Salisbury, NC Homeowners Can Save Money on Utility Bills With Spray Foam Insulation

Save on Utility Bills With Spray Foam Insulation in North Carolina

If your a homeowner in North Carolina you already know that thru the months of May thru June, your utility cost is going to go up do to high temperatures and high humidity producing lots of heat, keeping your A/C running most of the day.  Heating and Cooling are the number one utility cost for most homeowners, so areas with hot climates in the summer, like North Carolina, experience a spike in utility cost for homeowners with traditionally insulated homes.  The air conditioner runs most of the day just to keep your home at a comfortable temperature level, and some homeowners find that even with the A/C running all day, there house still feel warm and uncomfortable during the hot summer month in North Carolina.  We call this the "hot house" effect.  This blog post is to let homeowners in North Carolina know that their is a solution to high utility cost during the summer months, in addition to lifetime energy savings.  Spray Foam Insulation can save homeowners 33% or more on utility cost versus traditional fiberglass insulation.  What this blog is going to explain is why spray foam insulation works so much better than traditional fiberglass insulation in North Carolina, and how payback on investment with spray foam insulation is a lot higher than with traditional fiberglass insulation.  Lets first talk about how fiberglass insulation works.

The reason why many homeowners in North Carolina experience the "hot house" effect, is that most homes are insulated with traditional fiberglass insulation, creating a buiding envelope, that traps hot air in the attics, and crawl spaces of most homes.  Vents and fans are designed to vent the attics, however many attics in North Carolina with traditional fiberglass insulation, are 30-40 degrees warmer than the rest of the house.  In poorly vented attics, we have seen temperatures of up to 180 degrees.  Thru a process known as convection, the hot air in the attic will covect heat thru fiberglass insulation and sheetrock, to make temperatures warmer in the home.  In turn, the A/C will run longer, in order to compensate for the extra warm air entering the home.  A new A/C unit may be able to blast the cool air into the home, and cool a home quickly, however this does not eliminate the problem of warm air entering the home.  So even with a newer HVAC system, your house is still getting warmer faster due to the hot air in the attic convecting heat into the home thru the ceiling.  The best way to eliminate this heat in the attic is to balance the temperatures between the two spaces.  In order to do this, the builidng envelop must be changed, to include the attic space, and crawl spaces where applicable.  The only way to do this is to make these areas conditioned space, which means moving the insulation from the ceiling of the home to the rafters of the roofing system, creating a semi-conditioned space.  Fiberglass insulation can not be installe in this method, due to air gaps and unsealed space, which would result in condensation forming.  The only way to get this desired method is to use Spray Foam Insulation, which can penetrate and seal all gaps and cracks, eliminating the possibility for condensation.

Since spray foam insulation can penetrate all gaps and cracks, and is made in place, it eliminates the worry of moisture or condensation forming in the attic, allowing the insulation to be installed on the rafters of the roofing system.  By installing the spray foam insulation on the rafters, it totally changes the dynamics of your home's building envelope.  Instead of trying to vent warm air out of the attic, as traditional fiberglass insulation systems are designed, spray foam insulation works to balance the temperature of the attic space with that of the home, and also prevent warm air from entering the attic space thrue the roof as well.  This building envelope design not only reduces attic temperatures, it also uses the inefficiencies of your HVAC system to cool attic space as well.  Even in a well designed duct systems, there is always energy loss, and spray foam insulation takes advantage of this energy loss, helping to cool the attic space and balance temperatures between the home and attic space.  With the balance of temperature, and the elimination of warm air entering the attic space, A/C systems operate much more efficiently than with traditional fiberglass insulation.  Spray Foam Insulation also has a much higher R-Value than traditional fiberglass insulation, reducing the loss of cool air leaving the home as well.

