5 minor renovations to upgrade your home
many property owners would love to remodel certain areas of their house, but simply do not have the coin to do so. depending on the difficulty of the project and the correction technician you enlist for help, a standard cooking region or lavatory remodel can cost upwards from $25,000! most of us don’t have that kind of coin to spend on our homes, but that doesn’t mean we have to settle for what we already have. there are many budget-friendly renovations that property owners can do on their own to bring new longevity into obsolete rooms. here are 5 minor renovations that make a major difference:
- refinishing cabinets and painting doors: the cabinets in your cooking region or bathrooms can often be refinished easily, especially if they are made of wood or plywood. a fresh coat of paint can make even the oldest cabinets look like new without the cost of replacement. painting the front entryway of the house creates an attractive new color can create a much needed focal point to an overall boring or obsolete landscape.
- replacing cabinet hardware: after you refinish the cabinets, consider updating the knobs and handles. many house design stores have plethora of modern fixtures to choose from that will help you give you new, old cabinets a skilled finished appearance.
- updating luminous fixtures: updated lighting can change the entire atmosphere of your house.
- painting the walls: obsolete and unattractive color schemes could be holding back your house from coming into the 21st century. a few gallons of paint could change all of that, and open the entryway for new, more modern decorating ideas.
- replacing window treatments: puffy valances, dingy curtains, and cracked mini-blinds need to go! invest some of your remodeling budget into new window treatments, and you will be surprised by the upgrade they make.
remodeling your house doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. take it one room at a time and perform minor rather than major changes. the results may be surprising
24 hour furance repair also recommends this great site: Best rated heating cooling companies
assessing your energy efficiency | robbins, wooddale, hickory hills
if you are one of the thousands of chicagoans who are trying to make their house more energy effective, you may have already realized overwhelming this process can be. with all of the information circling around the internet and the latest information, you may be having a hard time figuring out what is best for your house and your budget. you may have already implemented a few of these changes, but are you really seeing the savings you had expected from making these energy effective upgrades? if not, you skipped a very crucial step in the “going green” process: planning!
problems without planning
planning you house upgrades is the first step towards making your house more energy effective. many property owners will blindly choose an upgrade without examining all of the factors that influence the energy efficiency of the house. for instance, upgrading a functional but inefficient warm water tank when the loft is in dire need of insulation is not the best idea. yes you may see some savings from the upgrade, but the energy you are losing through the roof is the bigger problem that should have been handled first.
how to prioritize upgrades
figuring out where your house is most wasteful requires the assistance of a skilled, and that is where your local correction technician heating and cooling can help. we now offer energy assessments to all of our home owners that are interested in improving their homes energy efficiency. our expert assessors will track down the areas of your house that are wasting your coin and adding to your carbon footprint. they will then prioritize upgrades based on which areas of the house are most in need.
in the end you will have a comprehensive overview of how your house uses the energy you pay for every month. with this information, you can more knowledgeably decide where to spend your energy upgrade budget, so call your local correction technician and get started on your energy upgrade planning today!
assessing your energy efficiency | robbins, wooddale, hickory hills is a post from: heating and cooling heating correction
24 hour furance also recommends this great site: Furnace Repair Contractors
tax credits through 2011
for the past two years, thousands of property owners collected big bucks back from the government by purchasing high efficiency energy star qualified products and making other house upgrades that boosted energy efficiency. however, when the tax credits ended on january 1st 2011, many more property owners missed out on a truly amazing deal. unfortunately, the grand tax return that was offered is no longer available, but the good latest information is that the government has extended the credits, but at a lower level!
services from your local correction technician that qualify for the tax credits
- heating and cooling system setup: your local correction technician offers several heating system and air conditioners that qualify for this tax credit, but the savings don’t end there. these heating and cooling appliances are extremely energy effective and will save you coin every month. the unmatched enjoyable environment and quality of lennox house enjoyable environment systems can be yours this annually if you call your local correction technician now!
- loft insulation services: insulating your loft will help your cooling system and heating run even more efficiently because the cold and warm air that they create will not be able to escape your house as easily as it did without a nice think layer of insulation in the loft. with the affordable services and expert insulation from your local correction technician, you will be saving big in no time at all.
- window replacement: your local correction technician home service technician services offers expert setup of high quality windows to replace any old, obsolete, or leaky windows that you may have in your house. this service is also covered by the new tax credits, but don’t wait to save!
make your local correction technician your go to house correction and heating, ventalation, and cooling correction technician in the the greater metropolitan region area, and you can still take advantage of the tax credits. don’t let another annually go by without having any upgrades made, and contact your local correction technician today!
24 hour furance also recommends this great site: Chicato Heating Cooling
Summer Heat and Demand for Electricty
ComEd the local electricity company in the Chicago and Northern Illinois area has begun to put a practice in place during extremely hot days when demand for electricity is high. The increase in air conditioner usage and fan usage places a strain on their systems. Not only do they have to meet the electricity demands of normal usage but as people attempt to beat the heat outages and blackouts can occur. Similar instances occurred in the last two weeks during the East Coast Heat Wave.
