5 Tips for Saving Energy this Summer

Here are 5 quick things you can do to stay cool and reduce your monthly bills this summer.

1. Change your filters in your heating/cooling system at least monthly.

2. Check your system – before you need it.  This keeps you from making an emergency call when the temperatures soar.

3. Change your old thermostat to a programmable one. New wireless models even allow you to control the system from your phone when you are away.

4. Set your ceiling fans to rotate counter clockwise to better distribute cool air to help reduce your need to use the air conditioner.

5. Grill out!  Keep the cooking heat outside and reduce the heat inside.

10 Decorating Tips for A Stress-Free Home

Create a Clutter Free Environment-

Most people tend to store stuff they don’t really need such as piles of newspapers or trash bags full of garbage or outgrown clothes. Take a little time to designate a specific area or container for items that need to be taken out of the house and another container for you to place items that you bring home. Do you really need a lot of end tables and clutter in your living room? If you confined, then you most likely will feel stressed. Also, re-arrange areas that limit your walking ability such as a coffee table that fits close up to your couch. You will lessen the chance of stubbing your toes while trying to relax.

Have Less Lighting-
Everyone knows that low lighting can be more relaxing. Rather than have a bright overhead light on in your living room or bedroom, bring in a few lamps to place around the room. You will instantly feel more at ease thanks to the softer glow of lamp lights.

Be Less Bold in Your Color Choice-
If you truly want a relaxing stress-free home to come home to then you should consider keeping bright colors and bold patterns to a minimum. If you want to add a little color that is fine, a bright red throw pillow or something on the couch is fine, but your walls should be painted a more neutral earthy tone. If your eyes are busy focusing on all the bright colors in the room, you will have a harder time relaxing. If painting a room isn’t something you want to do, then focus more on pale colored lamp shades, throw pillows, and other decorative items.

Express the Nature Lover in You-
One very important decorating tip for a stress-free home is nature and incorporating natural elements into your home. House plants, mirrors across from windows and natural landscape artwork will bring a relaxing and fresh feeling to any room inside your house.

Surround Yourself with Home-
You may also want to consider putting a favorite item such as an old cabinet with photos of your family on it, a vase of flowers etc. near your front door or the main area you walk into when you first get home. This will remind you that you are home as soon as you walk in the door and you will instantly feel more relaxed. This idea can also be incorporated into other areas of your home. It is always good to “feel at home”, your photos and other favorite things will emphasize the “home” feeling.

Say Good Night to Electronics-
If you have a TV in your bedroom or a computer that stays on all night or blinks while in standby mode, you are telling yourself to stay awake and not relax. This will increase your stress level throughout the night cause you didn’t get the sleep you should have and the next morning, you will start the day filled with tension.

Create Your Idea of Paradise-
In your bedroom, living room; bathroom, etc. wherever you want to feel at ease, surround yourself by the essence of paradise for yourself. If you love walking on the beach during the summer months, why not surround yourself with things that remind you of those long walks? If your idea of heaven is a mountainous terrain or a cabin in the woods, bring in rustic furniture or paintings of trees and mountains, gentle streams, etc.

Pets Help with Relaxing-
Incorporating a fish tank into your home will also serve to create a stress-free area. You will enjoy sitting back watching your fish swim around their tank and it will calm you. If space allows, other pets can relax you as well. Everyone loves to come home to a welcoming committee and your beloved dog or cat can do as much for you as your spouse and children
A Corner for Yourself-
Create a corner or a special area inside your home for you to go to when you need a moment to unwind. This can be in the bedroom or a spot in the living room. Tell your kids that when you are in this area that you are taking time to relax and ask them to not bother you while you are there.

Natural Lighting Sooths the Soul-
Eliminate the dark window blinds and curtains in your home, even in the bedroom. You will feel more at ease and peaceful waking up to natural light coming in the windows. You will also be more willing to wake up when the alarm clock starts buzzing because your body will see the morning light and take it as a clue to get the day going.

When considering all the tips for decorating stress-free home, it can be as simple or as complicated as you want. Nothing has to cost you a fortune and there is nothing you shouldn’t do while creating your haven as long as you feel relaxed when you’re surrounded by it.

Author Bio- This post has been written by Tresssy Jones. She loves to write about Home Improvement. She is evangelist at Atlanta Ductless Air Conditioning. They provide best heating and air conditioning services.

Celebrating Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!
What does this mean for you and your household. It can simply mean turning off the lights when there not in use, or don't keep the water running when not being used. Today you can make the decision to go a little more green and save money along the way, here are some household tips to achieve that: 

Power off

• The screensaver on your computer uses the same amount of power as when it's on and being used. Switch your PC off if you're going to be away for a while.
• Turn down your water heater. By lowering the temperature on your water heater from 140 to 120 degrees will reduce your water heating costs by 6-10%
• 50-70% of a household energy costs come from heating & cooling according to the Department of Energy.
• Installing a programmable thermostat will save you approximetly $150 a year.
• Aim for 78 degrees of higher when you are at home while reducing your cooling loads 10-20%. When you are away from home make it 85 degrees, and save an additional 5-12%.
• In cold weather for every degree you lower the thermostat you will save between 1 and 3% of your heating bill. 

Unplug

• Unplug unused chargers, plugged in cellphones, laptops or anything for that matter. Americans throw away about 8% of our annual electric bill from having objects just simply plugged in.

• The easiest way to save is to buy a surge protector that can plug in multiple units, that way you can turn off more than one charger in one switch.

Light Fixtures

• Install CFL's, the spiral-shaped bulbs known as compact fluorescents use less than a third of the energy regular bulbs use and last 10x longer. 
• If every household in the U.S. replaced just on regular bulb with a CFL, the amount of energy saved could light 2.5 million homes for a year.

Water Fixtures

• Buy low-flow toilets, they use less than a gallon of water, brands such as American Standard, Toto and Kohler. Toilets used to use about 5 gallons per flush, so if your toilet is outdated it may be time to make this change.
• Buy low-flow shower heads, which can decrease water usage by 50-70%. They only cost about $8
•  install low-flow faucets.
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
• Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.

Upgrade to Energy Star Appliances

• Look for the blue and white label which means the item uses at least 10-50% more efficient than standard models. more than 18,000 products have the Energy Star design.

Other

• Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. It will save you money & help you live a more green lifestyle.
• Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.

By making these small changes you can save money & make for a cleaner earth one household at a time