Found 34 blog entries tagged as Energy Efficiency.

Water is the planet's most precious resource. Access to clean water is a privilege that, unfortunately, many people still take for granted. By utilizing new water efficiency technologies and age-old conservation methods, we can help preserve the water supply for future generations. Cutting down on consumption whenever possible is something that everyone can do to live a little greener.

Making Sure Your Home Holds Water

The first stop on your journey to save water is to ensure your home is free of water leaks. Make your way through your home, and properly shut off the water at all fixtures and faucets. Air-cooling systems and other devices that use water should also be shut of. Read your water meter, wait two hours (without using any water), and…

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Moving into your home is an exciting time, and you shouldn’t allow higher than expected electricity bills to dampen your spirits. Every day, households around the world waste large amounts of energy. If your home uses more energy than it needs to, you are the one that is paying the price. Luckily, there are many ways to make sure your home is running as efficiently as possible. Save yourself from 'utility shock' by taking these seven steps.

Make Energy Efficiency Your Electric Company's Business

When you first move into your home, have your appliances inspected by an authorized technician. You could call your appliance's manufacturer or the electric company to find someone to inspect your appliances. If you do find yourself on the phone with the…

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If your monthly energy bill has started to make you cringe, then it might be time to conduct an energy audit on your home. Hiring a professional can cost you a pretty penny. So save the dough and examine your home yourself. With a few tools and the tips below, you can identify problem areas that could be costing you every month.

Energy Bills
Analyze last year’s energy bills. Each statement should itemize the energy you use each month in kilowatts. Note any spikes that could indicate problems with one of your appliances or the structure of your home. Call your energy provider and ask what the average cost is for a home of your size in your area. Then determine how extensively you need to conduct your energy audit.

Air Leakage
Warm or cool air escaping…

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When you are looking at a potential Santa Cruz home to buy, it’s important to pay attention to the details so that you can ensure that you are making the right choice. However, many home buyers will get so caught up in the excitement that they will miss certain important things that they need to know about the property.
If you are buying a home, make sure that you don’t miss any of these commonly overlooked details:

Do the Appliances Work?
Take the time to test the major appliances in the home to make sure that they are functioning properly. This is a very likely flaw that is often overlooked in a home inspection. It is a good idea to ask your home inspector to run every appliance through its full cycle to make sure that there are no problems.

What…

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If the temperature in your home is too hot at night, then you can’t sleep. If it’s too cold during the day, then you have to wear excessive layers. Everyone has his or her own idea of the ideal temperature, but to keep it on that perfect number can get expensive. So, below we’ve outlined five ways you can take care of your heating and cooling system and help it run more efficiently.

1. Set It And Forget It
To maximize the effectiveness of your heating and cooling systems, you need to program your thermostat and refrain from changing it. Adjusting the thermostat makes your system work harder. The best way to avoid tempting temperature changes is to choose a thermostat that fits your schedule, such as one with 7-day, 5-1-1, 5-2 or 1-week programming…

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If you enjoy history and fixing things, then it may be hard to drive by historic Santa Cruz homes for sale without feeling the urge to buy one and fix it up. Before you do, you need learn the three R’s of fixing up historic homes and the differences between them.

The three R’s of fixing up historic homes are restoration, renovation and repair. Some of the differences are minor, but they can make all the difference in cost, time and problems.

Restoration

“Restoration” literally means returning something to its original state.

Restoring historic Santa Cruz homes for sale involve city and state programs. It’s essential that you check to see if the home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or if it’s located in a historic…

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When the holiday season starts and the winter chill comes around, the heating bill at your Santa Cruz property will naturally increase as you keep yourself warm and cosy. However, if your home is not being heated efficiently, you are essentially letting your hard earned dollars escape into the air as wasted energy.

What are some simple and inexpensive ways that you can cut down your heating expenses this winter and save yourself some money?

Only Heat The Rooms You Are Using
If you work from home and are spending eight hours of the day sitting in your home office, there is no need to keep the rest of the house toasty warm. If you have heaters that you can turn on and off for each room, you can direct the heat to the room that you are using. If you…

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Summer has been over and Fall is really here, temperatures are beginning to drop, and you’re dreading having to turn the heat on for the first time. Firing up the furnace can burn a hole in your pocket, but there’s something you can do about it. Consider these tips to help lower your heating bill.

Replace Your Air Filters
Get new air filters for your central heating and cooling. The filters get clogged and it takes more and more energy to keep your house warm. Be sure to clear out any dust bunnies or cobwebs from behind the filter. Use a vacuum if necessary.

Does Your Attic Need Insulation?
Heat rises, and if your attic is not adequately insulated, then your central heating system will be stuck sending all your hot air (and your heating bill) straight…

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Summer always brings with it a hard choice: Do you turn down the thermostat to stay cool and resign yourself to high power bills? Or, do you sweat it out to save some dough? If you’ve been struggling with this dilemma, don’t fret. With a programmable thermostat, you can beat the heat and save money, too! 

Programmable thermostats are easy to install and can save you over $100 a year. The key is that they have different temperature settings for certain times of the day. And, the latest models can be self-installed, are easy to program and can be controlled over the Internet. 

Save Energy

This is obviously the biggest perk. Not only are you helping the environment, you’re also helping your monthly budget. You can preset the thermostat to adjust the…

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1. Change Light Bulbs to CFLs

Incandescent bulbs are the way of the past. If you’re looking to green up your office, switch them out for much more energy-efficient CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps). These light bulbs use a bit more energy when they are first turned on, says Energy Star, but once the get going guzzle 75 percent less than the traditional bulb.

2. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

It hardly bears saying, but one of the easiest ways to ensure your office stays eco-friendly is to simply follow the old maxim: reduce, reuse, recycle. Set out a larger bin for paper recycling than you do for trash, to provide motivation. Reduce your intake of office supplies to only those you actually use, and resist the impulse to upgrade appliances or furniture…

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