the brown eyed bookie ,

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Top Five Energy Star Building Products in South Carolina

MBS & Co.'s Top 5 Selling Energy Star Products for 2012

When homeowners or business owners contact us to help them lower their utility cost and improve sustainability, they have usually done research on a few of our products. Most clients know that Energy Star building products really help reduce energy cost, especially in the hotter climates found in South Carolina, yet many still have questions on what is best for their project. Generally speaking, most clients are in need of a service already because of an existing failing product, or they are building new and looking to get a better return on investment, then what traditional building products can offer.

With that in mind, our list is going to look a lot different then what you see government and other "green" energy website lists look like. The major reason for this, is that we have specific information, specific needs, and specific goals from our customers, allowing us to accurately and functionally develop a energy efficiency plan specific to that individual customers need. Another reason why our list may look different from others, is that many customers budgets simply do not have the capital to afford items like solar panels and wind turbines that you see in the news and other "green" energy websites.

The good news about our list, is that our list includes affordable Energy Star building products, that most homeowners and small businesses building budgets can accomadate. Not only are the products on our list more affordable for customers, they also have a faster payback rate on investment. Also be sure to note, that this list is just from our company's sales and customer feedback information, however our products really do seem to be a more sustainable way for homeowners and businesses to go "green", save utility cost, and improve energy efficiency.

So without further a do, here is MBS & Co.'s top five Energy Star rated building products in 2012 for the South Carolina area:

Gaco Western S-2000 Silicone Roof Coatings - This is a shocker to us as well, but with the combination of a weak economy and aging building structures, we have done more roof coating projects this year then we have insulation products. Insulation can often be overlooked by many homeowners and building owners, but when the roof leaks, they have to get it fixed. The great thing about Gaco Western roof coatings is that they not only minimize replacement cost, they also improve energy efficiency
Spray Foam Insulation - Usually our number one seller, spray foam insulation can reduce utility cost for customers by up to 40% or more in some cases. A poorly insulated home or building can really run up cost in the dog days of summer when temperatures are in triple digits, and all that cool air the A/C produces goes right out the building if its not probably insulated.
Energy Star Rated Metal Roofing - Always a top seller, metal roofing is one of the oldest ways homeowners and building owners have been able to reduce energy consumption. Even before energy efficiency became an issue, metal roofing was used to help keep homes cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Rock Wool Insulation - Rock wool insulation has been around a long time, however it has been making a big comeback since more consumers are concerned about their carbon footprint on the enviroment. Although not as good of an R-value as spray foam, rock wool insulation still outperforms fiberglass, giving customers big energy savings.
Crawl Space Encapsulation - Encapsulating a crawl space can give homeowners and business owners big energy savings. Not only does this service save energy, its also the best way to eliminate moisture and prevent mold from growing in crawl space areas.

As u can see from our list, roofing and insulation play a vital role in improving the energy efficiency of a building structure, and MBS & Co. is proud to be a contractor that can offer these energy saving solutions to South Carolina residents. Though not a comprehensive list of all the services we provide, we hope this list will give homeowners and business owners some ideas on how to improve energy efficiency, when taking on a new building project or remodelling project in the South Carolina area. MBS & Co. also sells and installs solar panels and other high end renewable energy products, however we often find customers prefer the more affordable Energy Star options listed above.

If your interested in taking your home or business "green" and improving overall energy efficiency of your building structure in North Carolina or South Carolina, please feel free to contact us through any of the ways listed below. Thanks for reading our blog, and stay tuned for more useful information and reviews on Energy Star rated building products.

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Navara Meen Kulambu /Gold Bond Goat Fish Curry

Finally I did it. As promised, Navara Fish Curry to your feast now. Hope you all adjust with the pictures with poor lighting.

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

Navara meen - 500 grams, cleaned
Shallots / Small onions / Sambar onions - 10 nos
Garlic - 10 nos, crushed
Curry leaves - 2 strings
Oil - 4 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Tomato - 1 nos, medium, finely chopped
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size, soak in 1/2 cup of warm water.
Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoons or as per taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - to taste

To Roast and Grind:
Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
Poppy seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek - 2-3 nos

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Black pepper - 2-3 nos

Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:

1) Dry roast the Ingredients given for roasting and grinding. Cool for sometime and make a powder of it.
2) Put the shallots in food processor for half a second and keep aside. Make sure the shallots are not becoming paste. It should be roughly ground.
3) Take a Kadai/Pan and heat oil in it.

4) Add mustard seeds. When the crackle sound of mustard seeds reduces, add the curry leaves and roughly ground onion. Saute for few minutes until the raw smell of onion goes off.
5) Add crushed garlic and fry for a minute.

6) Add tomato and fry till it completely mashes.
7) Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Give a quick stir for 2-3 minutes. Make sure you are not burning the masalas.
8) Squeeze and extract the tamarind juice from the water. Add this tamarind juice to the pan. Let it boil until it slightly thickens. Add the roasted masala powder as said in step 1. Taste and adjust the salt or spice.
9) When the gravy is almost done, add the cleaned navara fish to the gravy one by one. Dont' mix the gravy after that.
10) Wait for 3 minutes and turn off the flame.
11) Cover and keep aside for 2 minutes.
12) Serve hot with steamed rice.

Note:

1) Instead of red chilli powder you can also use sambar masala for this curry.

2) It is enough to cook the fish only for 2 minutes and make sure to keep covering the curry for 2 minutes.

3) This curry will give very very slight sour taste as we are adding masala. If you need taste like our usual fish we make at home, use extra tamarind.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Mango Nut Halwa - "Welcome to Dear Kavin"

This is quite an exciting post for me for two reasons. The reason being that I wanted to try something new with mango and make it simple but at the same time rich and delicious, I never tried any typical halwa at house, cos I really don't like any thing which is too sweet. I agree that I like sweet things but it should be right amount and not too sweet as such, maybe this is an excuse to eat more if it!! :) The second reason is that this recipe kinda fitted to the occasion i guess, I know you might be wondering why? ...well here is the reason, we (some of the blogger friends), started by Reva wanted to do a little sweet surprise for Kirthi's new born baby boy, like a welcoming party for the little baby. So I wanted link these two things into one, and decided to make a Mango Nut Halwa for her new born welcome virtual party.

Well now I think it's time for me to go to the recipe.....

Ingredients:
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1 can Sweetened Mango Pulp
1 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
1/4 cup Cashew Nuts (chopped)
1/4 cup Blanched Almonds (chopped)
1/4 cup shelled Pistachios (I used lightly salted) (chopped)

Method:
---------

1. In a heavy bottom pan, add the mango pulp and cook it for about 30 mins on medium flame until it thickens and changes into little bit darker in color and reduces to about 3/4 to 1/2 of the original quantity.
(NOTE: Make sure you keep stirring it occasionally, so that the bottom will not stick or burn to the pan).

2. Now add the ghee and the cardamom powder and keep stirring it frequently. So that it gets to the halwa consistency.
3. Now grease a plate with a little bit of the ghee and keep it aside.

4. Now to the halwa you can add all the chopped nuts. (You can also toast the nuts, cool them a bit and add it to the halwa and mix well, I actually forgot to toast them, so it's optional).
5. Now off the flame and spread the halwa on to the greased plate and spread it even and let it cool or come to a complete room temperature. It might take an hour or 2.
6. Then you can cut into desired shapes and I preferred to cut into this cute little heart shapes. Enjoy this awesome summer fruit halwa. I can say that this is one of my favorite now. :)