One of the things ComEd is promoting is to have customers set their thermostats to 78 degrees during daytime hours. They are also recommending that customers unplug any items that will not be in use to help deal with the increase in demand and avoid blackouts. These steps will also save money for customers as the rate ( price ) for electricity is increased during peak days and times.
If you can you are encouraged to set the thermostat for your A/C at 78 degrees if you are not at home as a way to save money and save energy.
energy audit 101
there are literally thousands of ways to improve the energy efficiency of your house, but finding a place to start can become overwhelming. not many people are made of coin, so before you start any projects, figuring out where you can get the biggest bang for your buck is very critical. in fact, not knowing your home’s deficiencies could cost you. for example, let’s say that you go out and replace your 25 annually old heating with a new high efficiency model. you would expect to see major savings on your next energy bill, but if your air ducts is full of leaks and the loft lacks insulation, you will never see the savings you had expected. an easy way to find out where your house needs the most help is by having a skilled energy audit performed.
what is an energy audit?
an energy audit is a series of tests and data collection procedures that will help you determine which areas of the house will benefit most from an energy efficiency upgrade. the correction technician you hire will use certain techniques to figure out where there are air leaks, and he will also determine the efficiency of house hold appliances in the house. many auditors will also ask the property owner questions about the way that energy is used in the house. after all information has been collected, the auditor will use a program to help him determine what the most coin saving upgrades would be for a particular house.
blower entryway tests and thermographic scans
many energy auditors will use one or both of these techniques to locate leaks:
- blower entryway test: by creating an air pressure imbalance between the outside and inside of your house, your energy auditor is able to detect an air leaks that may be present. this is done by placing a grand vent in the front doorway so that it is taking air from the inside of your house and pushing it outside. the pressure difference will cause the high pressure air outside to try to get inside where there is now low pressure. any leaks in the house will allow air in. a smoke pen is a common instrument used by auditors to detect these leaks. when the auditor holds the pen up to a suspected leak, the air that leaks in will cause a disturbance in the smoke.
- thermographic scan: an energy auditor may also use a thermographic scan to highlight areas that have air leaks. this scan involves the use of a thermal imaging camera that can detect temperature changes in the house. for instance, during the winter, a scan of the indoors should appear red, yellow, or white. areas that leak will appear blue, purple, or black. this indicates that cold air from outside is getting into the heated indoors. when combined with a blower entryway test, the leaking areas are highlighted, and it becomes easier for the auditor to detect the areas of greatest concern.
air leaks are just one of the ways that a house could lose grand amounts of energy. inefficient appliances and wasteful energy use practices are also taken into consideration, and in the end you are delivered a comprehensive overview of how your house uses energy. many energy auditors will also make you a list of upgrades that should be made first, and those are the best places to start. whether you need more insulation in the loft or if your old windows need to be replaced, making energy effective upgrades will save our planet and save you coin.
24 hour furance repair also recommends this great site: Local Furnace Repair report
spring is the best time to insulate
as you cleaned the snow off your car this morning, the last thing you probably thought was that spring is on its way. however, many of you have probably already compiled a list of house correction jobs and upgrades that need to be taken care of come springtime. well, spring is just a couple months away, and we have one house upgrade that should defiantly be added to your to-do list. adding insulation to your loft is one of the most coin saving house upgrades that you can make to your house, and spring is one of the best times to finally get this project done!
turn the heating down!
all of the extra strain that was placed on your heating this winter most likely drove up your energy bills. at this point, you are probably looking for any way to use the heating less often, and when spring arrives you will get your chance. however, if your house is poorly insulated, you may find yourself relying on the heating more than you would like to.
how insulation can save you coin
when your house is lacking insulation, heat from your heating is lost to the outdoors. as a result, the temperature in your house is lower and the thermostat will call for heat more frequently. when there is a nice thick layer of insulation in your house, this doesn’t happen. the heat insulation created by the insulation will hold the heat created by the heating indoors. this will help the inside of your house stay warm, and keep the chill of spring out. your heating will run less frequently and you will save coin on your energy bills because of it.
insulating in the spring will get you ready for annually round savings, so while you are doing your spring maintenance of have a seasoned and trained correction technician help you improve the levels of insulation in your house. the sooner you act, the sooner you start saving.
24 hour furance also recommends this great site: Home owner help
Pre Seasons Pricing
Now is a great time to purchase a new air conditioning system and take advantage of pre-season pricing. Even though it seems that it might be winter forever the summer is quickly approaching. Be completely ready for whatever weather the spring and summer decide to bring. If you wait till the last minute to buy a new air conditioning your will be getting quotes when most companies are being hammered with requests. This doesn’t lend itself to them wanting to negotiate for a better price and is usually when most HVAC companies pull their deals and offers out of the papers anyway.
Pre-Season Pricing gives you the most equipment and pricing options, this is the best time to take advantage of early sales and installation offers on cooling systems. You can schedule an estimate that will give you plenty of time to research your options, make a decision, and get the very best price on an air conditioner all before the summer heat returns.
Need your air ducts cleaned?
