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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1978-10-25, Page 42*1,0 """••••'''' • r,i hi ' I di1.0 4/JA4, A k f-.1`11b1A We're experts in our field. If you require some plumbing heating or electrical work. done callus. Plumbing, Heating Electrical Work is our business. We'll expertly install the •plumbing, heating and electrical units to your satisfaction with fast efficient service. Geo. A. Sills & Sons HARDWARE MERCHANTS' Heating. Plumbing and Electrical Supplies Phone 527-100 Seaforth Homeowners who want to save money on their utility bills can take a few tips from their grandparents, Before technology deliv- ered us from the discomforts of our climate, people used natural methods for cooling their houses in the,. summer and conserving the heat they had in the cold months. The natural ways they used are still available, and they are inexpensive and easy to accomplish. The American association ',of Nurserymen points out Ihree smart things home- owners can do to use their energy supplies wisely around the house. First, make the heating and cooling systems work as effi- ciently as possible, and use them conservatively. Second, use other energy sources such as sun and wind. Third, take steps to reduce energy needs in the home by controlling the effects of cli- mate on the house itself. Trees and other landscape plantings can help do all these things. These are methods our grandparents used. They opened their windows on hot 'days and let cool breezes run through the house. These breezes were nicely channeled by thick hedges planted in the right places. Big leafy shade trees were located where they rained shade on the house to keep it cool and comfortable during the summer. Even in modern houses homeowners can create their own energy-saving mini-cli- mate which will help save money and energy, and will enhance the value of the property.. Proper landscaping with trees, bushes, shrubs, ever- greens and other plantings requires just good common sense and a little professional advice from a local nursery garden center or landscape firm. Some mail order nurs- ery catalogs give excellent advice on this subject. Shade trees, for example, are among nature's most effi- cient climate controllers. In the summer, their big leafy umbrellas provide a cooling shade in or around a house. They also give off cooling vapor through transpiration. In winter, they drop their leaves and allow the warming effects of the sun to come through. Shade trees planted on the west and south sides of a' house are most effective. The large variety of ivies, such as the popular English Ivy, has a similar effect for climate control when planted on masonry walls (or on a trellis close to a wooden house). They help block out the direct Sun rays and the leaves set up a convection current behind them to draw away hot air. In winter, ivy growing on wind-exposed walls serves as a natural insulator against chilling winds and, reduces heat loss from inside. In seasons when tempera- tures are low, a windbreak of evergreens on the north and west sides of a house serves to break up cold winds. It takes twice as much fuel to heat a house at an outside temperature of 32-degrees F. with a wind of 12 miles per hour as it does for the same temperature with, wind at three miles per hour. So a windbreak of trees which can diminish the impact of a win- ter wind is going to make a substantial difference in the amount of heating energy re- quired, Reliable tests have shown this difference can be greater than a 30% economy in the amount of heating fuel needed. These windbreaks are gen- erally best located on the north and west sides of a house-v-the winclivard side, A double or triple row of trees will achieve the greatest reductions in wind-chill and the accompanying use of heating energy. The trees will do their best job if they are growing a dis- tance from the house that is equal to about 11/2 to 21/2 times the height of the struc- ture they are protecting. (For example, if the building is 20 feet high, the windbreak would be 30 to 50 feet away from it.) Smart, planting to create an energy-saving mate" means the furnace and the air conditioner don't have to work so- hard, and that means a lot to the family bud- get. TREES CAN SAVE WINTER FUEL COSTS . . . It takes twice as much fuel to heat a house at an outside tem- perature of 32 degrees with a wind of 12 miles an hour, as it does for the same temperature with a wind of only three miles an hour. A barrier of evergreens that cuts the force of the wind makes a substantial difference in heating energy required. Tests reported by the Ameri- can Association of Nurserymen show the difference can be greater than 30 percent with trees properly placed as shown here on the north and west sides of the property. 100 HOME CARE SECTION Trees help to save on heating, cooling Energy Saver Zero Clearance FIREPLACE Prefabricated Built-in Energy Mizer Fireplace FIRST ELBOW MUST POINT DOWN 111111111We 1111111111 OPP 00/0 COMBUSTION AIR 1 --4 DUCT THRU OUTSIDE WALL P.#' DOWN THRU FLOOR Model B136-EM • Glass Door * Firebrick • Damper Can be installed anywhere in the home Come in and see it on display to-day "EVERYTHING IN BUILDING MATERIALS Highway 8 ust east of Mitchell POOL Perth Ltd-. MITCHELL, ONTARIO 34.5..8437