If the forced-air system in your home is equipped with inexpensive fiberglass filters, you should upgrade them to high-efficiency media filters. Standard room air conditioners usually do a pretty good job of filtering pollen, ragweed and spores if you keep the coils on the unit clean and replace the filters as frequently as indicated by [...]
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Indoor air hazards you should know about
If you’re like most Americans, you spend much of your time indoors. Have you ever stopped to think about whether the air you’re breathing at home is healthy? When you’re at home do you frequently have headaches or feel nauseous or tired? Do you feel better when you leave the house? If you have these [...]
What should you look for when shopping for central air systems?
Your first priority is choosing the system that’s the right size for your house. Bigger isn’t necessarily better: A unit that’s too big not only costs more to buy, but it will also cost more to operate. Indeed, a system that’s not properly sized wastes energy and wears out equipment sooner because it will go [...]
Keeping Warm for Less
A dozen simple things you can do to cut down big heating bills If you feel a shiver each time you open your utility bill, your house may be too cold. More likely, however, you’re paying more than you should to heat it. In either case, you can make changes now that will make your [...]
Replacing a Faucet – Just do it the easy way
There’s a simple secret here: You need to use a basin wrench, available at most home centers. The head works on a cam principle, tightening around any size nut as you turn the handle. The head is mounted on the end of a long handle; it flips to allow you to turn clockwise or counterclockwise. [...]
Stopping Toilets That Run
Fight the annoying, nonstop trickling sound. Many toilets eventually develop one of several problems that allow water to run from the tank into the bowl. The result is an annoying, nonstop trickling sound that wastes gallons of water each day. Usually, adjusting the refill tube or lengthening the chain connected to the flush handle stops [...]
Double Your Energy Savings with Fluorescent Lamps
Most folks use standard “incandescent” light bulbs. These bulbs burn out often, create heat, and are very inefficient for making light. You can save a great deal of money by replacing your old fashion light bulbs with “fluorescent” lighting. Benefits of fluorescent lighting: cool to touch and lowers cooling needs — $AVE energy cost is [...]
Why bother to shop for energy efficiency?
Wasted energy translates into carbon dioxide production, air pollution, acid rain, and lots of money down the drain. And though the average American household spends more than $1,100 per year on appliances and heating and cooling costs, you can easily shave 50–75% off this expense by putting some intelligence into your appliance choices. For example, [...]
Dodging Home Repair Rip-offs
EACH YEAR hundreds of thousands of consumers complain to their state attorneys general about home-repair rip-offs. The National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators, in fact, says home repairs are second only to car repairs on the nation’s pet-peeve list. To get the inside story on how tradesmen take advantage of their customers, SmartMoney interviewed dozens [...]
Don’t Get Nailed By Bad Contractors
When someone comes to your house and starts smashing down walls, tearing out appliances and crunching holes in ceilings, it’s best to know exactly who you are dealing with. As a smart homeowner, you’ve already used Bankrate (www.bankrate.com) to lock in a low interest rate on a home equity loan and to find out which [...]
