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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1985-03-20, Page 37Page 2 T -A Home Improvement, March 20, 1985 Good news for homeowners... • Now you can program lower fuel bills with DIY electronic thermostat savings Any home handyman can quickly in- stall the new Energy Manager's electronic thermostat — and enjoy substantial sav- ings on costly energy bills, year after year. With just a screwdriver, you can easily replace moat thermostats with an energy- savtirngg Manager model to control eyouurphteeatheattiingg,, cooling or heating/cooling coling Thus, you can have pushbutton auto - INSTALL -IT -YOURSELF ELECTRONIC THERMOSTAT saves money with auto- matic programs. Saves costly energy while you're sleeping or away from home. Lowers or raises home iemperature for heating, cooling and heating/cooling sys- tems. Replaces most old thermostats quickly and easily. How to select a brass bed Americans are having a love affair with brass ... and it's not surprising. Genuine brass beds are beautiful honle fashions. They are also true investments in a semi- precious metal which will increase in value ... a factor which appeals to to- day's investment and value -oriented con- sumer. A fine brass bed should be as carefully chosen as fine jewelry. You should ap- praise its styling, workmanship and weight. A brass bed's investment value in- creases when it is a true antique reproduc- tion in styling and in construction. Knowing what to look for and where to look will help you make the right decision. At the top of the line is a genuine brass bed. Genuine brass is an alloy made of zinc and copper. Plated'or anodized brass is metal or plastic which has been dipped in brass. Look at the fine construction or struc- tural details. Be sure that at all of the points where the bed is joined, it is _and -jot merely shoved in or dove -tailed. Beds which are threaded together will have a telltale solidbrass ball which i4ac- tually the capping of the metal inner rein- forcement. A very important factor for a bed's stability and strength, threaded as- sembly is the hallmark of a fine antique or reproduction. If a bed features scrolls or curves, be sure they are made with solid rods and not straw -like hollow tubes. Solid brass curls enhance the aesthetics of the bed as well as providing additional strength. Most beds boast a baked epoxy finish, which is an important consideration. A bed with a proper coating or finish will maintain its lustre with a minimum of care. In fact, you should never use com- mercial cleaners on a coated bed. Simply wiping with a dry cloth is all that is neces- sary. Of course, your most important reason for selecting a bed will be its styling. Here • personal preference is the most important consideration. Until recently. most genuine brass beds were traditionally styled. They were in- tended to look old-fashioned ... like the beds your grandmother might have proudly possessed. Traditional, country and Americana bedrooms are certainly en- hanced nhanced with"the splendor of a glowing brass bed. Contemporary brass beds with Euro- pean styling have recently been intro- duced. • INSUEATION WITH VENTILATION IMPORTANT IN YOUR HOME With energy costs expected to soar un- abated for the next 10 years, wise home- owners across.the country are busily tightening up their homes by plugging s and doors, and installing increased amounts o ins tion. In their efforts to save money and keep their dwellings cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, however, many homeowners are concerned about creating overly "air -tight" homes. By scaling a home too tightly. water va- por from such everyday activities as cook- ing. cleaning, bathing and laundry might not be able to disperse to the outside. Instead, it could collect in the attic or walls, soak the insulation and decrease its effectiveness. Water vapor can also soak into the internal structure of a home and create musty smells. stained ceilings. crumbling plaster and peeling paint. Energy conservation experts at the Cer- tainTeed Home institute say the remedy is simple. Sufficient ventilation and paper installation of vapor barriers will prevent the collection of too much water vapor. matic control at your fingertips for money saving programs when you want them — and complete comfort what you need it. Energy Manager allows you to set energy-saving schedules to match your lifestyle. For example, oae economy per- iod can be used for sleeping haus and the other when you're away fronrt,laome. Your Energy Manager program will au- tomatically return the temperature to nor- mal when you want it. The result — you wake up or return home to a feeling of comfort without wasting heat (or cooling) when you don't need it. Save Sill to 5300 on beating On a heating bill of 51,000 for a year, typicial homeowners can save 5100 to 5300 in oae heating season. That means a payback in a natter of months for the in- vestment in an Energy Manager thermo- stat. Guaranteed savings are emphasized by the manufacturer. You will save more than the cost of your thermostat in one year — or your money well he refunded. - Check the accontpartying chart to find the percentages of savings in a city with a similar climate. Your actual savings will depend on your individual lifestyle, type of equipment end insulating factors in your home. • More savings Besides cutting your costly fuel and en- ergy bills year after year, installing an En- ergy Manager thermostat can save in other ways, Users can qualify for deducting the 13 percent Energy Tax Credit on federal income tax returns, as well