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Screened Porch Heaters and Cooling Solutions
A screened porch is the best of both worlds — all the comfort of the indoors with the fresh air and exterior views of the world beyond the windows. But extreme temperatures can make it difficult to use your porch year-round. After all, sweating or shivering is no way to enjoy the outdoors! Enter: screened…
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Passive Solar Heating Techniques You Can Use in Your Own Home
Want to heat your home without spending a dime on electricity or fuel? It’s definitely possible. We hear a lot about high performance homes that are built with passive solar designs — building structures that capture heat from the sun and use it to keep homes more comfortable naturally, without burning up fuel. In fact,…
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Green Your Fireplace with Gas or Woodburning Inserts
According to Punxsutawney Phil, we’re in for a lot more winter weather this year. Luckily for you, that means all the more time you can spend warming yourself by the fireplace. And your time in front of the hearth will be all the more enjoyable when you install a gas or woodburning insert in place…
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How and When to Hire a Chimney Sweep
Did you know that fireplace chimneys need to be cleaned and maintained just like any other piece of equipment in the home? Chimneys that aren’t properly maintained can malfunction in a variety of ways. After enough fire burning, creosote can build up on the inside of your chimney, and if it’s not cleaned, it can…
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How to Increase the Energy Efficiency of a Fireplace
How to Increase the Energy Efficiency of Your Fireplace Fireplaces generate a lot of heat — when you’re standing right in front of them. Unfortunately, when the fire is out, they can suck warm air from the room and send it up the chimney, which wastes energy and leaves the room feeling cold. But with…
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Warning: Learn These Home Heating Fire Hazards
Heating your home with poorly maintained equipment is like playing with fire—sometimes quite literally! Even if you don’t have a fireplace with an open flame, you could be putting the safety of your home and family at risk. Especially if you slack off on monitoring the condition and performance of your heating systems. While heating…
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What Should I Turn the Thermostat to During the Day?
What’s the ideal temperature to set your thermostat to during the day? Like many homeowners, you might often wonder about just how high or low you need to set your furnace or AC to run when you’re away from home. You probably already know that it wastes money to heat or cool your homes when…
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Tips for Saving Energy in Your Home: Heating
Heating expenses can get out of hand in the winter months, especially if your home has hidden leaks or large spaces to keep warm. While you can’t avoid the dreaded utility bills, you can lessen the load on your HVAC system and your wallet by making small or moderate improvements—whatever you can manage helps. Here…