Are you interested in getting your ducts cleaned and not sure where to go for a reputable company to perform the work. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you get started.
- Where do you start?
- Why do companies seem to be all over the map on pricing?
- What will you get for the money you spent?
These are all valid questions and it’s understandable why consumers may have questions.The first piece of advice when looking for an duct cleaning company is to consider your choices. While you can find some really low prices you need to beware.
The National Air Duct Cleaners Association is a group which maintains certain guidelines and standards. Choosing a NADCA member is a great first step as it insures the company meets there minimum standards which should eliminate all the fly by nights.
Next check to see if these businesses are members of the Better Business Bureau. Look for customer testimonials or references of prior work. Just because there are complaints or no complaints is not a sure way to check a company. Some large reputable companies will have complaints no matter what, you just can please everyone. Other tiny companies might not have anything, they are to new. Instead, look first at how long they have been a member of the BBB as well as what their grade is. These are much more helpful benchmarks for this site.
Next, make sure they quote the price of work before they begin. If they start tacking on extra charges, beware! This is a common tactic of scammers or unscrupulous companies.
a second look could save thousands!
many property owners find out the hard way that they should have gotten a second opinion on a correction effort, and a recent case in minneapolis brought this fact into the limelight. the case involved a plumbing business that was convincing property owners they needed much bigger, and more expensive, repairs than were actually required. the end result was the loss of thousands of dollars and another black eye for the house correction industry. however, property owners do not have to put up with this type of correction technician if they know what to look for when they need a correction, and the number one rule is always get a second opinion! signing a contract and handing over a review could be the biggest mistakes you ever make if you are not careful about whom you hire to perform the repairs.
plumbing plunder
in this particular case, there were two problems. many of the property owners did not get second opinions before consenting to the repairs and they also hired a business that used subcontractors to complete their effort. nearly all of the grievances involved an exaggeration of a problem with the home owners plumbing. the home owners were convinced by the subcontractor that if they did not have the effort performed immediately their homes would suffer major damage.
this type of fear tactic often leads property owners to hand over grand sums of coin without verifying the problem. they don’t want their homes to be damaged and they just want things to go back to normal. scammers take advantage of this fact and try to milk as much coin out of the property owner as possible.
a second opinion saved this man thousands!
once the property owner agreed to the correction, their yards were torn up and their lives were disrupted to perform the fake repairs that the subcontractor told them that they absolutely needed. in one homeowner’s case, he saved himself over $15,000 by having another plumber verify the supposed damage. when the other plumber found only a minor problem, the property owner canceled the effort with the other business and filed a grievance.
three bids minimum
the business in question here has cooperated fully with the settlement of these grievances and noted that the subcontractor responsible for these illegitimate services was not acting according to their standard business practices. however, all of the property owners that were involved in this case could have saved themselves this hassle by getting a second opinion and doing their research. the better business bureaus recommends that property owners get at least three bids on a effort before having the effort performed and this is sound advice that every property owner should take.
24 hour furance also recommends this great site: Central Air Repair Contractors
Going Green
Four Seasons has many on going initiatives to improve efficiency throughout our corporation. One such area is our energy usage.
Four Seasons started pushing for greater energy efficiency many years ago. Here are just some of the ways we are actively going green in the Chicago land area.
For our warehouse
- Oil powered furnace using reclaimed motor oil to heat our 80,000 square foot warehouse
- Cambridge engineering high efficiency furnace fills the gaps in our heating needs for those times we run low on used motor oil.
- Replaced all warehouse lights with high energy saver ones and installed motion detection controls to keep the lights off when they are not needed. (as seen in this Mythbusters episode, getting those florescent lights off can really make a difference in the course of a year)
- Scrap metal recycling. As one of the nations largest HVAC companies Four Seasons recycles approximately 300 tons of cooper sheet metal a year.
In the office
Many times the best and fastest way
- Paper, plastic and card board recycling. We even go so far as to reuse paper for our printers to make internal scratch pads.
- Fujitsu heat pumps through out our offices which gives us great localized control saving money after hours as we only need to heat and air condition the parts of our buildings staffed to answer and address your calls.
- Nightly checks to make sure all lights and computers are off before employees go home.
Our Fleet
We have begun the process to modernizing our fleet of 250 vehicles
- Chevy Aveo* will be replacing the cars driven by our estimators
- Ford Transit* will replace the gas guzzling service vans that are still dominate in ours and other service based industries.
All told we are expecting to double the efficiency of our fleet!
*You won’t be able to miss our new vehicles either. With an all new Orange and White color scheme and a friendly Dave Lenox in the Aveo’s back seat we are looking forward to your feedback.
Why are we doing all of this?
Taking into account the wellness of our environment is part of it. However all of these measures also make great business sense. Each one of these items represents a small part of everything we do day to day to help reduce our costs and overhead which helps Four Season provide you the superior service you expect at the lowest possible price.
Want tips for how you can save money and the environment as well? Check out the following links for more information
Energy Saving tips – general information on saving energy and money
Resources site – includes several check lists and fact sheets for your convenience.