat thicker which affords you to save energy in the winter months in Northern States. They will also be able to hold up to the high winds that are common in the north of the country in winter months. Blowing sleet and freezing rain can put a stop to traffic and it can shut down businesses. They can be devastating causing a lot of damage to trees and power lines. If you use storm windows they will be able to withstand nearly everything that Mother Nature can throw at them. Read more

Are we getting enough sleep?

The world at the minute goes on about how to be energy efficient in our home and everyday life. We also need to make the most out of our lives in the most effective way we can. Many of us find it hard to keep awake at certain points in the day, indicating that we are not getting enough hours sleep. In order to control your concentration and energy levels the key is a good night’s sleep. It is said that the average Britain goes to bed an hour later than they did three years ago, making the average weekday bedtime 11.41pm.

Many of us have an extremely comfortable double bed and mattress that we have purposefully chosen for our own comfort and ease of sleep, so why are we avoiding getting into these beds from heaven?

The main things that are keeping us awake are the constant worries that we have. The worries of money and of our jobs, not to mention the long hours we are now required to work. Our busy lifestyle means our brains just keep ticking over, even when the rest of our body wishes to rest. Even if we do finally get into a state of mind that means we can sleep many of us are kept awake by snoring, traffic noise, nightmares and even eating too late.

Half the people who were surveyed admitted that 11.41pm would be an early night for them. Most of those admitted that they get to bed about midnight, but are still tossing and turning at 1am:

“Everyone is so manic these days, that once we have fallen through the front door, had dinner, sorted out the kids and finished watching TV, it’s so late,” Said Professor Anthony Leeds, medical director of Cambridge Weight Plan, which carried out the research.

So what should we do? We should aim to get to bed earlier and perhaps have our evening meal earlier than we originally planned. These simple steps will change your sleeping patterns and give you the ultimate sleeping experience needed.

Bedstar has a range of comfortable beds and mattress in all shapes and sizes Visit now for more information.

Up the Green Factor through Home Renovations

Going green is in right now; and by all signs, it’s going to be a hot topic for quite some time now. If you have been bitten by the green bug and are ready to do your part for the environment, then we are here to provide you with a few ways to do this with home renovations. Green renovations are a win-win situation for everyone; you save energy in your home which means you save the money in your pocket. Going green also makes your home more earth and family friendly. These renovations are small enough to not turn your life upside down to accomplish, but the effects are wonderful.

You can start with installing a radiant barrier in your attic area. While this sounds high tech and expensive, it is really just a large piece of tin foil that reflects the heat of the sun away from your home. This will keep your home cooler and let your air conditioner run a little less. If you want a green renovation for the winter, you can check out the solar heating options that are on the market. There are two common types of solar heating systems; the water heating system or the solar panel system. Both of these work in a similar manner by taking the heat that the sun produces and storing it as energy for use in heating your home. If you live in a mild climate, this green renovation may take you from a monthly heating and cooling bill to none at all. Definitely worth thinking about. The water use in your house may be another renovation you can make to green-ify your home. Install a high-performance shower head in your bathrooms. These heads can reduce your water usage by up to 60%.

Another green renovation that anyone can do is locating your local recycler and using them. The only investment will be a few extra plastic trash bins to separate the recyclable waste in your kitchen.  Before long, sorting your trash before you throw it away will be automatic. Once your bags are full, make a trip to recycle center and drop them off. Some recyclers even offer money for your plastics or aluminum cans so you might even make something from your trash while you are helping the earth.

When you are shopping, get in a green mindset and see if you can buy products that are made from recycled materials. Many of your home improvement products are even manufactured with recycled material. Swap out your energy sucking light bulbs for some fluorescent bulbs that use a lot less energy. There are little things we all can do to be more green in our everyday life. A few green home renovations may be a great place to start.

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