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To keep warm and cut down on your energy use, try these helpful energy-saving tips around your house all winter.

Wrap water pipes. This will reduce heat loss from your hot water lines and help to prevent your pipes from freezing. The best type of wrap to use is “foam pipe wrap” that you can find at hardware stores for an inexpensive price.

Caulk or re-caulk around windows and doors. This helps keep the cold out and the heat in. If your caulking is cracked, remove it and reseal with new caulk.

Change your air filters. This should be done every month or so to help your unit’s air exchange and indoor air quality. Dirty filters can increase your system’s operating costs, damage equipment and reduce efficiency.

Have your heating or cooling system professionally checked to make sure it is running properly. This can prolong the life of your system, as well as reduce operating costs.

Insulate your water heater with at least R-6 insulation. Read your water heater manufacturer’s warranty to make sure it’s not voided by adding a water heater jacket. Do not cover the pressure release valve when you wrap the water heater.

Check weather stripping around doors, windows and between heated and unheated areas of your home – such as garages, basements, attics, etc. A good check to see if stripping needs changing: close your door; if you see light coming through, the stripping needs changing.

If you have a gas heater or furnace, make sure you get a carbon monoxide detector before using the unit.

Make sure your pilot light (gas furnace) is lighted before the winter season starts. If you are not sure about lighting it yourself, call a heating and cooling professional to do it.

Keep the thermostat on your heating system at the lowest comfortable setting. Georgia Power recommends 68 degrees Fahrenheit. On the average, you consume five percent more energy for every degree it’s set above 68 degrees. Consider using a programmable thermostat that adjusts the temperature automatically according to your schedule.

If you are going away for several days, lower the thermostat to 60 degrees, but not to “off.” By setting the thermostat at 60, there will be less strain on your heating system when you return and it’s time to reheat the house. Also, having some heat in the house will prevent damage, such as frozen or burst water pipes, from outside freezing temperatures.

Keep heating vents and registers clear. Make sure they are not blocked by draperies or furniture. The vents should also be cleaned regularly with a vacuum or broom.

Let the sun shine in. On sunny days, open drapes or blinds to allow natural solar heat to warm the house. Keep drapes and blinds closed on cloudy days and at night. Use insulated or heavy curtains on windows facing the north side of the house.

Make sure fireplace dampers fit tightly, and keep them closed when not using the fireplace. Add a glass fireplace screen, if possible.

Cover bare floors. Carpeting adds to comfort and heat retention, especially if there is little or no floor insulation.

Use a humidifier to keep your home more comfortable. Adding moisture allows you to reduce the thermostat setting without feeling colder.

Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans to help maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. Check the switch located on your ceiling fan or refer to your owner’s manual for the proper direction of rotation.

If you have a window air conditioning unit, remove it for the winter months to prevent heat from escaping through and around the unit. If it can’t be moved, put a cover over it to prevent drafts.

Check the R-value of insulation in your home. For existing homes, Georgia Power recommends R-30 in the ceiling, R-13 in the walls and R-11 in the floor for maximum comfort and energy efficiency. R-value is a measure of resistance to heat flow.

For more information on how to save energy, visit the George Power website to download an energy efficiency guide, schedule a free in-home energy audit or perform your own on-line energy check-up.

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Eco-friendly living is all the rage. With that in mind, we bring you ideas from author and environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo on how to throw a party that’s kind to the planet.

Skip the theme.. — Themes are cute, but those specialized paper plates, streamers, banners and decorations end up in the local landfill.

Buy recyclable materials — Buy beverages in aluminum cans and glass bottles that can be recycled. By buying wisely, you can make a huge impact. Glass and aluminum can be recycled into more glass bottles and aluminum cans, and the process never degrades the quality of the material. It can be reused over and over again. Plastic is tougher to recycle, and the process of recycling breaks down the chemical structure of the plastic each time it’s recycled, weakening the material. Plastic has a limited number of resuses.

Keep the food local and organic — Shop at your farmer’s market for fresh produce and select organic wines and beers.

