Month: February 2019

Michelle Taylor

HVAC Advice From The Experts In The Field

The system you use to heat or cool your home is probably the largest influences on how much energy you use, and how much it costs. If your HVAC system needs updating, make sure the technician you hire is knowledgeable. The following article provides the information you need to hire the right professional.

Be sure to get every quote or estimate in written form. You have no recourse on a verbal agreement, so a written contract is a must. This will allow you to follow up if something goes wrong or you don’t get what you were promised, protecting you from shady contractors.

Let your friends and family know about the discounts that are possible via ENERGY STAR. There’s a lot of savings that can be had here, so why hold this good news all to yourself! You can save those closest to you hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.

Make sure the equipment you are buying is ENERGY STAR compliant. It may seem a small thing, but it isn’t. Products that are ENERGY STAR compliant can save you a lot of money in energy costs over the year. It can be over $100 easily, sometimes a lot more.

In order to avoid having any problems with your air conditioning unit, keep all vegetation at least two feet away from the outdoor unit. The unit should be clear of any vegetation on all sides and above. When you mow the lawn, aim the grass clippings away from the a/c unit. This will prevent grass getting inside the a/c and making it malfunction.

Don’t let grass clippings pile up against your outdoor condenser. Try shooting the clippings away from it. If you’re blowing leaves, this same problem can occur, so make sure you move around the unit and blow the leaves away from it.

Be sure to place your outdoor unit in a shady spot to maximize efficiency. You save money this way because the air conditioner is now pulling in cooler air, which is easier to cool further.

If you own your own home or have permission from your landlord, replace your single pane windows with double paned versions. Double pane windows will help keep your home cooler in the summer. Your home will also stay warmer in the winter.

Save energy use and money by turning off the air conditioner if there is nobody home. The house will heat up, but not too much. However, leaving it on increases your electric bill and wear and tear on the system.

To reduce the air conditioning’s energy cost, close drapes, blinds and shades that cover windows which face the sun. Also, white shades will reflect the heat away from the house, keeping it cooler and saving you money. It is also recommended that you close the vents in rooms that are not used often. This will ensure that you are not spending money cooling less-used rooms.

Your HVAC system can run more efficiently if your attic has a radiant barrier. This will block heat from coming in, which means that less energy will be needed to keep your home cool. If done correctly, this also enables you to start using your attic as a living space.

If you want to pay for less power use, consider installing an HVAC-specific solar panel system. Such an installation harnesses the power of the sun directly for your heating and air conditioning. Don’t worry though; you can have a switch put in that automatically connects to the power grid the days there isn’t enough sun.

Michelle Taylor

Juicing Is An Easy Way To Get The Nutrients You Need Each Day

Juicing is a great way to introduce more servings of fruits and vegetables into your diet. It doesn’t have to be a difficult process, but there are certain things you need to watch out for. Read this article for some helpful tips and tricks about juicing your fruits and vegetables.

Don’t leave out vegetables from your regular diet just because you’re getting them in your juice. Even fresh juice doesn’t provide all of the same benefits as eating whole vegetables, especially when it comes to fiber. Juicing should be used to add to your daily vegetable consumption, not to replace it.

When you start making your own juices, try adding a vegetable in the mix that you tend to avoid. Vegetables that you do not like alone might end up tasting great to you when mixed in a juice with other flavors. This is a great way to get nutrients you otherwise wouldn’t.

Store all your fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator, especially in the summertime. Juicing depends on fresh produce and leaving them out starts the process of decay more quickly. Keep your produce nice and cool until you eat it so that you can preserve as many vitamins as you can.

Mix leafy green vegetables with something sweet. Leafy vegetables have a strong taste and may be too much for you to start with, on their own. Luckily, juicing is a great chance to mix your foods; so temper that strong vegetable taste with something sweeter like apples or carrots. Plain water might work as well.

If you are going to store some of your juice for an extended period of time, make sure to add a few drops of lemon juice to it. This will keep the juice from turning color and preserve it while you wait to drink it. The more juice you save, the more lemon you should add.

Should you juice wheatgrass? The claims are many about it’s health benefits, including the fact that it helps increase the number of red blood cells, flushes the body of toxic metals, keeps your organs in tip-top shape, and clears out your lymph system. It`s also said to increase vitality, which we can all use!

Are you gluten intolerant? Anyone with celiac disease will love juicing as it’s a healthy way to have a treat in your diet. You can even include wheatgrass and it’s nutritional benefits as gluten is only found in the seed of the plant, not the stem or grass leaves. Enjoy!

When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is that when you are dealing with greens such as lettuce, it is best to stack it up in a dense pile before putting it in your juicer. This is important because you will get the most amount of juice and nutrients this way.

If you can’t find organic produce to use in your juices, make sure that you peel your fruits and vegetables before juicing them. Most of the pesticides on conventionally grown produce is on the skin, and washing isn’t enough to remove all of the residue. Peeling will eliminate the bulk of these contaminants from your food.

By juicing fruits and vegetables you are basically pre-digesting it so that your stomach will have a far easier time passing the nutrients directly from the juice itself to your cells. This will provide an almost immediate boost to your energy levels, your health, and your overall sense of well being.

If you like a really thick juice, try using softer fruits to make nectar! Apricots, peaches, pears, and strawberries are all excellent choices. You can add banana to make it an even smoother treat, but put it in the blender first or mash it and then add it to your juicer so that your motor doesn’t end up wearing out.

If you are going to increase the amount of natural nutrients you take in by juicing regularly, be prepared to go through a Detoxic Harga phase. If your diet consists of a high level of processed foods, your body will have to go through an adjustment phase when it is faced with handling a large influx of wholesome nutrients.