Veronica Bettencourt

Archive for September, 2009

We are blessed with the discovery and proper utilization of energy around us. There are several sources of energy that makes our living easier. Energy lights up our home every night, keeps us warm during cold winter, allows us to be entertained, and makes our living pleasant no matter what time of the day. And with all the other uses of energy from the moment we check our clocks in the morning to keeping us warm as we rest during the night, all of us would agree that it would be so hard to live without it.

We can say that we have sufficient energy supply for a lifetime but that does not mean that we are not going to conserve it. After all, technology has its price. And that price is something we have to pay with cash.

And if coping with an electric bill is your problem every time you see your bills, here are a few  home energy tips to help lower your costs. Although you may already know some of these, it’s always a good reminder! Read until the end. I’m sure there are one or two ideas that you didn’t think of incorporating in your life

Keep your attic well ventilated.

Your attic is one of the more important parts of your house when it comes to the cooling system. The attic is your first and probably the most effective part of your house the keeps the whole house cool. But, in order for your attic to do its main purpose, make sure that it is well insulated.

Provide vents where the heat can escape during summer. Your attic door must also be sealed to ensure that the air from our house does not go through it and vice versa. The attic door can be sealed with weather strippers.

Securing all the leaks.

Leaks contribute to high cost of home energy. Why? It is because air from your house can easily come out from these leaks. And the air from the outside can easily enter the house.

Both increase the workload of your heating and cooling system. You have to remember that air moves according to air pressure and temperature. Since the temperature of inside your house is most of the time different from the temperature outside, air moves freely from these leaks. Making sure that the leaks are sealed would mean less work on your heating and cooling system and lower electric bills.

Leaks would come from fireplaces, ducts, doors, ceilings, floors, walls, windows, plumbing penetrations, electrical outlets, fans, and vents.

Reducing the thermostat

One degree centigrade is equivalent to 5% electric bill savings. Therefore, keeping your thermostat low will save you a lot of money. A total saving would also come from switching your thermostat to even lower when you are not home or if you are sleeping. The ideal temperature during winter is not higher than 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Limiting the use of hot water

The second largest electric consumer next to your heating and cooling system is your water heater. When you wash you clothes, you don’t need to heat the water up. Just use cold water . This will save you by as much as 90% in washing machine energy consumption.

Use energy efficient material around your home.

There are commercially available materials that would significantly contribute to the reduction of the cost of home energy. One of these is energy efficient windows that deflect the outside temperature (whether during winter or summer) from entering your home.

Use your appliance efficiently

It is pretty basic for all of us to turn off televisions, air conditioning, stereos and other electronic gadgets when not using them. However, most still disregard this. The reality is; we can save a lot if we only learn how to turn them off if not in use. Also, small things such as iPod chargers, cellphone chargers, digital clocks, lights and other things that seem to consume small electric current that remain plugged day in and day out contribute to your electric bill. Making sure you unplug them would certainly lower down your monthly electric consumption.

At some point, I was leaving my computer on all day.. even overnight, and wonder why the bill was so high at the end of the month. Duh! I’m serious. I stopped doing that and I noticed a difference in my energy bill. I know that was why.

Provide good roof coating or Use Solar Panels

A good roof coating deflects heat. And so, ensuring that the roof receives a good coating would mean ensuring you that your house would maintain good temperature on the inside.

Or better yet, create solar panels! They are actually quite easy to make and a friend of mine bought this ‘Do It Yourself’ Guide for her husband to install solar panels in their home. Here is where she got it from:

http://www.VeronicaBettencourt/discount

I’m sure you already found out the rumors that some people have been making their own energy.

Some of them slash the energy bill by half.

Some of them cut the bill completely.

Some even make the electric company pay them(!).

That’s why I felt it necessary to recommend this one to you.
CLICK HERE for more information…

Stay healthy and happy,

Veronica Bettencourt

Quite often we ignore cleaning our computers in our cleaning routine even though some of us use our computer daily! Once in a while, cleaning up your computer is essential to ensure it is working efficiently. Does your computer overheat? If so, there is probably a lot of dust that has accumulated inside.

