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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2011-05-05, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011.Home Garden Brussels 519-887-9616 Windows Doors Decks Additions Roofing Gerald ExelCarpentry Renovations & New Construction Pannabecker Holdings Inc. Bulk Hardwood Mulch, Flagstone & Landscape Rock Best to call ahead 519-524-6413 4 kms west of Auburn Ross & Glenna Pannabecker Continued from page 21found a shower head that can savewater when needed.The same option can be exercised in the kitchen, as a faucet can be replaced with a lower flow model to reduce water usage. Many water-saving devices can be found for little to no money, especially by customers of Union Gas. Union Gas offers an energy saving kit which includes water-usage reduction fixtures to their customers, all that’s needed is to go online to www.uniongas.com/esk/ and fill in a valid account number. • Create air flow The biggest change we have planned for our dwelling is to create more of a flow. This isn’t to shui my feng or anything similar, it’s just going to create one constant flow of heat or cool, allowing those mysterious cold sections of a home to heat up. By having one constant flow of air, I’m told, a furnace has less work to do trying to pump heat to those far reaches of the corner. Our home, which happens to be shaped like a horseshoe, creating two definite far-points, can benefitgreatly from a minor renovation.By renovating a storage closet andturning it into a walkway by simply knocking down a wall, we can create a more circular air flow, thus allowing heating and cooling to move more effectively through the house. • Replace wasteful appliances Nine times out of 10, hearing something isn’t made like it used to be means that newer products are of a lower quality and aren’t designed to last. However, with appliances, what it can refer to is the fact that new appliances use far less electricity to doing the same job that old appliances did. Our refrigerator, for example, was new enough to have an energy efficiency rating, but was old enough for it to not be working as it should. For some reason, regardless of the temperature inside and outside of the fridge, it could be heard running for most of the day and night. Even a low-energy appliance running non- stop could have a drastic effect on your electrical bill. If you have any doubt as to whether an appliance is working as intended, meters areavailable that you can plug intooutlets prior to the appliance to testthe power needed to run it. Over-the-phone consultations stated that the thermostat could be broken, or that there could be some part of the compressor malfunctioning. The final verdict was it needed to be replaced. Listen to your appliances, know their life-expectancy, and save yourself some money by replacing them when they start using more energy, and costing more money than they’re worth. This is, again, especially important with the recent switch- over to summer peak hours for Hydro One customers. New appliances can also give your kitchen a facelift without investing too heavily in paint or other aesthetic expenses. • Brighter rooms need less light Shortly after moving in to our home, and before finishingunpacking, Ashleigh and I donnedour white coveralls and beganpainting our office. Originally it was a deep purple that sucked the light right out of the room and made it necessary for a ceiling light to be on at almost all times. By replacing the deep purple withan earthier green, we were able togive the room a brighter appearance. As long as the sun is up, the room is bright and cheerful, and we find ourselves using the ceiling light less and less often as the days get longer. “WHERE HOPPER GOES THE WATER FLOWS” W.D. HOPPER & SONS FARMS - RESIDENTIAL - INDUSTRIAL - COTTAGES 3 MODERN ROTARY DRILLS LICENSED WELL TECHNICIANS FREE ESTIMATES 519-522-1737 SEAFORTH 888-522-1737 LICENSED BY Ministry of Environment 2 WATER WELL DRILLING CONSTRUCTION CUSTOM NEW HOMES...AND EVERYTHING ELSE 519.523.4757 www.buildwithcmb.com Bernard Enterprises Authorized dealer for Central Boiler Classic Outdoor Wood Furnaces And Maxim Wood Pellet and Corn Burners Carman Bernard 519-887-6405 RR #4 Brussels centralboiler.com or maximheat.com Colour control A fresh, new colour pallette can refresh a room or a yard. Wether a new coat of paint or a few fresh new flowers are needed, new shades and hues can completely redesign a living space. (MS photo) Low flow water hardware an inexpensive saver