New Year's Resolution: Save Big On Heating and Cooling!

Make Energy Efficiency a Top Priority in 2011

Each year around this time, millions of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, and other things to improve their health. But how many of us make New Year's resolutions to improve their homes...or save money on their heating and cooling costs? Not many.

The Horizon Comfort Zone doesn't want you to give up those health-related New Year’s Resolutions -- they're great! But why not sweeten the mix by focusing on your home heating and cooling system and overall energy usage, too? Energy-Efficient New Year's Resolutions are not only good for the environment, they're good for your wallet. PLUS -- they're pretty easy resolutions to do and keep...a lot easier than avoiding food, cigarettes and alcohol!

Here are some great energy efficient New Year's resolutions you should consider making for 2011:

• Change Your Furnace or Air Conditioning Filter: Dirty filters impede air flow and make your furnace or air conditioner work harder. This increases your energy consumption, as well as the likelihood of furnace or air conditioner breakdowns. Be sure to check your filters monthly. Replace or clean them according to the schedule recommended by your HVAC service technician or by the manufacturer -- for most heating and air conditioning systems during peak season, that's about once a month.

• Go Digital with a Programmable Thermostat: Why waste energy heating or cooling your home when you are not there? With a programmable thermostat, you can pre-set the times and temperatures in which your heater or air conditioner will run. According to industry experts, a programmable thermostat can save you as much as $200 per year in energy costs.

• Buy a Fan: Fans can help circulate warm or cool air evenly throughout rooms or even entire floors of your house. This reduces a lot of wear and tear on your heater or air conditioner.

• Consider Zoned Heating: Why heat or cool rooms or floors if you're not in them? With a zoned heating/cooling system, you can send heated or cooled air where you want it. No heat or air conditioning is wasted. And the energy savings can be huge.

• Seal Air Leaks: Feel a draft around doors, windows or vents? If so, you could be leaking warm or cool air. That's money out the door for nothing. And as a result of the leak, you are probably running your heater or air conditioner more than you need to; that's adding wear and tear to your heating and cooling system. Check out your local hardware store for caulk, tape and other sealants that you can use to seal leaks around your house. It's a very quick, easy and inexpensive fix and it can save you big bucks in energy costs.

• Stop Blocking Registers and Vents: Check around your house to see if your registers and vents are blocked by furniture and other obstructions If so, you are wasting heat and air conditioning. Move these items aways from vents and registers so you can fill your rooms with more warm air in winter and more cool, air conditioned air in summer.

• Get a Tune-Up: It makes sense to get your car tuned up periodically and inspected once a year. Doesn't it make sense to do the same for your heating and cooling system? Regular tune ups and maintenance are the easiest and most important things you can do to guarantee that your heater or air conditioner performs at peak efficiency and doesn't break down at an inopportune time. Tune ups can extend the life of your heater or air conditioner, too. Don't be one of those procrastinators who say they'll wait till next year to get a tune up...have your HVAC system checked at least annually...starting THIS YEAR!

• Upgrade to a More Modern Heating & Cooling System: Make this the year you get rid of that old clunker of a heater and that rusty bucket-of-bolts you call an air conditioner! Today's technologically advanced heating and cooling systems are a far cry better than the heaters and air conditioners made just a decade ago. They perform at much higher energy efficiency levels. They provide more comfortable heating and cooling. The last longer. They require fewer repairs. And they're a better value: they generally pay for themselves in energy savings in just a few years. Tax breaks, rebates, manufacturer discounts and other incentives make them a better buy today than ever before.

Happy New Year from The Horizon Comfort Zone!

Related Information from Horizon Services...

• Horizon Heating Services
• Horizon Air Conditioning Services
• Horizon Heating and Air Conditioning Installation & Replacement
• Horizon's Precision Furnace Tune-Up
• 101 Ways to Save Energy and Money in Your Home

Auto Start for your home?