Think multi-purpose and repurpose — Look for things around your home that are reusable. For example use glass jugs as wine decanters at one get-together, then use the same jug as a flower vase at another. Or, use your party decorations as gifts for the guests.Also, take a look at things around your home from a different perspective. You know those old paint chip cards you used when you were trying to decide what color to paint the spare bedroom. They can be turned into great gift tags or wineglass IDs. Put a hole in them with a hole puncher, string ribbon through them and tie them to your glass or package.

BYOSP (Bring Your Own Serving Pieces) – If you hire a caterer, bring your own serving dishes to him before the party. That way, the caterer can place prepared food in your serving dishes. You’ll eliminate the need for the Styrofoam or plastic trays used to transport the food to your party, packaging that will end up in a landfill.

Also, instead of plastic wrap to cover items, ask the caterer to use wax paper and aluminum foil. Wax paper is completely biodegradable. And, aluminum foil is recyclable as long as the food isn’t baked or stuck on the foil.

See more Planet-Friendly Party Ideas at Fine Living.

Related stories at FineLiving.com:

• Host Danny Seo Bio – 50 Ways to Save the Planet
• Fine Living’s Special – 50 Ways to Save the Planet
• Green Resources
• Simple Tips: Every Day Recycling
• It’s Easy Being Green

Frustrated trying to find natural products at boutique nurseries and big-box retailers that have a patchy selection of organic products and whose sales staff don’t know much about them? Try finding a local feed and seed store. Many stock just what you’re looking for. Why? Because organic farmers use an array of organics and also because farming has a long history of employing natural treatments. How do you think they got things to grow down on the farm before all those chemical concoctions were created? So here’s a list of useful landscape products we found at our local feed store:

1 – Chicken Manure – It may be poop, but it’s a premium fertilizer that’s higher in nitrogen than cow manure. However, because it’s so rich, it can burn plants. Organic gardeners recommend composting it first. Dairy cow manure is less rich and can be spread around and used as a top dressing on lawns and beds. For the straight poop on this topic see this excellent article: Manure Matters by organic gardener and author Marion Owen at PlanTea.com.

2 – Cottonseed Meal – Also a good nitrogen feed for lawn or gardens and it won’t burn turf, even if it’s liberally applied. It also supplies phosphoric acid and potash. No room to ruminate about those ingredients here. Suffice it to say that they’re nutrients your grass needs. One downside, because cotton is notoriously pesticide-heavy crop, this can contain pesticide residues.

3 – Alfalfa Meal – Another nitrogen source. Good for working into beds and amending soil when planting. For a comparison chart on organic fertilizers, see Rodale’s All New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening.

4 – Corn Gluten – The gold standard among organic gardeners for pre-emergent weed treatments. Some people also use it as a fertilizer. It comes in flake and granule form. You’ll pay more for granule, but it will stay put better too. For more info on why and how corn gluten meal works see the corn gluten website at Iowa State University, the leader in developing this natural weed fighter.

5 – Liquid Seaweed – Where’s a rich source of nutrients? Oh yeah, the oceans! Dilute and use as a foliar feed. Also works diluted in a couple gallons of water as a perk-me-up for flowering plants and shrubs. Cousin is Kelp Meal, considered a good soil conditioner.

6 – Expanded Shale – Not everyone needs this, but if you do need it, you need it badly. Expanded shale in tiny pebble form helps break up hard, clay soil, improving the drainage and aeration for plants. This rock also soaks up extra moisture and then releases it when the surrounding soil is dry, a minor miracle not to be celebrated in hot climates.

7 – Green Sand – A green-blue sand for “greening” and fortifying flowering plants and vegetables with potash. It’s rich because it’s derived from marine sediment rock. Also effective in loosening clay soils.

8 — Molasses – Don’t get organic gardeners started on this topic, they have a zillion versions of how to mix and use it, perhaps because the bag comes with instructions for feeding livestock, leaving open the question of garden applications. We say just a dab, like two or three spoonfuls does great things in a watering can. Molasses also works as a soil amendment, raising the level of microbe activity. Sweet.

