Are you a DIYer looking for electric radiant floors? I have been—and what a confusing product to shop for. I am in the process of finishing my basement and have looked at all sorts of heating systems. My criteria for this system is that it must be: affordable, relatively easy for a DIYer to install and a system that would produce comfortable heat, zone control and more. Electric radiant seemed to fit the bill, but which product to choose? This can be a confusing process since there are so many types—120v vs. 240v, mats vs. cables, programmability vs. no programmability—and the list is long. After shopping and researching for some time, I stumbled across EZ Floor Heat. This site didn't convey a strong brand that I like to see when making a purchase online but the price was right. I decided that I should at least call before ruling them out. What a great experience it was speaking with one of their service technicians. He made this decision a no-brainer for me. With his detailed explanations about the twin cable system (canceling virtually all EMF), amperage usage and electrical needs, analysis of my rooms and the systems that would work the best, I decided to make the purchase. I got all this great service and he didn't even know where I worked. Nice work, EZ Floor Heat. After the installation is complete, I will report back with the results.
It might be the middle of summer, but cold weather is just around the corner. That means that now is the time to find great deals on home heating products. WarmlyYours is having an out-of-season sale on floor warming systems that will keep your toes nice and toasty for a much better price than usual. Orders costing $1,500 to $2,999 are 15 percent off and orders $3,000 and higher are 25 percent off. Hurry! This sale ends July 31.
With energy costs skyrocketing, homeowners are looking for ways to save money. One of the easiest ways is to use a programmable thermostat. It's estimated that doing so can shave about 10 percent off your annual heating and cooling bill. But not only are programmable thermostats good for your wallet, their efficiency is also good for the environment. Each properly used programmable thermostat reduces the use of 1,847 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions a year. So, why not use a programmable thermostat? Energy Star makes it easy with this page of tips and a video podcast on using a programmable thermostat. And installation is easy. BobVila.com's Step by Step How To video, "Replacing a Mercury Thermostat with a Programmable One", shows you how.
It seems everyone is concerned about the “greenness” of the products used in their homes, from the renewably sourced bamboo “wood” floors to the solar panels on the roof to the waste and refuse disposed of during construction. Not to mention the Energy Star appliances and the recycling done by the homeowner after construction. Although I am personally steamed by paying more for the gas in my car and the energy for my home, I am grateful this OPEC induced oil price rise has caused the greening of America. It has been brought up to the main stream media’s center stage even more than Al Gore’s documentary. It has caused us to rethink the products we use in our homes and makes us demand more energy efficient and environmentally friendly products. Before the rise in oil prices, we were concerned with global warming but our carbon footprints were increasing due to our rapid suburbanation and the increase in the size of homes in America. For example, even if your air conditioner is 50 percent more efficient, if your home is 100 percent larger you will use more overall energy, especially if you have to drive 50 miles each way to work in a large SUV. Lucky for us, in the past six months we have been reminded just how that carbon footprint is made: with fossil fuels. So thank you, oil exporting countries for helping us realize just how much the fossil fuel economy is really costing us.
With everyone reeling at the high cost of energy, Consumer Reports has put together a list of 20 free ways to reduce energy costs. Here's the short list:
Wash clothes in cold water.
Use a clothesline to dry laundry.
Don't overdry your laundry.
Don't pre-rinse dirty dishes in the sink before loading in the dishwasher. Just scrape the food off with a fork.
Put your PC to sleep.
Turn down the heat in the winter, and turn down the cool in the summer.
A cold hearth for a warmer house.
Lower the shades and raise the windows.
Use fans instead of air conditioning.
Clean the air conditioner's filter.
Set the hot water heater at 120 degrees F (or the "low" setting), which is hot enough for most needs.
When possible, use the microwave instead of the oven.
Use the right sized pan on the oven burner.
When buying a new appliance, check the label that gives an estimate of annual energy consumption.
Slow cookers use much less energy than pots left simmering on an stove.
Clean the coils on the refrigerator.
Drive steadily and slower.
Roof racks, even empty ones, reduce efficiency.
Use regular gasoline.
Don't let your car idle for any longer than necessary.
Read the explanation of each bullet point on Consumer Reports' GreenerChoices.org Web site.
I am one of the lucky ones to have a utility company that offers practical, readable advice in its mailings and on its Web site. In the June newsletter, there is a short piece about conserving energy and helping keep energy costs down during the summer months. Some of the good suggestions include: use dishwashers, clothes washers and pool filters during off-peak hours (usually between 8:00 p.m. and 10 a.m.); hang clothes outside to dry and set air conditioning temperatures to 76 degrees. For a longer list of ideas, check out "Summer Energy Saving Tips".
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Hearth & Home Technologies has announced a recall of about 22,000 fireplace wall controls. Failure in the wall control system can cause the fireplace to turn on by itself, creating a risk of property damage and posing a fire hazard. Hearth & Home has received 13 reports of a fireplace turning itself on and continuing to operate, including two reports of minor property damage caused by high temperature. This recall involves WSK-300 IntelliSwitch Fireplace Wall Controls sold with Heat & Glo gas direct vent fireplaces with the following model & serial numbers:
Model Number
Sales period
All serial numbers up to
6000GLX-IPI-S
January 2007 to January 22, 2008
0021279289
6000GLX-IPILP-S
January 2007 to January 22, 2008
0021279322
6000GLX-IPI-R
January 2007 to January 28, 2008
0021281203
6000GLX-IPILP-R
January 2007 to January 22, 2008
0021279291
Cerona 36
January 2007 to January 22, 2008
0021279592
Cerona 42
January 2007 to January 23, 2008
0021279097
The recall also includes the following wall controls sold separately: Heat & Glo WSK-300-HNG (sold between January 2007 to December 2007), Heatilator WSK-300-HTL (sold between June 2007 to December 2007) and Quadra-Fire WSK-300-QF (sold between November 2007 to December 2007). Consumers should disable the fireplace and contact Hearth and Home Technologies at 1-800-215-5152 for a replacement wall control panel for installation by the consumer or trained technician.
