Thursday, January 19, 2012

Simple Tips to Reduce Heating Costs

We’ve been lucky with such a mild winter our heating bills haven’t been very high. Now that the winter cold has arrived we shouldn’t forget about conserving energy when heating our home. Here are some simple tips to help reduce heating costs, save you money and helps the environment.


1. Reduce thermostat setting to 68 degrees.
Winter heating costs are closely related to interior temperature. Reducing your thermostat setting can save substantially on heating costs. Adding a sweater and a warm pair of socks can go a long way to increase comfort in a cooler house.


2. Set back thermostat at night and when house is unoccupied.
Setting the thermostat back 10 degrees at night or when the house will be unoccupied can save up to 15 percent on heating costs. While it is true the furnace will have to run more to reheat the house, the energy saved while the home is cooler more than offsets the extra run time to reheat the home.


3. Install a programmable thermostat.
Programmable thermostats provide the ability to lower the home temperature at night and during the day and still have the home warm when you get up or arrive home from work. The prices of programmable thermostats have come down and many can be found for less than $50. If you have a heat pump, a special setback thermostat is required for maximum savings.


4. Change furnace filter.
Dirty, clogged furnace filters lower the heater’s efficiency by preventing proper airflow through the furnace. Low-cost filters are available from your local hardware store. How often you will need to change filters will vary, but you should check the filter monthly. When you purchase filters, always buy two so you have an extra one on hand. It helps to write the proper filter size on the outside of the furnace cabinet.


5. Have furnace cleaned and tuned.
Having the furnace cleaned and tuned helps assure a safe and efficient furnace. Tuning may involve resetting the fuel air mixture for proper combustion, and cleaning of the blower and burners to assure maximum airflow and complete combustion.


6. Let sunshine in south windows during day.
Open drapes on the south side of your home during winter days and close them at night. Sun angles are low in winter, allowing substantial solar heating through all south windows. You may want to trim vegetation that shades south windows. East, west, and north windows do not contribute to the winter heating effort.


7. Check and replace weather stripping on doors and windows.
Air leaks around faulty weather stripping on doors and windows contribute to making interior spaces of your home uncomfortable and increase heating costs. Check for drafts and repair or replace worn stripping.


8. Close storm windows and doors.
Storm windows installed over primary windows are almost as good as double pane windows for reducing heat loss but only if they are kept closed. Make a check of all your storm windows to assure you have closed them when cold weather arrives.


9. Operate kitchen and bath vents minimally.
Bath and kitchen vents exhaust heated air and moisture to the outside. If your home is dry during the winter, you may not need to operate these vents at all. However, if you have condensation on windows, operate the vents to remove cooking and bathing moisture but be sure to turn them off.


10. Lower the thermostat set point on your water heater.
Water temperatures above about 125 degrees are not needed for most tasks. A simple way to check your water temperature is to carefully place the back of your hand under a steady stream of hot water - if it is too hot to keep there, it is too hot.


11. Install a water heater blanket.
Older water heaters may not have adequate insulation. Install an insulating water heater jacket. Be careful to follow manufacturer's recommendations and don't cover the thermostat.


12. Reduce hot water use.
Reducing hot water use is effective in reducing the cost of heating water. Low-flow showerheads reduce water and energy costs. Take showers rather than baths since showering, in general, takes less water than baths. Modern detergents are formulated to work in cold water so wash in cold water. Repair leaky faucets. This will save on water and water-heating costs.


If you find your kitchen or home appliance is in need of repair, CoreCentric Solutions provides remanufacturing services on electronic controls for all major brand appliances with our production facility and inventory located near Chicago, Illinois. Each of our remanufactured controls are fully analyzed and tested with quality equal to or better than any OEM part. Each control comes with a worry free 6 month performance guarantee.



If you do find your appliance is in need of repair our controls can be purchased online at http://stores.ebay.com/CoreCentric-Solutions-Store


If you have an older appliance and your repair calls for a discontinued control, don’t worry. CoreCentric Solutions offers a Return for Repair service where you send us your defective control; we inspect, analyze, repair and return the control back to you in no time. For more info about our repair service visit us at  http://www.corecentricsolutions.com/CCSWeb.nsf/published/appliancepartsrepairservice

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Recycling and State Laws for Electronics

Over half the States in the US have passed legislation mandating statewide e-waste recycling. All states use the Producer Responsibility approach except for California where they charge an upfront fee to the consumer for recycling and Utah where just education of recycling is required.


For most of us it will be illegal to put electronics in the normal trash. The trash hauler will red flag you if you try to put it in your trash and being caught will probably get you fined. A list of electronics to be recycled should include the following:


Televisions
Monitors
Printers
Computers ( laptop, notebook, netbook, tablet)
Electronic Keyboards
Facsimile Machines
Videocassette Recorders
Portable Digital Music Players
Digital Video Disc Players
Video Game Consoles
Small Scale Servers
Scanners
Electronic Mice
Digital Converter Boxes
Cable Receivers
Satellite Receivers
Digital Video Disc Recorders
Cell Phones


USEPA estimates that 85% of electronics are currently not recycled; these items contain mined materials that can be reclaimed, reused and recycled. Recycling rather than dumping these items saves resources and creates jobs, many of them right here in the US.

CoreCentric Solutions, Inc. in Glendale Heights, IL remanufactures appliance parts such as control boards, ice makers and mechanical timers. Benefits of using remanufactured parts include not only doing the right thing by helping the environment, but also helps to fulfill customer demand while keeping parts in the marketplace longer. Using remanufactured parts is also good for the ecomony. It keeps many of us in the USA employed.


To learn more about CoreCentric Solutions visit http://www.corecentricsolutions.com/