Will Insulating my Home Save me Money?

several one-hundred dollar bills

Are you considering investing in green sources of energy for your home? Do you want to maximize natural resources and save hundreds on energy bills? Well, we’ve got just the thing for you. Insulation is one of the most cost-efficient ways to save energy and reduce your energy bill. Ensuring that your home is insulated correctly will keep you from …

7 Ways to Heat Your Home in Rochester NY

7 Ways to Heat Your Home When you think of home, what comes to mind? For many of us, thoughts of home bring to mind a warm, cozy atmosphere with a toasty fireplace in the living room. A warm home brings comfort and security, a safe haven for your family. But how do you actually heat your home? What are …

Heating Tips to Stay Warm this Winter

woman looking at her phone, sitting on a window bench. Snowy tree branched outside the window.

Heating your home uses more energy and costs more money than any other system in your home — typically making up about 42% of your utility bill. No matter what kind of heating system you have in your house, you can save money and increase your comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading your equipment. But remember, an energy-efficient furnace alone …

How Does an Oil Furnace Work?

oil furnace

Oil-fired heating systems distribute heat in one of three ways: warm air through vents, hot water through baseboards, or steam through radiators. Your thermostat senses that the room temperature has fallen below your thermostat setting and sends a signal to your heating system to provide heat for your home. When your oil burner is engaged, heating oil travels from the …

How Many Homes Use Electric Heat vs Natural Gas?

Coal power plant

As energy awareness increases and alternative choices for energy production seem to be in the news lately, you might ask if your neighbors are still using traditional energy or newer choices for their heating needs.  There has been much talk of solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal energy and how these and other energy sources are shaping the way we use …

Why Quiet Appliances Make A Difference to Your Hearing

Man Wearing Safety Ear Phones

The secret to buying appliances that aren’t too loud for your home   THE QUESTION REALLY ISN’T HOW LOUD IS A DECIBEL, BUT HOW LOUD IS TOO LOUD? A decibel (dB) is simply a unit used to measure the intensity of sounds. On the decibel scale, near total silence is 0 dB. A sound 10 times as intense would be …

Will A Power Outage Damage my Appliances?

television

Are power surges damaging your electronics? An invisible culprit may be harming your devices. Learn how to protect your property. Electrical surges can instantly overload and short out the circuitry of home electronics and anything else plugged into the wall, or they can degrade them over time. Learning more about surges can help save money and how to protect your …

What is SEER Rating?

Energy Star Icon

What does a SEER Rating mean to you? In an effort to cut back on energy consumption by Americans, the US Congress enacted laws regarding the labeling of appliances that consumer electricity and natural gas. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. HOW IS IT MEASURED? The SEER measures air conditioning and heat pump cooling efficiency, which is calculated by …

What’s the Air Like in my Home?

mother and daughter stretching in living room

What’s the Air Like in my Home? Did you know your home’s air quality affects your everyday health? If you are like most people, you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the air you breathe. You probably spend even less time thinking about the air inside your home. It’s time to start. Beginning in the 1970’s, construction practices …

The 6 worst cities in America for Asthma

The 6 worst cities in America for Asthma For most people the simple act of taking a breath is something they rarely think about.  But for someone with asthma, breathing can be a real struggle.  And since it is essential at every moment, it can be very scary when those breaths don’t come easily. Fortunately, there are many ways to …