Sometimes when the electricity supply goes off unexpectedly due to a power cut it can last for several days. Having no hot water, no cooking facilities, a lack of refrigeration and no form of heating or lighting are just some of the inconveniences incurred. Power grid independency is only one of the many reasons to consider installing wind power preventing you from becoming solely reliant on the electricity companies.

Installing wind power will allow you to be in charge or your own environment. The problems experienced by others through the failure of mainstream electricity supplies will not affect you. In fact, you may not even be aware that anyone else is having difficulties until they contact you asking for your assistance as they are suffering in either hot or freezing conditions!

Another great benefit of wind power is the rebate offered by many states for people who are willing to install wind generators in their homes. In overall terms it is likely to take up to ten years or maybe a little more to see the monetary benefits of having the original installation carried out, but from that time onwards the best part of your power will be free. Just imagine the fact that the running costs of your home or business, or even both, can be reduced to practically nothing. This is because your meter will slow down considerably as your wind power equipment kicks in, thereby reducing your supply from the grid.

This low usage from the grid will be maintained until such a time that the wind is not strong enough to produce power and you will then notice your meter speed up again whilst power is being drawn from the grid supply. In California, if you have wind power within your home, it can in reality replace power back into the grid, so your meter will go backwards; in effect giving you credited power to use in the future. This or similar systems may be introduced in other states in the near future, thus expanding the advantages of wind power more widely.

Although wind power is not perfect, it is a safe and honest cost effective plan for the time ahead of your family and country. Take a minute to sit down and work out just how much you expect your power bills to cost you for the rest of you and your childrens lives. Make a comparison with that of a wind power supply and the benefits will be clear to you. Even if you feel having wind power installed is an expense you just cannot afford at the minute, it may be worth considering taking out a loan as the savings you are likely to make will be more than adequate to repay the amount you have borrowed. Make sure you check out the information available about which schemes are on offer to you.

There is nothing more luxurious to a desert dweller than entering their cool home on a sultry afternoon. Cool as in temperature cool. It is so easy to get spoiled living in a centrally cooled home with a central air unit. Each room is as cool as the next. I have known people who wore a sweater in their air conditioned home rather than attempting to find a setting that is cooler than the outdoor temperature yet not freezing cold. These people have a lot of expendable cash and dont mind their huge energy bills. I have separate air conditioners in my windows, and I even have a portable air conditioner to deal with my cooling requirements.

On the other hand, I have to watch my energy consumption, and that includes my air conditioning bill during the summer months. I wait until the temperature inside is too high to be made tolerable with a fan. That is when my window air conditioning units pay for themselves. On the other hand, some people say that re-cooling the house every day expends more energy than always leaving it at one temperature. In my case, my method works best for me, according to my electric bill!

The only areas I cool are the rooms in which I live. This eliminates the bathrooms, laundry room, pantry and porch areas. In the cool of the evening, I open my windows and let the cool air enter. I close the curtains and windows in the morning before the sun comes up. If I am out of the house during the day, the units are shut off. When I return in the evening, the units are turned on the lowest setting it will take to make the rooms I am using comfortable. I dont cool my bedroom until an hour before bedtime.

If I am home during the day, the windows and curtains stay shut. The units are turned on the lowest setting possible. I confine myself to the immediate living areas; kitchen, living room or den. The unit in my bedroom is shut off. A cool shower during the day helps me to acclimate to the temperature. I dont want to have to cool the house because I have worked up a sweat cleaning or exercising.

These few, simple tips keep my energy bill down and help me to stay comfortable in the heat of summer.

More air conditioning tips can be found at the following sites…

Does your utility bill leave you in tears? Does your family walk around wearing all their clothes so you can avoid cranking up the heater and wiping out your bank account? Those beautiful windows are killing you.

Hate Paying Taxes?

Do you hate paying taxes? Everyone does. At least you only have to do it once a year. If you dont take steps to improve your energy use, however, you are paying the utility company an energy waster tax every month and every year. I bet you never thought of it that way before. Fortunately, you dont need an accountant to eliminate this tax.

To terminate your energy waster tax, you need to understand the areas where you are probably wasting energy. Here is the biggest offender.

Windows are necessary items in a home. Can you imagine a home without them? Of course not. Still, that beautiful view to the world outside comes with a heavy price. Windows are the single biggest area where heating or cooling efforts are wasted. Because windows open and close, they almost always develop leaks where your hard earned money escapes in the form of heat transfer. If you do nothing else after reading this article, take a close look at your windows. Making them air tight could save you as much as forty percent on your utility bill.

Even if your windows are not leaking, you still have a problem. As people living in cold climates can attest, most installed window are horrific burdens on heating efforts. These year around windows tend to be thin and are not designed for specific conditions. Put in simple terms, heat moves through them like beads at Mardi Gras. If you dont believe me, go stand next to one of your windows on a winter day. It gets a bit chilly, eh?

