Convert Your Fireplace And Save

If you have a home where some or all of the heat comes from your fireplace or wood stove, you may want to consider investing the money in a conversion or improvement to get the most out of your fuel. There are a number of ways to do this. Some of them may require an outlay of cash, but they will end up saving you many times that amount in heating bills, wood purchase and time.

The first way to improve your fireplace's efficiency is the simplest: clean it! Chimneys blocked by creosote and soot not only endanger your home through the risk of chimney fires and dangerous gas emissions into the home, they also prevent the fire from getting the oxygen it needs. Consequently, it takes more energy for the fire to provide heat to a room or home.

You might think that chimney sweeps disappeared with the Industrial Revolution, but the profession is still alive and well. A professional chimney sweep can clean your chimney and give you some good advice on how to keep it cleaner. If you choose to clean the chimney yourself, be prepared for several hours of dirty, hard work! Take some measurements of your fireplace and chimney with you to the fireplace/wood stove supply store or online to get the correct size cleaning tools.

A "draft eliminator" is an inflatable balloon that you can pop inside your fireplace when it's not in use. This will save you a good chunk of money when it comes to stopping cold air from entering your home through the chimney. It can also guard against wildlife paying you a visit through the chimney. The inflatable nature of the product enables it to effectively seal most of the chimney and stay secure. It is not as efficient as a damper, but it is cheaper and a great temporary solution to a broken damper.

Installing a damper is a really good permanent solution to drafts from the chimney. It is more efficient than a draft stopper and more suitable for a home where the fireplace is used frequently. With regular maintenance, a damper can virtually seal your fireplace and chimney from drafts and unwanted pests and will be serviceable for years.

An outside air intake next to the fireplace can help the fire get oxygen without pulling cool air from all areas of the house to the fireplace. It can also reduce drafts and your gas/wood usage. An easy source of cool air will make the fire heat your whole house more efficiently.

By installing an outside air intake next to your fireplace you can reduce the amount of space that the cool air has to travel through the home and reduce uncomfortable drafts. Just like any fire, your fireplace requires oxygen for the wood to burn. When in use, your fireplace will draw inside air to combust the fire. Whether it be heated air sitting dormant in your home or pulling in outside air from the small cracks in your doors and windows, this situation is very inefficient. The best way to solve this problem is controlling where the outside air is drawn in from to eliminate uncomfortable drafts and high gas bills.

A fireplace insert is one of the best ways to improve your fireplace's efficiency. With a radiant glass door, fireplace efficiency can be improved up to 90%. Plus, a glass cover means you can enjoy the warmth and beauty of fire without worrying about sparks and the influx of dirt. EPA-certified inserts are even more efficient at containing warmth and toxic fumes.

If you really want to up your fireplace's efficiency and don't mind how you do it, an EPA-certified wood stove may be a good solution. Inserting an energy-efficient wood stove into your fireplace can instantly pay off in terms of heating and emission control. Plus, as wood and pellet stoves become more popular, there are more options for converting your fireplace to accommodate a good stove. Plus, you'll have something to warm hot chocolate up on!

There are many ways you can up the efficiency of your fireplace. With a wise outlay of money, you could find yourself using significantly less fuel and heating your home for longer using this form of sustainable heating.

By: Lauren Spencer

Everything you need to know about homes in Santa Cruz is right here at MySantaCruzRealEstate.com. Lauren Spencer, Coldwell Banker Realtor will be glad to answer your questions about Capitola Village CA real estate.

All About Basement Remodeling

When thinking of adding up to your current living space, you need not look any further as the solution readily lies beneath and that is your unfinished basement. A cost-effective project, it can considerably increase the value of your New York home plus a whole set of added benefits for less of the cost and inconveniences. This makes a basement remodeling project a sensible investment whether you are in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, or Long Island.

Basement Remodeling Plan

Tackling a home improvement project unprepared is one of the biggest no-no’s in remodeling. Planning ahead for your basement remodeling is crucial and this should include:

• Budget –to enjoy the results for a longer time, you have to allot enough budget to ensure quality. And to avoid breaking the bank, stick to the budget established. If you have to cutback on expense, spend it wisely without sacrificing both beauty and functionality.

• Repairs –before anything else, necessary repairs should be prioritized to avoid future problems. Ensure proper and sufficient insulation and waterproofing to make the area fully efficient and most comfortable.

• Establish an idea for basement finish –depending on your family’s needs you can turn the area into just about anything. You can either have the whole space to serve a specific function or it can be divided into different rooms. While brainstorming, also consider the easy access to electricity and plumbing, the isolated location and the privacy the area offers.

• Design –basement remodeling poses a whole new set of challenges. To avoid complexities in construction and too much unneeded expense, you have to creatively work with these challenges including: the HVAC systems, support beams and poles, ductworks and others.

• Permits –secure necessary permits.

Basement Remodeling Contractor

To take full advantage of all the benefits of finishing your basement, you have to focus on achieving quality results. Without the skills, experience and expertise; chances of ending with such is close to impossible. So if you do not possess any, better hire a qualified New York contractor to do the job for you. While selecting, look into the following factors to land with the right contractor that perfectly matches with the job:

• The best resource you could ever look into is a referral from someone you trust. But if nobody can point you out to a qualified contractor, then you can exhaust other resources like the Internet.

• Check local Better Business Bureau for membership standing and unresolved problems with past clients.

• Verify license and insurance. Make sure that insurance covers important areas such as personal liability, property damage, and worker’s compensation.

• As communication is vital, find someone who makes you feel comfortable.