A few years back I surprised the lovely Heather with a Christmas gift, a remote car starter for her vehicle.  Whether it was an actual surprise I tend to doubt as she likely saw the purchase pass through our check card statement, nonetheless, she loved/loves it.  I know this has nothing to do with plumbing or heating but maybe, just maybe I can complete the link.

Let's go back few more years, eight to be exact.  The lovely Heather and I, with our now oldest and another on the way decided to build a new home.  With a little blood, sweat and tears our grandeur plans of a new homestead became a reality.  We went all out, as far as our budget would allow for at least.  Some of the "extras" we "just had to have" seem a little silly now.  There are also some things I remember wanting to do (but didn't) that, when looking back, make me laugh out loud.  Who really needs a waterfall in their living room?

Now remember I said some things seem silly, not all.  You see, being a plumber and installing all the plumbing and hydronic heating in my home, there was one thing I just had to have; was going to do and couldn't live without.  A hot water recirculating line.

Whats that?  Well, its simple really.  During the install of the water supply piping to all the fixtures in the house I chose to pipe a small (hot) water line from the farthest bathroom back to the water heater.  This water line is connected to a small circulator, or pump that senses the temperature of the water and keeps it hot during certain times of the day.  The connection is coming, please be patient.

What I didn't really know at the time seems pretty amazing to me now.  This simple addition, or gotta have has saved me an estimated average of about 5,000 gallons of water each year! Wow! Saving water is not the only thing this plumbing marvel does, no because it also saves all the energy it takes to "re"-heat the water in the piping that was once heated but sat idle in the piping until someone turned a hot faucet on.  All that water, all that energy and all it really took was some simple piping and the hatred of waiting for hot water in this big two-story home of ours.

So, much like Heathers truck being warm and ready to go with the push of a button you can come to our house and not have to wait for your hot water.  After all, the faucet handle has an H on it suggesting that the water may actually be hot when you rotate the handle.  I'm pretty sure it shouldn't mean "you'll have to wait a few minutes so you can wash your hands properly".

All is not lost to this magnificent plumbing feat if you are not inline to build a new house.  We now have products available for existing homes, products that will give you the same satisfaction and savings.  If you would like more information give me a call or email.  I would love to share the love, save you some money and a whole lot of water!  Now, I wonder if the lovely Heather might ever think about getting me one of those cool remote starters for my truck?

Until next time, and thanks for your time.
Eric Aune, Aune Plumbing LLC

Corn Kurma

As soon as you hear the word - corn, I am sure this is the image that comes to most of your minds. Its hard to resist for me not to buy the corn when I see it roasted on the street side carts. Okay, this post is not about the roasted corn. Its a kurma using the fresh corn kernels.

I have noted down the recipe from a TV show, many years ago. Those days, the sweet corn was not very common. I had tried using the dried corn, which has to be soaked overnight. Still, the kernels were not cooked soft.  And with the sweet corn, flooded in the markets, things got easy.  Its an easy to make kurma and goes well with rotis,aappam or dosa too.

You need

Fresh corn kernels - 2 cup

Onion - 1 no

Chilli powder - 1 tspn

Turmeric - a pinch

Kitchen king masala - 1 tspn

Oil - 1 tblspn

Salt to taste

To grind

Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup

Curd/Yogurt - 1/4 cup

Poppy seeds/Khus Khus - 1 tspn

Green chilly - 2 nos

Tomato - 1 no, chopped

Method

Cook the corn kernels till soft in a pressure cooker for two whistles. I microwave it for 5 minutes. Chop onions.

Heat oil in a kadai. Saute onions till pink. Add chilli powder and turmeric. Then add cooked corn and salt. Let it cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile grind coconut, green chilly, khus khus and chopped tomato to a smooth paste. If you need to add water, add the curd. After grinding, mix in the remaining curd to the paste. Stir in the paste to the cooked corn. Adjust the consistency by adding water if needed. Bring it to a boil. Let it not simmer too much once it starts boiling since it curd and coconut is added, it will thin the gravy. Finally add kitchen king masala and remove from fire. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.