I decided to do some research for you and find an easy to follow video that would instruct how to clean the inside of a computer. I found many videos, however, I sifted through to find two of the best in my option: One for cleaning laptops and one for cleaning desktops.

I have an old laptop that overheats so I need to do this. However, I know you may have a desktop instead so I included two videos to demonstrate how to clean both types of computers.

Take some time to view the videos and work this into your schedule somehow.

Enjoy

The number one carrier of bed bugs in hotels is the mattress. This should not be a surprise, as bed bugs are known to lurk in the bed, hence the name “bed bug.” The growing number of complaints from travelers about bed bugs in hotels where they stayed have been steadily increasing.

Why the infestation? No one exactly knows but there is a rumor about bed bugs in hotels becoming immune to the regular insecticide used on them. A sort of mutated generation of bed bugs in hotels, if you like. Although this could make a great horror B movie, the truth may shock you.

Infestations of bed bugs in hotels were common in the United States before World War II. But the improvements in hygiene, and the widespread use of DDT dusting during the 1940s and ’50s, the bed bugs in hotels vanished. The species flourished in other parts of the world like Africa, South and Central Europe and Asia.

The bed bugs in hotels have now returned. This is blamed on the increase in tourists and immigrants staying in their establishments and unknowingly leaveing behind a souvenir. Just one female bed bug can produce five eggs a day and could leave three generations of bed bugs in hotels.

Some scientists believe that the reappearance of bed bugs in hotels is due to the cutback on the quality of pesticides. DDT was banned in the 1960’s and it was the only insecticide used which effectively killed the bed bugs in hotels.

One cause for concern regarding the bed bugs in hotels is that they just don’t flourish in cheap, musty motels. Even the expensive ones are being infested. Because of this, these establishments are losing money fast with court appearance for cases filed by unsatisfied patrons.

The bed bugs in hotels are the same bed bugs at home. They are small, nasty, brownish, round and flat insects that closely resemble a tick. These insects choose no one. It is happy just to find a warm place to live and breed in, somewhere near their food source – people.

Bed bugs are patient insects. They can live up to a year without blood meal. And their size makes it hard for people to see them. Their victims don’t feel even their bites. Bed bugs feed by piercing the skin with its elongated beak and they inject a small amount of anesthesia- like substance that makes them undetectable. The only sign you’ve been visited by a bed bug is if you have an itchy, swelling welt the next day.

The bed bugs in hotels are becoming a nuisance for the management. It tarnishes their reputation and leaves a bad impression on the customer. But what’s more appalling is the way they handle bed bugs in hotels.

Instead of having to provide remedies for the patrons, the staff often just dismisses the incident. This has incurred the wrath of some patrons and the bed bugs in hotels now enter the courtroom. There was one case where bed bugs in hotels were too much that they decided to sue the hotel for damages. They content that because the management did not disclose their problem with bed bugs in hotels, they risked the health and well being of the patrons. The court found the hotel guilty. (Sorry, I won`t say what hotel since I don`t want to bad-mouth anyone here. My objective is provide you with some sound information on the topic)

That’s the problem with bed bugs in hotels nowadays. Although they bed bugs do not only appear in hotels, the fact that the establishments do not resolve their infestation is what irks patrons.

It is their duty to provide with good service and a clean environment, free from bed bugs in hotels. Or should they really have a bad infestation, there are available pest control experts that can remedy the bed bugs in hotels situation.

As a traveler, you should take the precaution whenever going to hotels. Always bring along an anti-itch cream just in case. Before you check-in, you can ask around about how clean the hotel is.  The Internet is a great source of information, with hotel reviews and ratings. Look for comments regarding the patron’s personal experience. It can help you decide on what hotel to go to on your next trip. I`m not saying this will happen to you; I`m saying you just never know…