ABC’s of Fine Design

My mother and step dad, with my help have decided to upgrade our propane to electric so they have been out looking at tank less water heaters, stoves and furnaces for the last 2 weeks. Monday they finally bought the tank less and are working on getting it put in. I still think that is the best way to go as it really can cut down on your electric bill.

The good news is they also don’t have to buy a stove as a friend of mine has one she is giving us. upgrading to either electric or just getting new appliances can be expensive at first, but if you can find some cheep or free things it helps, also once you do get everything upgraded the savings will start. I recommend getting new appliances if yours are more then 15 years old or are not an energy star product. In this economy saving money is a big deal and think about it this way, if you are buying new appliances to save you money your also helping the economy buy buying something.

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I am always looking for ways to save energy, so is my mom. I think that is why we always make my little brother vacuum the house. That way we have energy to do something else. Okay so I’m not actually talking about that kind of energy I’m talking about the energy you buy.

If your looking to save energy anyway you can you should check out Dirt Devil. They have the only energy star approved vacuum. This means that it will save you money when you use it. It uses 70% less energy then other vacuums and it look pretty cool too. It’s smaller then some vacuums so it will also be easier to store.

When you look for any new appliance or electronics type product, make sure it has an Energy Star rating. This will help you save a lot of money and usually the product will pay for itself within a few years or less. I’m going to be buying this new Dirt Devil when I move, unfortunately it doesn’t include a little brother.

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No I’m not cheering for a sports team even though my high school colors were green and white. I am talking about green design. What is green design, you ask? Well it is when you use all natural products and products that reduce energy use in your home.

It is very easy to go green as we in the design industry like to say. One of the easiest ways to start is by replacing your appliances with energy star ones. Yes this can be expensive, but for most people it will not change there habits too much, but it will save you money in the long run and help the environment at the same time.

What else can you do to go green? Well if your thinking about putting in hardwood floors opt for bamboo flooring as bamboo is a strong wood that is great for flooring, but it’s also considered a weed, and grows very quickly, bamboo can be harvested after only 2 years, so it is considered a renewable resource.

Another way to go green and save you money is to replace all of your light bulbs with the new florescent ones. This can save you so much per year that you can get your money back in less then 2 years, and they last up to 7 years, much better then those other light bulbs.

The last thing I am going to talk about is windows, are your windows drafty and let out that warm air in the winter and cool air in the summer? Well if your thinking about replacing them go for the energy star windows, they insulate and keep all the air you want to stay in your home in, and the air you don’t want out. They also will cut down on your heating bill and help the environment at the same time.

There are many other ways to go green, so start with these and find some more, good luck!

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