Door sweeps are the small pieces of rubber or vinyl at the bottom of your door that effectively cover the gap where the door meets the bottom of the frame. This area is almost always built with a gap to allow the door to open and close smoothly. Contrary to its name, the door sweep doesn’t “sweep” anything. It acts as a buffer between the small gap and your home. Not only that but it saves you money on energy as well.  By acting as a layer of insulation and a seal between the air on the other side of the door and the inside controlled temperature air, it is effective at prevent heat transfer or heat loss through air movement. Of course, it is even more effective when combined with a screen or storm door, because then less air is allowed to even come to the door in the first place.

It may also prevent heat loss if it is made of a good insulation material. Heat loss happens when heat is transferred between two materials when there is a difference in surface temperature. If the cold outside air touches the door sweep, and the door sweep is warmer than the air, the heat from the door sweep will be lost. If the door sweep is cooled and the material becomes colder, heat will be lost because the house is warmer. Rubber is a fairly good insulator for this purpose, which is why it is the material most often used in door sweeps.

The “brush” type of sweep is good for reducing air flow, but will readily transfer heat if temperatures are different – which is why a lot of modern outer facing doors are longer sold with this type of sweep. If your door sweep gets worn and falls off you may ask yourself if you need to actually replace it. Do a simple test. If you feel air entering through the bottom of the door, then absolutely – you need a door sweep. If not, and you cannot see the light from outside within your home, you may not need one. Though it certainly will never hurt to add one! Contact us today to find out how you can help weatherize your home with door sweeps.

The standard materials that ladders are constructed of include wood, aluminum, and fiberglass. While all of these ladders can serve their purpose, wood and aluminum are subject to corrosion by water and wind. These elements can cause the ladders to fall apart more easily. When people are working on a ladder, they want to know that they are safe. Even if the ladder appears safe, it may not be. Aluminum ladders are also good conductors for electricity. This means that a person standing on an aluminum ladder during a thunder storm or near an open electrical line has a good chance of being electrocuted. Fiberglass ladders are lower conductors of electricity and do not succumb to the elements. They are a good choice for people who use them often either at home or on the job.

Even though fiberglass ladders are more expensive, they will last a lot longer than other types of ladders. These ladders are investment pieces that will be around for a long time. Fiberglass ladders can be used in different weather conditions and climates. They are strong and can hold people and equipment just as well as other ladders. More homeowners who are looking for ladders are choosing fiberglass ladders for the reasons mentioned above.

For painting, roof repair, cleaning out gutters, or hanging pictures, a fiberglass ladder can be a good investment that will make any home improvement project easier. Having a reliable ladder that does not take up too much room is easy to find. Fiberglass is a better material for ladders because of its versatility and adaptability to different projects. They are safer to use in most cases and will help to make any home improvement project easier.

Have you considered how much it costs you to have a light on in your home? Saving the Earth is not the only goal of conserving energy or electricity; saving money is a direct result of energy-saving tools and appliances. Some people don’t even take a look at the electric bill. The monthly bill comes and as long as there is not a noticeable rise in the invoice, the details of your energy use are not typically stats most folks seek out. In fact, the electrical jargon itself inhibits us from even attempting to understand those meter readings. Watts and kilowatts and kilowatt-hours each come with their own code of abbreviations that leave the average, not-professionally-licensed-electrician homeowner, a little bit baffled.

When you make time to get to the pile of bills, sit at your kitchen table and try to focus, ignoring all the background noises, it’s all a person can manage just to get that checkbook to balance, let alone decipher the foreign terms on the electric meter reading. However, it only takes a moment to understand the basics, and getting these fundamentals down will help you make the best decisions when it comes time to purchase green products and energy conserving items.

So let’s get started. First of all, electricity is billed to you by the kilowatt-hour or kWH. On average, one kWH costs about $0.08 to $0.15. To rack up a kWH, you must use 1,000 watts of electricity. To put it in more common terms, 1,000 watts is equivalent to using a 100 watt light bulb for ten hours.

Now that you have a better understanding of a basic fee associated with your electric bill, here are some ways you can go green and get more electricity for your dollar and promote energy conservation in your home.

1. Buy CFL bulbs: CFL bulbs cost more up front, but average to save you $40.50 per year, per bulb in electricity fees. While the out of pocket expense is greater, you will recoup those costs by the 720th hour of usage and from that point on, you are saving money. These green bulbs use less energy, usually a fourth of what a standard bulbs would use up. They also last longer than standard bulbs. Typically, the life of one CFL is equal to about 10 standard bulbs.

2. Don Your Sweatshirt: A sure-fire way to conserve energy is not to use so much of it. In the winter months, keeping the heat on a low setting and adding a layer of clothing, like a sweatshirt or simply a pair of socks, is a highly effective way to save money and energy.

3. Flip It and Exit: An obvious but often neglected green practice is turning off a light when you leave the room. Your mother probably nagged you about this when you were a child – you probably nag your children about the same thing.

Just make sure you are aware of how much energy you are using and how much is either leaking out or being wasted. Keeping a steady eye on things can save you money and even help out the environment.

The Home Star energy bill is perhaps the most innovative proposal of its kind. This “Cash for Caulkers” program only needs to go through the Senate before President Obama signs it into law. Below are some of the key elements that make this energy bill revolutionary.

For two years, the Home Star program will offer nearly $6 billion in rebates for homeowners that invest in energy-efficient appliances, building mechanical systems, insulation, and whole-house energy efficiency retrofits. There are two paths  a consumer can take advantage of this bill—through the Silver Star program or the Gold Star program.

The Silver Star path would provide rebates up to $1,500 for energy efficient upgrades, capped at 50% of the total project cost.

The Gold Star path offers rebates up to $3,000 for upgrades that reduce energy use by 20%. Furthermore, this program also offers up to $8,000 when additional energy savings are achieved. This rebate program requires contractors performing work to be BPI certified in order for homeowners to receive rebates.

Weatherizing your home can assist in major energy savings. In fact, studies have shown that weatherizing a home can reduce heating bills by as much 32% and overall utility bills by as much as $350 per year. Using professional grade Weatherization products can provide the most economical and long lasting solution. Most of these products are designed to seal windows and doors, and to repair and seal cracks in the building envelope. Typical products are caulks and weather-stripping designed specifically for weatherizing existing dwellings in all climates. Weather-striping around the perimeter of entry doors ensures a tight seal to keep cold air out and warm air in.  This also keeps conditioned air from escaping in warmer climates when using central air conditioning which dramatically reduces energy consumption.

Weatherizing your home makes sense on so many levels. Not only will you be improving your home’s energy efficiency and keeping more money in your wallet each month, you will be improving your family’s air quality and comfort level as well. Contact the professionals at Weatherization SP today to find out more about our professional energy saving products.

You can reduce the heat loss from your water heater by installing an exterior blanket of fiberglass insulation. This is one of the most common and cost effective water-heating energy-conservation measures available. Older water heaters have only an inch of fiberglass, and most new ones have an inch of foam insulation. Neither of these insulation levels is adequate for minimizing heat loss.  The Energy Savers site recommends using a water heater blanket on any model with an R-value under R-24.

Given that water heaters are commonly installed in unheated areas like basements and garages, when hot water (around 140°F) in the tank is surrounded by cold exterior air (around 60°F),  significant heat loss  can occur. To check if that’s the case with your water heater, place your hand on the tank. If it’s warm to the touch, it could use additional insulation.

With water heating claiming as much as 25 percent of home energy bills, every little bit of insulating assistance helps.