To overcome your inferior window problem, you have two options. The first is to install windows designed to hold in hot air during winter. This will save you a ton of money, but you have to change them twice a year, installation and removal. If your lazy like me, a second option is to go with Energy Star windows.

Energy Star is a government program designed to encourage manufacturers to build better stuff for your home. If a product has an energy star sticker, it means it is going to save you cash on your utility bill. Since windows are problematic, the government has focused on them and you can now buy Energy Star windows at all home improvement stores. Note that I didnt name an improvement store, but am willing to amend this article for a significant sponsorship fee!

While I wait for Home Depot or Lowes to call, go take a look at your windows. If you concentrate really hard, you can see dollar bills floating through them.

Perhaps no other element shapes a room’s personality more than the right window. Whether you want classic luxury for a showpiece living room or attractive practicality for the laundry room, look for the style, look and feel for what it takes to suit your style and budget. Your windows should be measured and installed by a professional window installer, who can also help you decide on exactly what type of windows will best compliment your home from both the inside and out.

Replacement Windows – If you’re thinking about replacement windows, why wait any longer? The benefits start immediately. From enhancing your home’s interior to adding to its curb appeal, new windows transform a home from ordinary to outstanding. What’s more, they provide one of the best returns on investment of any home improvement project.

Insulation and Energy Saving Values – Windows are thermal holes. An average home may lose 30% of its heat or air-conditioning energy through its windows. Energy-efficient windows save money each and every month. Plus, you’ll be more comfortable the whole while you live with them. In this day and age of saving on energy costs, you really cant go wrong with replacing the windows in your home.

Whether you are choosing windows for your new home, or you are choosing windows to replace old ones in your current home, choose wisely. Window additions are an investment, and if chosen properly your investment will pay you back.

Why You Should Avoid Fiberglass Drywall Tape Like The Plague!

The truth is, it has its place, but – please! not on your drywall
seams.

Yes, my view of this is controversial. And I have my (good) reasons.

Actually, people who use fiberglass tape instead of paper tape for drywall taping are helping me make a living.

As a drywall finisher and a plaster repair specialist, I have made thousands of dollars over the years repairing drywall seams taped with fiberglass. Thanks, folks.

What happens? Drywall seams need a RIGID tape to stay closed. Especially over butt joints, the fiberglass taped seam will wiggle ever so slightly some time down the road after finishing, and presto! a hairline crack develops right down the middle of the joint.

The tape isn’t broken. It’s just that the drywall mud overcoat is not rigid enough – tough enough – to add the strength necessary to permanently secure the joint.

How do I know this? Well, for one thing, I have noticed that the long, recessed drywall seams tend to stay taped better. With those seams, the mud overcoat is thicker because it is filling the valley where the tapered edges of the drywall come together. You get some extra toughness.

I understand the allure of fiberglass tape. Slap it down on that crack and mud ‘er up. No blisters, etc. So easy and comfortable, especially for the novice taper. And every do-it-yourself website and magazine article promotes it.

Yes, it is harder to learn to use paper tape properly. For the newcomer to drywall taping, there are issues of laying the mud on evenly, wiping the tape down properly, avoiding humps on the butt joints, and so on.

These are learnable skills, and they pay big dividends after the job is finished and painted. Nothing is more irritating to the customer or homeowner living in his new home/addition than to see cracks developing in his new walls or ceilings.

As I said in the beginning, there IS a place for fiberglass tape. First of all, it the tape of choice for plasterboard seams under veneer plaster. This is what it was developed for in the first place. It works very well in this setting, because veneer plaster is far harder and tougher than drywall compound.

But, there is a place where fiberglass tape can help in the drywall trade, and that is in the repair end of the business. Around doors and windows, cracks in the drywall are common. A little extra movement in the framing there and you get these unsightly defects.

When I repair such cracks, I want some extra insurance. What I will do is use short pieces of fiberglass tape – maybe three inches long or so – and place them in a bed of mud ACROSS the crack and parallel to each other. I wipe out the excess mud, just as I would with paper tape.

When this first layer of tape is hard, then I lay down a line of paper tape right across the fiberglass and centered on the underlying crack. Now I have double insurance: the glass for lateral strength and the paper to keep it tight to the surface. This usually takes care of such cracks, or any cracks you are particularly concerned about. (Don’t forget two or more topping coats.)

I do the same operation or a variant of it on bad plaster cracks.

One last point. I’ve emphasized toughness of the compound you use. For that reason, I like “hot mud”, a setting type joint compound more like plaster for strength. If you are unsure of yourself and your speed, it would be good to use hot mud with a longer setting time, like an hour or 90 minutes. Mix small batches and don’t forget to wash your tools and pans well between batches.