| Below, you'll find extensive
information on leading steel pipe specification articles and
products to help you on your way to success.
Steel
Pipe Supplier
Exclusive Pricing Available
Get Your Free Quote Now!
ambassadorpipe.com/steel-pipe
|
Easy Ways To Save Energy
By Aldene Fredenburg, Fri Dec 9th
With this fall's spike in oil and natural gas prices and thefurther impact Hurricane Katrina will have on this winter'sheating oil supplies, it's become more important than ever tomake sure our homes are as energy-efficient as possible. Luckily, there are a number of easy, inexpensive ways to buttonup your home for winter. Numerous cost-efficient products on themarket for your windows and doors will go a long way towardpreserving the heat you generate with your heating system. Make sure your windows and doors are tight. Self-stick foamweather-stripping at the tops and bottom of windows, as well asacross the separation between the top and bottom halves of thewindow, will block out drafts. Additionally, clear plastic,secured to the window frame with double-sided sticky tape, willalso block out drafts and create an air barrier between thewindow and you.
Additional weather-stripping around all four edges of doors willalso help to block out the cold. Also, don't forget your waterheater! You can buy inexpensive padding to wrap around the unititself, and sturdy foam insulation for all the pipes. The way you furnish your home can add to your level of comfortthis winter. Thick, insulated drapes will cut back on draftsfrom windows; wall to wall carpeting will cut back on draftsfrom cold air coming in from gaps between walls and floors; bothwall to wall carpeting and thick area rugs will retain
heat andadd to your comfort. Believe it or not, you can lose heat through the switch platesand wall plugs in your outer walls. Another inexpensive productwill solve that problem; for three or four dollars you can buyinsulated pads to install behind the plates. Simply remove theswitch plate, pop in the appropriate padding, and screw theswitch plate back on. A single package contains insulated padssuitable for single and double on-off switch plates and two-plugoutlets. Experiment with the way you dress and see if you can turn thethermostat down and still be comfortable. Wear warm fleece; keepyour feet warm with thick socks and shoes or fuzzy slippers;even consider wearing a hat indoors. You should be able to turnthe thermostat down to at least 68 degrees and still becomfortable. If you have an alternate source of heat - a wood, corn or pellet buring stove -consider using it as a primary source of heat. If you have thermostats in each room, you may want to considershutting off the heat in unused rooms, or at least lowering thethermostat in those rooms to 55 degrees. If this is an option,be sure to put weather-stripping around the doors to theunheated rooms. If you're really strapped for funds, don't hesitate to call yourlocal human services agencies to find out if you can qualify forhome heating assistance. As a taxpayer, you've undoubtedly beensupporting all kinds of social programs for years, or evendecades; don't let embarrassment prevent you from getting helpwhen you need it. Adequate heating isn't a luxury, it's anecessity. If you take careful stock of the heating problems in your homeand take a few simple measures to solve those problems, youshould be able to minimize the impact rising fuel prices willhave on your winter heating budget. Keep warm! About the author:Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwesternNew Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips andTopics. She has published numerous articles in local andregional publications on a wide range of topics, includingbusiness, education, the arts, and local events. Her featurearticles include an interview with independent documentaryfilmmaker Ken Burns and a featur |