• Take time to actually visit references to see the quality of the result and how it stood the test of time.

• Consider every single detail presented in the bid. And speaking of bids, get multiple from various basement remodeling contractors.

These are the core essentials of a successful basement remodeling project. By planning ahead and going into each required detail, you are making sure that the job would be exposed to fewer risks of mistakes, if any. By hiring a qualified basement remodeling contractor, you are guaranteed of a top quality finish.

By: Eugene Makeev.

Eugene Makeev uses his skills and expertise to help home owners in Brooklyn, Long Island, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island avoid the common pitfalls by matching their basement remodeling needs with prescreened contractors that specialize in basement remodeling Long Island. Avail of our free basement remodeling estimator.

Energy Efficient Upgrades For Your Home

Homeowners are paying more attention than ever to energy efficiency when renovating, but you do not have to commit to a major renovation to improve the efficiency of your home. In fact, you do not have to renovate at all; small steps toward improved energy efficiency can save you money in the long run while reducing your home’s environmental impact. Here are some renovation-free upgrade ideas that will give you a more energy efficient home:

Look for the Energy Star label when replacing appliances and electronics. The Energy Star certifies that a product complies with precise efficiency guidelines put forth by the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Energy. The Energy Star qualification can be found on products ranging from light bulbs to kitchen appliances to new homes. Please visit www.energystar.gov to find Energy Star Qualified Products.

Replace incandescent light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Replacing incandescent lighting in your home with compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs, is an inexpensive and easy step toward improving the energy efficiency of your home. According to www.energystar.gov, Energy Star CFLs consume around 75% less energy than incandescent ones, and that translates to real energy and money savings over time.

Install a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat allows you to set your heating and cooling system to automatically adjust at certain times of the day based on your schedule, allowing for reduced energy consumption at times when no one is home. Because heating and cooling accounts for a sizeable percentage of energy consumption in most homes, a programmable thermostat helps keep utility expenses down while making daily life a little more convenient.

Replace drafty or single pane windows. If your windows and doors are old or not properly sealed, a portion of your utility payments are going, well, right out the window. Though new windows require a more sizeable investment than most of the other upgrades mentioned here, homes with updated windows appeal to home buyers and the investment can likely be recouped at resale.

Want to learn more about energy efficient home upgrades? Please visit the home improvement section of the Energy Star website.

By: Maria Polidoro

Maria Polidoro is the owner of Ace Tool Online, a Wantagh, New York based dealer and service center for over 70 brands of hand and power tools. Find the right Milwaukee miter saw, Festool router and more at Ace Tool.

"who Else Wants To Create Electricity From Renewable Energy Without Breaking The Bank?"

It may be "all the rage" today to jump on the bandwagon and want to use renewable energy to help save the planet, but in reality, how do you use the earth's renewable resources and save money on our own energy costs? How do you actually get to use a renewable resource like the sun or wind to power your home? Do you get a professional installer to put up some solar panels or a wind power generator? Do you take the leap and try to do-it-yourself and hope you actually finish the project and end up with a usable system?

Good news is, green energy is on the rise and that makes it easier for the average person to setup and install your own renewable energy system.

Wind power generators (small homemade windmills) are very popular because they are fairly easy to manufacture and setup. The truth is that it is not difficult to build wind turbines and many homeowners are taking the challenge to build their own wind turbines as a cost-effective means to utilizing renewable energies. It isn't exactly snap-your-fingers easy to build wind turbines either, but with the proper plans and a motivated builder you can be building wind turbines in no time.

When the wind dies down (or doesn't exist at all) then solar panels are a great option and often solar panels and wind power generators are used together to generate a home's power. Solar power is one of the best and most reliable renewable energy sources available. The problem most novice environmental warriors find is that the cost of professionally installed solar power systems is way beyond their budget and it could take well over 10 years to see a return on their investment. Never fear, there are alternatives. The most cost-effective way to take advantage of the power of the sun is to build solar panels on your own.

You may be thinking that building wind turbines and/or solar panels on your own will cost thousands of dollars much like a professional system. You would be surprised just how inexpensive building your own solar or wind power system can be. With the right plans, you can build your own wind power generator for between $180-200 and less if you can find some parts to recycle from other used equipment, for instance. The same goes for solar panels. The key is to find a plan that works for your goals.

There are many different DIY plans available online today. You need to make sure that you get complete plans that include

• detailed instructions and diagrams
• how to videos
• resources to get certain parts you'll need (best to avoid plans that require buying parts from specialized websites since this can be expensive)
• support in case you need help along the way

The key to keeping costs down and completing any project lies in good planning, and the right manual will help you do just that. Look for proven, experienced and moderately priced renewable energy manuals. You don't have to spend hundreds, and some of the best manuals available are very creative in their use of materials found at your local hardware store or even by using recycled materials.

There is most definitely a way that you can create your own home energy system, using renewable energy to save money on energy costs (many times, with the right system you can even eliminate your energy bills entirely) and it does not have to cost you your savings or the price of a new car! A good plan can be obtained for under $50 in most cases and the materials usually range in the $180-200 range for a wind power system and slightly more for a solar panel system. So, for a small price and a little bit of elbow grease, you can create your own electricity for years to come, help the environment and save money.

By: Jeanie Boyle

Find out more about how to build your own home renewable energy system: go to www.Make-Your-Electricty.com for a detailed guide developed by a 15-year veteran Home Energy Expert, Researcher, Inventor, and Energy Consultant. Jeanie Schreider is a renewable energy and environmental enthusiast, with over 20 years in business management and creator of www.BestNetResults.com.