Three DIY Home Improvements That Can Save You Tons of Money

Home improvements can really save you a lot of money if they are done correctly. Some upgrades to your home can actually pay for themselves over time because they can greatly lower your utility costs. When most people think of home upgrades they usually think about how much money they will spend. Here are three of the most common energy efficient ways to improve your house and save yourself some cash in the future:

Replace any of your air filters: Most air filters are cheap and not difficult to replace or clean. You can often find air filters in central air conditioner systems and forced hot air heating systems. Dirty air filters can cause your heating systems to run longer and can increase your overall energy costs. You can even save money by making your own air cleaner filter.

Use more insulation: Insulation acts as a thermal barrier that helps block the outside weather from greatly affecting the comfort level inside your home. The more insulation you put in your home, the more energy efficient you home will be. Insulation is not cheap but you will often see big savings in your energy bills throughout the year. Most people remember to put insulation in their attics, but they don't know how to put insulation in a basement.

Replace old windows: New windows can dramatically cut down on exterior air flow and lower your utility costs. Windows can leak over time, letting in drafts which may make all your home's insulation useless. Face it: your home has lots of large holes in the walls, and those holes are hidden by thin pieces of glass that let in lots of warm air when they should not.

By making your home more green you are not only helping the environment but also cutting your energy costs and saving lots of money in the long run. Making your home more green in its energy usage can also save you some green money over time. Yes, all of these projects will seem costly at first, but they will gradually pay for themselves. You will pay between $250 to $500 to have a professional audit you home's energy efficiency. If you do not have the money to pay an expert then you can do your own home energy check with a few inexpensive tools.

Green home improvements are great ways to help the planet while helping you save some money. Many home projects could even earn you a home improvement tax break when you file your income taxes!. This article, Three DIY Home Improvements That Can Save You Tons of Money is available for free reprint.

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Tags: energy efficiency, Environment, green, green home improvements, Home Improvement, lower bills, saving energy, saving money

September 06 2011 | Home Improvement | No Comments »

Build A Compost – Secrets

Building a compost is not very difficult. The main thing that you will need is patience. It does not happen over night but it is worth the wait.

There are tumblers the can be used to speed up the process. Even the best tumbler takes about 3 - 4 weeks.

Just pick out an unused part of the yard, maybe out of sight even. A compost pile does not produce any odor, if it is done right. It can be unsightly though.

Once your spot is picked out then it's time to start composting. Begin with a nice layer of sticks or some kind of course material. This will supply good aeration from the bottom of the pile.

The next layer start with green matter. There is really no good reason to start with green matter you can just as easily start with brown matter but you are going to alternate to make layers.

Green matter items from your kitchen, fruit peels, vegetables, coffee grounds and there filters, nut shells. Just about any kitchen waste will qualify.

Brown matter is the items that will come from outside. Leaves, sawdust, wood chips, paper items (simple black and white print only), and sticks laying in the yard.

After these two layers add another aeration layer. Sticks, hay, straw or anything else course you can think of.

After the materials have been added put a little dampness on the pile. Not to much though think of a damp sponge.

You may add a handful of dirt every once in a while as dirt contains microbes that will help kick the compost process into gear.

Then after you build a compost stack you will just need to be patient. You will have rich compost to spread over your plants in no time.

When the items break down compost will be formed. But it does take a while so you will need to be patient. Your garden will love compost fertilizer, it's worth the wait. Click here for Free information on how to build a compost. You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

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Tags: brown, build a compost, building a compost, compost, composting, green, hobbies, Home Improvement, material, microbes, odor, pile, sponge, tumbler

May 08 2010 | Home Improvement | No Comments »