What all these factors of the spray foam insulation building envelope design means is, your air conditioner runs less, thus reducing your utility cost by 33% or more in North Carolina. In addition to providing these huge energy savings, Spray Foam Insulation also offers a number of other major advantages & benefits that fiberglass insulation does not offer as well. Spray Foam Insulation is about creating sustainable living solutions such as reduced mold and allergens, and lowering the amounts of dust found in your home.  Spray Foam Insulation has also been proven to prevent pest such as ants and termites from entering the home, in combination with homeowners having up to date pest control policies.  Spray Foam Insulation is a "green" builidng product, in addition to being an energy star product as well.  Tax Credits are still available, and homeowners can get credits upt to $500 for 2011.  Spray Foam Insulation can be installed in new or existing homes, giving any homeowner the chance to take advantage of the huge energy savings that spray foam can bring.  Though cost of installation for spray foam insulation is higher than that of traditional fiberglass insulation, payback on investment is a lot quicker and homeowners realize energy savings over the life of the home, making spray foam insulation an home improvement that will actually pay the homeowner back over the life of the home.  Being a lifetime product, Spray Foam Insulation will loses little or no R-value over the lifetime of the product, eliminating re-insulation cost associated with having to replace fiberglass insulation every 10 years.  

In summary, whether your looking to get a cooler home in the summer in NC, or looking for a new product to re-insulate your home, spray foam insulation is the best choice.   Most homeowners look at their home as a long term investment, making spray foam insulation even a better choice due to the lifetime payback in energy savings.  Not only will you be making a wise investment for your home, you'll also be doing your part to be "green" & more enviromentally friendly.  Being a "green" building solutions contractor, we love to hear satisfied customers stories about having spray foam insulation installed in their home, or about any of the other energy saving solutions we can offer North Carolina residents. If your looking for more information, please see our other blog post, visit our company website, or call our local North Carolina phone number at 704-636-9338 or our home office in Myrtle Beach, SC at 706-930-0322.  We offer competitive pricing and affordable solutions to saving on utility cost in North Carolina & South Carolina, however our business is in the promotion of green energy solutions to save the enviroment.  We love promoting spray foam insulation and other "green" building products, so please comment with current information or ideas for blog post. 


Retro-Solutions Construction Company
Home Office: Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 706-951-0158
North Carolina Sales: 704-636-9338
http://www.ncroofingcontractors.com
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Almond Crusted Tilapia Fish

Seafood is one of our favorite all time food, which I think is very easy to make and to achieve big flavors. I always make sauted fish fry which is easy, like add seasoning and pan fry the fish in bit olive oil. This time I wanted to try something little different, but keep it simple but healthy. So here is the simple 5 minute recipe.

The almond is a native to the Mediterranean climate region of the Middle East, eastward as far as the Indus.

Almond syrup

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Historically, almond syrup was an emulsion of sweet and bitter almonds, usually made with barley syrup (orgeat syrup) or in a syrup of orange flower water and sugar.

The Grocer's Encyclopedia (1911) notes that "Ten parts of sweet almonds are generally employed to three parts of bitter almonds"; however, due to the cyanide found in bitter almonds, modern syrups generally consist of only sweet almonds.

Oils

Almonds contain approximately 49% oils, of which 62% is monounsaturated oleic acid (an omega-9 fatty acid), 24% is linoleic acid (a polyunsaturated omega-6 essential fatty acid), and 6% is palmitic acid (a saturated fatty acid).^[24]

"Oleum Amygdalae", the fixed oil, is prepared from either variety of almond and is a glyceryl oleate, with a slight odour and a nutty taste. It is almost insoluble in alcohol but readily soluble in chloroform or ether. Sweet almond oil is obtained from the dried kernel of sweet almonds.

The oil is good for application to the skin as an emollient, and has been traditionally used by massage therapists to lubricate the skin during a massage session. It is a mild, lightweight oil that can be used as a substitute for olive oil.

Almond oil is also used as a wood conditioner of certain woodwind instruments, such as the oboe and clarinet.

Nutrition

The sweet almond contains about 26% carbohydrates (12% dietary fiber, 6.3% sugars, 0.7% starch and the rest miscellaneous carbohydrates), and may therefore be made into flour for cakes and cookies (biscuits) for low-carbohydrate diets. A standard serving of almond flour, 1 cup, contains 20 grams of carbohydrates, of which 10 g is dietary fiber, for a net of 10 g of carbohydrate per cup. This makes almond flour very desirable for use in cake and bread recipes by people on carbohydrate-restricted diets.

