How Green is your Home?

January 23, 2010 · Posted in Closing in your Investment Deal · Comments Off 

You would need to have been living on Mars if you had not heard of global warming and the negative effect we are having on our environment.  As a result many people have become leaders in green living and spend much of their day devoted to ensuring they are reducing their carbon footprint.  Whilst not all of us are this devoted there are a number of things that we can do to make our homes more environmentally friendly which can often save us money as well.  Here we have listed some top tips for you to try.

1.  When you replace light bulbs go for the energy efficient variety.  These use a different system to produce the light, using a fraction of the energy used by traditional bulbs and they also last up to twelve times longer.  Lighting is estimated to make up between 10 and 15% of your energy bills so there is a large saving to be made here.

2.  Up to a third of the clean drinking water we use in our households is flushed down the toilet every day.  On average each flush uses eight litres of water.  You can easily fit a save-a-flush bag into your toilet cistern which will reduce water usage by approximately one litre for each flush.  Often your local water company will provide these so it need not cost you a penny to fit.

3.  When replacing appliances look out for their energy efficiency ratings.  Do some research online to see how each appliance compares with each other.  Ask your plumber to use fittings with energy efficiency in mind, these range from baths that retain heat to taps that regulate water flow.

4.  On a larger scale you could invest in a rain water harvesting system.  This uses rainwater to flush toilets and use in the garden, saving your fresh drinking water uses to the minimum.  This helps your pocket and the environment.

5.  There is ongoing debate about how long a solar panel will take to pay for themselves through savings in energy bills but an often quoted number is a decade.  While this sounds like a long time the savings to the environment by using sustainable energy is substantial and with ongoing energy prices rises, the return may well be a lot quicker.

6.  Contact your local authority to see if there are any grants or subsidies available for energy saving home improvements.  These range from help with replacing old windows to insulation and solar panels.

7.  When replacing or upgrading your heating system, research some environmentally friendly alternatives.  For example Eco Heat Pumps work through a deep borehole close to your property and work by converting a small amount of heat in a large area to a greater amount of heat in a smaller area.  Heating your water and under floor heating in this way will save you substantial amounts of money on your energy bills.

8.  Are you looking to build a house or purchase a new one?  Put at the top of your wish list a green eco home.  If you are building one yourself include all our top tips in the initial planning stages and use as many local suppliers as possible.  You may well be lucky and find one already built and utilising all these energy saving systems.

ou would need to have been living on Mars if you had not heard of global warming and the negative effect we are having on our environment.  As a result many people have become leaders in green living and spend much of their day devoted to ensuring they are reducing their carbon footprint.  Whilst not all of us are this devoted there are a number of things that we can do to make our homes more environmentally friendly which can often save us money as well.  Here we have listed some top tips for you to try. 1.  When you replace light bulbs go for the energy efficient variety.  These use a different system to produce the light, using a fraction of the energy used by traditional bulbs and they also last up to twelve times longer.  Lighting is estimated to make up between 10 and 15% of your energy bills so there is a large saving to be made here. 2.  Up to a third of the clean drinking water we use in our households is flushed down the toilet every day.  On average each flush uses eight litres of water.  You can easily fit a save-a-flush bag into your toilet cistern which will reduce water usage by approximately one litre for each flush.  Often your local water company will provide these so it need not cost you a penny to fit. 3.  When replacing appliances look out for their energy efficiency ratings.  Do some research online to see how each appliance compares with each other.  Ask your plumber to use fittings with energy efficiency in mind, these range from baths that retain heat to taps that regulate water flow. 4.  On a larger scale you could invest in a rain water harvesting system.  This uses rainwater to flush toilets and use in the garden, saving your fresh drinking water uses to the minimum.  This helps your pocket and the environment. 5.  There is ongoing debate about how long a solar panel will take to pay for themselves through savings in energy bills but an often quoted number is a decade.  While this sounds like a long time the savings to the environment by using sustainable energy is substantial and with ongoing energy prices rises, the return may well be a lot quicker. 6.  Contact your local authority to see if there are any grants or subsidies available for energy saving home improvements.  These range from help with replacing old windows to insulation and solar panels. 7.  When replacing or upgrading your heating system, research some environmentally friendly alternatives.  For example Eco Heat Pumps work through a deep borehole close to your property and work by converting a small amount of heat in a large area to a greater amount of heat in a smaller area.  Heating your water and under floor heating in this way will save you substantial amounts of money on your energy bills. 8.  Are you looking to build a house or purchase a new one?  Put at the top of your wish list a green eco home.  If you are building one yourself include all our top tips in the initial planning stages and use as many local suppliers as possible.  You may well be lucky and find one already built and utilising all these energy saving systems.

Anna Barrington writes for Percy Williams & Sons, builders of innovative environmentally friendly developers of the latest houses for sale Cornwall. For more information please visit new homes cornwall.