as various state and local rebates and tax credits. Energy Manager thermostats have a tiny microprocessor that brings the advan- tages of digital speed and electronic accu- racy to energy savings with comfort. Pushbutton controls allow for quickly setting as many as -two economy periods on heating and two on cooling each day. A digital display window shows you the tem- perature setting and hours of economy. Backup battery stores your program for three days in case of power outages. Installing an Energy Manager thermo- stat is an easy project for do-it-yourselfers. There are supple, step-by-step illustrated instructions and wiring is color coded. The baseplate covers any old mounting lo- cation, and no additional wiring or level- ing is needed. Deluxe versions of Energy Manager thermostats offer a unique feature — it can be easily removed from its baseplate and carried anywhere around the house for programming. . This makes it convenient for scheduling advance programs for each day of the week, as well as for holidays, weekends and trips. Sunspaces are today's best add-ons By LIS KING Sunspaces are the fashion of the day and, according to the Tile Council of America, an organization which has stud- ied home improvement trends for 40 years, they are here to stay. The sunspace movement began back in the '60s, says the Council. That's when we all became conscious of the environ- ment. It picked up speed as the '70s brought ever -escalating fuel costs and an energy crisis. Then the high costs of moving to a new and larger home made remodeling the rea- sonable solution. and again the sunspace fit the bill. Homes across the country be- gan sprouting greenhouses and other addi- tions with large expanses of sun -catching glass. The sunspaces have a multitude of names. They may be called sun porches, solar rooms, solariums or garden rooms, as well as greenhouses. The textbook definition of "green- house" is a glass -enclosed space, which provides a controlled environment for the growing of plants. Some sun spaces are just that, while others are solely for solar heating. Elm, in- creasingly, they are as much for people as they are for plants. They have become the fun rooms oldie '80s. This is where the hot tub gurgles, where the party goes, where hobbies are cultivated, and where families gather. If the sunspace is to be used primarily for solar heat or indoor gardening, it must face south and have unobstructed sun ex- posure all through the winter day. It should also be shaded from the sum- mer sun, either by deciduous trees, shut- ters or shades. Cross -ventilating doors or windows are also necessary in areas with sweltering summers. If aiding the fuel and/or air-condition- ing bill is a major purpose of the sun space, a thermal mass for the absorption of the sun's heat is needed. For this pur- pose, the Council recommends a floor consisting of a thick concrete slab plus ce- ic_tile For tie as pro thermal properties. and it actually works with the concrete to absorb warmth from the sun. and slowly release it as the air cools in the evening or on cloudy days. If the greenhouse addition harnesses more sun than it needs, this heat can be used in adjoining rooms. Doors and/or registers will distribute the air. Conversely, in summer, the thermal mass can be used to cool down the sun space and perhaps adjoining rooms as well. You merely create cross ventilation and let the thermal mass absorb those lovely. cooling evening and night breezes, and then release them slowly as the tempera- ture rises during the day. A concrete slab plus ceramic tile floor is the most obvious method of collecting so- lar heat in a sun space. but there are more ways to gain extra thermal mass. If the space is a lean-to greenhouse type. for example, the wall that it shares with the house may furnish additional thermal storage. A concrete block wall will do the trick, of course but, as in the case of a concrete slab underfoot, it will never earn high marks for good looks. So it makes beautiful sense to dress it up with ceramic tile. A brick -shaped tile in a natural hue will flatter most any solar wall. Masonry planters. tiled to match the floor, and tile -topped ledges. platforms and counters used for plant arrangements, seating and such, will soak up the sun's heat, too. Aside from its good looks and thermal talents, tile is also exceedingly rugged and easy -care, certainly desirable traits for fun and family rooms. Heavy quarry tile types or paver are the best choices for sun space floors. Dark colors absorb heat better than light ones, so terracottas, browns, charcoals and blacks are best. In addition, the Tile Coun- cil has found that unglazed, natural tile ab- sorbs heat better than glazed types: About four inches of floor or wall mass are needed for ceramic tile to serve as a "heat sink," as professionals call the ther- mal mass. It stands to reason that those heat -ab- sorbing surfaces should not be covered with rugs, lots of furniture, paintings and other decorations. ANOTHER PANE TRIMS HEAT LOSS Weil -made windows can go a long way toward trimming excessive heat loss. An- dersen Corporation of Bayport, Minn., points out that triple glazing its Perma- Shield windows, in which double -pane in- sulating glass is standard, should reduce conducted. heat loss through the glass by 36 percent. A WELCOME SUN SPACE for plants, casual meds and homework is created by re- modeling a beak porch with lots of glass rind incorporating it into the kitchen. The quarry tile floor by Bricom al& Ides absorbs the heat of the sun, helping to heat the space. Thr addition was designed by Family Circle Magazine.