For more information on organic gardening and green living, go to Green Right Now.

Copyright © 2007-2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Consumer Reports offers these suggestions for picking the right vacuum cleaner:

• Prioritize Cleaning – Uprights are still better overall on carpets, but canisters remain best for cleaning bare floors, stairs, drapes, and upholstery.
• Be Picky About Features – If allergies or respiratory problems are an issue, uprights and canisters with a bag hold more dirt and spread less dust when emptied than bagless vacuums. Manual pile-height adjustments allow users to raise or lower brushes for carpets and bare floors, and a brush on/off switch helps prevent scattering dirt and debris.
• Choose A Cord For Bigger Jobs – While cordless sweepers ran up to 49 minutes per charge, most small cordless vacuums lasted from six to 15 minutes per charge, which is fine for small spills but a cord frees you from the time factor.

The full report on vacuums is available in the October 2008 issue of Consumer Reports and the full story is also available online.

Source: Consumer Reports

“Some people don’t realize that a beautiful landscape in the spring and summer means a lot of work in the winter and especially fall,” says Daniel Macpeak, owner of GoldLeaf Lawn and Shrub Care in Chevy Chase, Md.. “There are many simple and cost-effective things property owners can do to bump up their curb appeal, as long as they plan accordingly.”

Macpeak’s tips on what you can do this fall to plan for a healthy landscape:

• Plant bulbs between September and mid October. If you want color around your lawn the moment winter snow melts away for good, you have to plan ahead. Plant bulbs for tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses between September and mid October so that they’ll be ready for spring.

• Aerate and seed your lawn in September or October. Aerating your lawn is a great way to loosen up compacted soils. Aeration also makes it easier for water and nutrients to reach the roots of your turf. Macpeak suggests an aeration and seeding treatment in early fall to help your lawn grow thicker and healthier – and with less weeds – in the spring.

• Don’t install shrubs blindly! This goes for every season. Soil has different nutrient levels in different places of your lawn or yard. There is no guarantee that because one shrub survived at the edge of your yard, the same shrub will survive in the middle of your yard. A simple $25 soil test – implemented by a lawn care specialist like Macpeak – is all you need, and it might just save you all that time and money otherwise spent on moving and reinstalling shrubs. The results of a strong soil test should show a pH level between 6 and 7.5. The test will also show you if nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium levels are low, medium or high, and then provide the correct amount to add (or not add) to correct the problem.

• Apply Lime to your lawn between September and mid October. If your soil test shows a poor pH level, Lime is one effective way to improve that reading. A proper pH level allows nutrients and water to move more freely through the root zone in your lawn, which will make fertilizer more effective, and the lawn healthier.

• Don’t plant any new shrubs after mid October. You want your plants well established and watered by winter time, or they might not make it to spring. And remember, annual flowers like mums and pansies must be planted in the fall in order to bloom in spring.

• Fertilize your trees and shrubs in October. Summer stress, followed a few months later by harsh winter conditions, requires you to refuel your trees and shrubs with as many nutrients as possible. When calling on a lawn, shrub and tree specialist, or of you’re planning to fertilize your own lawn, you want to look for fertilizers with specific nutrient combinations. Use fertilizers with nutrient levels 10-20-20 (these are the nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium levels) for your lawn, and fertilizers with levels 20-20-20 for trees and shrubs.

• Monitor insects and disease, and treat any problems in November. Trees and shrubs will be more vulnerable to damage from insects and disease after the excessive summer heat that D.C. is known for. Arm your greens with Transfilm, a product used to prevent winter damage by holding in moisture, for the harsher winter months. It’s ideal to treat your shrubs with Transfilm as close to winter as possible, during early to mid November.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. One visit with a lawn care expert like Macpeak can really add to a homeowner’s level of education about his or her lawn and shrubs, and it won’t break the bank. An initial visit with Goldleaf is free and treatments begin at $50 for lawns and $75 for shrubs.

For more information, visit Goldleaf Lawn and Shrub Care on the web or call 301-718-1010.

Source: GoldLeaf Lawn and Shrub Care