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Watercolor Techniques Want To Learn Watercolor Painting Read This

December 12, 2009 · Posted in Closing in your Investment Deal · Comments Off 

So, you want to learn watercolor painting? Well, in a world filled

with plenty of ugliness, this is one thing that is a world of beauty

at your fingertips. Watercolor painting is really not that hard. With

a few tips and a little bit of imagination, you can become pretty

decent at this without having to give up your first born in the

process.

Let’s start with the grip. The basic grip for holding a watercolor

paint brush is almost identical to the way you would hold a pen or

pencil for writing. However, by simply adjusting the grip slightly,

you can come up with some very interesting results. But starting with

the conventional grip, since it’s similar to the handwriting grip,

try writing your name. You can either print it or use script.

Okay, let’s now use a different grip. Try picking up the brush as if

you are pinching it between your index finger and thumb. You can

alternate between a tight pinch and a loose one. Then, take the brush,

using each grip, and move it around the canvas. Notice the difference

between the brush strokes using this grip and the standard grip.

Notice the strokes are much fatter and with the looser grip, more

free and less controlled.

Let’s try one more grip in this article called the screwdriver grip.

Yes, you’re going to hold the brush as if it were a screwdriver and

you were going to use it to screw something into a piece of wood. It’s

a little awkward at first, but eventually, you’ll get used to it.

Because there is a very limited range of control with this grip, it

forces you to draw very simply. This is a great technique to use for

sketching.

There are other grips that you can use but we’ll stop there. Yes, just

by changing the way you hold your brush, you can get a variety of

textures and effects on your canvas. For more great tips and a great

resource in watercolor painting, check out the link in my signature.

Yes! We have lots more information on watercolor tutorial, watercolor painting and water color painting… just visit our site, http://watercolorpainting.resourcegalore.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/watercolor-techniques-want-to-learn-watercolor-painting-read-this-1571681.html

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12 Tips to Handle a Last Minute Move

October 18, 2009 · Posted in Closing in your Investment Deal · Comments Off 

It’s difficult enough to have to pack all your life to move into a new home, but when you have to do that and still, do it fast, you better have an easy and practical method to support you, otherwise the memories you will hold for years to come will be bitter and frustrating, turning what should have been a joyous occasion into a living nightmare!

Luckily, that easy and practical method is reachable; there are many ways to make any fast move go smoothly and enjoyably, and it has all to do with organization. Follow these tips and find the bright side of moving.

1. Prepare a list. Write down everything, no matter how insignificant it seems. Create a simple record keeping system to pack boxes, be it numbers, colors, or anything else. Get a notebook and write down in detail everything that goes in each labeled box, when it is ready, put it down on your designated “To Go Central”, meaning, everything that is there is ready to go. You should also have a packing area, where you have everything from scissors to labels, tape and markers.

2. Have enough supplies. Get enough boxes, better safe than sorry. Save around ten boxes for last minute packing, things like bedding, clothing, and cleaning supplies. Use strong tape and unprinted newspaper or bubble wrap to protect your belongings. You will need more than you think of everything, so get a lot of supplies and return what’s left at the end.

3. Use wardrobe boxes. They are great for things like pillows, comforters, blankets, and clothes. Calculate how many boxes you will need and ask the Seattle moving company to bring enough so that you don’t have to over stuff each.

4. Use wardrobe boxes strategically. The movers can move some of your things ahead of time, thus, pack a little ahead of time and as early as possible. Also, take advantage of the size of the boxes and fill them in a way that is easy to unpack and to keep everything organized inside: shopping bags filled with several closet items at the bottom, then hanging clothes, and finally some purses or sweaters.

5. Coordinate colors. Choose a color for each room in your new home, put a color sticker on each box, near the number, and put a matching sticker on the door of every room. In this way, the movers will know where everything goes.

6. Keep together things that belong together. Tape small parts to the items these belong to, or put them inside an envelope. Picture hooks with pictures and shelf brackets with bookcases. Designate a “parts box” and put any cables, pieces, parts or nails that appear here and there inside, so that you can easily find everything on moving day.

7. Pack ahead. Anything you can pack ahead of time will free you to take care of important stuff on moving day. Leave only the indispensable and pack everything else.

8. Organize cleaning supplies. Clean you old place ahead of time, but have a cleaning kit ready for action on moving day.

9. Use luggage to pack. Fill them with clothes, sheets, towels and papers.

10. Keep an eye on valuables. As much as possible, everything valuable must remain with you. Review the movers’ insurance to see how you are covered in case you lose something.

11. Guard important papers. This means birth certificates, school records, mover estimates, job contracts, utility company numbers, bank records, bills, phone lists, closing papers, realtor information, maps and installation manuals. Always keep them with you.

12. Get a box for each person. Each family member should get a special box. It should contain items that will be needed immediately after the move.

If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to post it to your site or blog and forward this link to your friends. Have a great day!

Don’t forget to visit our moving blog.

Joe Tacoma has written numerous articles for Puget Sound Moving, expert movers in Seattle, Washington and surrounding areas. Their blog is full of great moving and packing tips; check it out at www.psmoving.com/blogArticle Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/12-tips-to-handle-a-last-minute-move-1352130.html

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