Almonds are a rich source of vitamin E, containing 24 mg per 100 g. They are also rich in dietary fiber, B vitamins, essential minerals andmonounsaturated fat (see nutrient table), one of the two "good" fats which potentially may lower LDL cholesterol. Typical of nuts and seeds, almonds also contain phytosterols, associated with cholesterol-lowering properties.

Potential health benefits, which have not been scientifically validated, include improved complexion and possibly a lower risk of cancer.Preliminary research associates consumption of almonds with elevating blood levels of high density lipoproteins and lowering low density lipoproteins. A preliminary trial showed that, in spite of the high fat content of almonds, using them in the daily diet might lower several factors associated with heart disease, including cholesterol and blood lipids.

Almonds contain polyphenols in their skins analogous to those of certain fruits and vegetables.

Almonds may cause allergy or intolerance. Cross-reactivity is common with peach allergens (lipid transfer proteins) and tree nut allergens. Symptoms range from local symptoms (e.g., oral allergy syndrome, contact urticaria) to systemic symptoms including anaphylaxis (e.g.,urticaria, angioedema, gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms).

Ingredients:

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1-2 Tilapia fillets, cut into medium pieces or you can just keep it as whole fillets

1/4 cup Almonds

1 tsp Cayenne pepper powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp Black Pepper powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp Olive oil

Method:

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1. In a mixer grind the almonds into fine powder.  You can also use spice grinder for this.

2. In a mixing bowl add the almond powder, and all the seasoning except the fish and mix well.

3. In a plate add the seasoned almonds, place each fillet or piece of fish and coat in on both sides.

4. In the meantime heat a saute pan with olive oil, and when the pan is medium hot, arrange the crusted fish and saute it until the crust is golden brown for about 3-4 mins on each side.

5. Serve this fish with seasoned rice, steamed rice or pasta and vegetables. Best served during the week day meals, because it's not heavy but light and healthy. 

Bhel Puri Chat

Chat is one of the most popular street food around India. It is mostly sold in coastal areas. I was born and brought up around the sea. We always love to go to the beach, spend time around watching the waves, blue waters and playing around. Once we are done with playing, we get hungry and we all crave to eat spicy food. So this is the best street food, I ever ate. To eat the best chats is in North India, the place of origin of chats. I ate almost all the varieties all around India. I first tasted it in my home town, Pondicherry, then in my college and around Karnataka and later when I visited my brother when he was in Ghaziabad. I liked all the different tastes and varieties and it's fun making at home too. So here is the recipe, all made from scratch with some healthy twist from my kitchen to yours.

Ingredients:

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Mint Chutney (Hari Chutney):

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1 bunch fresh Mint, de-stemmed and leaves washed in cold water

1/2 bunch Cilantro leaves, washed in cold water

2-3 Green Chilies

1 tsp grated Ginger

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Amchur powder (Dry Mango powder)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Lime juice

2 tsp Black Salt

Water as needed

Dates and Tamarind/ Sweet Chutney (Meeti Chutney):

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1 lemon size Tamarind or 2-3 tbsp Tamarind pulp (alter the quantity according to your taste)
2-3 tbsp Date Syrup (10 pitted Dates, pureed)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tbsp Black Salt
1/2 tsp Red Chili powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
Water as needed


Bhel:
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1 pkg Bombay Bhel or any Bhel Puri Mix
1 Onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
1/2 Cucumber chopped
1 Green Chili chopped 
1/2 cup Cilantro leaves chopped to garnish
1/4 cup Sev (you can get this in Indian store)
Method:
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Mint Chutney:
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1. In a mixer add all the ingredients, add sufficient water and grind it to a fine paste. Keep it aside.


Sweet Chutney:
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1. In a deep sauce pan, add all the ingredients and little water, mix well and in medium flame bring to boil and simmer cook it for about 5 mins. Allow it to cool or to room temperature.
2. In a blender blend all the ingredients and strain it, and discard the residue and keep it aside.


To Make the Bhel Puri:
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1. In a large mixing bowl, add the onions, tomato, cucumber, mint chutney, sweet chutney, mix well and now add the bhel and mix well immediately transfer it to a serving bowl or plate and sprinkle with cilantro, sev and serve this immediately, else the bhel will become soggy.
2. It's a good party snack.