Quick... before winter gets here!

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Top 10 Home Spa Vacation Ideas

10. Start with a clean, comfortable home to allow you to rest and relax. Change the sheets, pull out fresh towels and set the thermostat between 72-79 degrees. Studies show that 72 degrees is considered most comfortable for sedentary people.

9. Eliminate any stickiness in the air. Remove excess moisture by maintaining indoor humidity between 30 and 60 percent.

8. Clear the clutter. Move excess “stuff” into a drawer and set out fresh flowers and a carafe of water with slices of citrus or cucumber.

7. Speaking of avoiding clutter, set aside some quiet time. You don't have to meditate, but just sitting quietly for a few minutes helps you relax and think more clearly.

6. Clear the air. Instead of using chemical-laden air fresheners to eliminate odors, set out a box of baking soda or soak a cotton ball in vanilla.

5. Give yourself a spa treatment. Use natural ingredients like avocado or honey to reduce harmful chemicals.

4. Plan healthy “spa” meals. Try an egg-white omelet with vegetables for breakfast, or a salad and bowl of lentil soup for lunch.

3. Let the sunshine in! Open up curtains but close windows to keep allergens at bay.

2. Get some gentle exercise. Ride your bike around the neighborhood, take a walk or pop in a yoga DVD.

1. Take a nap! You deserve it.

Home Maintenance Checklist for Fall and Winter # 3

Things you can do to improve air quality and reduce potential health risks: 

• When adjusting clocks, change batteries in smoke alarms, as well as radon and carbon monoxide detectors. 

• Consider a ventilation system to increase air circulation inside and add a healthy dose of fresh air.

• Clean water-damaged carpets and materials, or consider replacement.

• Reduce the potential for buildup of allergy-causing pollutants by keeping your house clean 

• Take special precaution when operating fuel-burning appliances to avoid leakage. Store and dispose of household chemicals in a safe manner. 

 

Thanks to Lennox for the checklist! 

Home Maintenance Checklist for Fall and Winter # 2

Extra steps you can take to save energy: 

• Install a programmable thermostat, so you can preset temperatures for different times of the day. 

• Insulate the water tank and first six feet of hot and cold water pipes connected to the unit.

• Lower the temperature of your water heater to 120°F (a 10-degree decrease can approach 5% savings). 

• Install rubber gaskets behind outlets and use switch plates on exterior walls. Install low-flow shower heads. 

Thanks to Lennox for the checklist!

Home Maintenance Checklist for Fall and Winter

General guidelines for keeping your home warm and efficient:

• Have a qualified HVAC professional inspect your home’s ducts and cooling equipment.

• Set your thermostat to 68°F when you’re at home and awake, and as low as 60°F when you’re asleep or awake.

• Clean or replace furnace filters every month.

• Clean chimney and check to see if your fireplace is working properly.

• Seal air leaks in the attic, basement and crawlspace, and also around windows and doors.

• Insulate inside of windows with heavy-duty, clear plastic sheets.

• Check your attic for proper insulation. (The U.S. Department of Energy suggests a value between R-22 and R-49.)

• Close curtains or shades at night and keep them open during the day

• Clean windows on the south side of your house to maximize sunlight exposure. Weather-strip doors that lead to cold or outside areas.

• Wrap and insulate waterlines to prevent them from freezing.

• Repair leaky faucets.

 Thanks to Lennox for the checklist!

Winter is a'coming...

It is going to get cold around these parts.  We know it... you know it.

Preventative maintenance is going to keep that heat flowing in the home. 

Of course, there are other ways to heat the home...

Home Tech... It just keeps getting better!

Welcome to Twenty-First Century HVAC Tech.  The NEST programable thermostat is something to behold.  We are big fans of tech and when it comes to making our homes more comfortable and energy efficient at the same time... well, we are all for it.

Take a gander at this...  http://www.nest.com/

Prety cool, huh?

Indoor air quality techies?

There truly is an app for that... yes even indoor air quality.  Besides being an industry leader in all things HVAC, they have a unique presence in cyberspace as well.

http://www.lennox.com/resources/mobile-center/

Look out...

Remember these days...

Not that long ago, were they?  Winter is just around the corner and now would be a very wise time to schedule that HVAC and heating maintenance checkup.  A little preventative maintenance now can prevent a whole lotta' trouble later.