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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-11-19, Page 39PAGE 2B --GIVE • SPWATAR, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1986 • Hr /jm: ord. Home renovations can involve much more than meets the eye Home renovations, even minor ones, in- volve more than meets the eye. When you hire a contractor do your homework and remember that you have a responsibility too. The key to avoiding potential problems is to get all agreements set out in a written contract. This requires care and patience but, if you take your time arranging the agreement, the job should be worry free and the final results pleasing. The first step is to select two, or preferably three, contractors and ask them to prepare estimates. Each should be given the same written description of the work you wish to have done. Try to choose contractors you know something about. Ask friends or neighbors which constrictors they have used, and find out if they are satisfied. If Iyou can't find references, phone your local Better Business Bureau. They should have a record of any complaints received agapst contractors working in your area. Avoid contractors who quote a price without looking at the job, demand a large down -payment 'to buy materials' (all reputable contractors maintain charge ac- counts with their suppliers), or refuse to give you a written contract of exactly what they win ao. The contract, describing the work to be done and specifying a price for materials and labour, is a binding legal document. Read it 'carefully and be sure you unders- tand and are, satisfied with it before you sign. If something is missing ask that it be written into the contract and initialled. The contract should include: names and addresses of yourself and the contractor; a detailed description of the work to be done and the materials to be used; the respon- sibility of the contractor to remove debris when the job is complete; a statement of all warranties; firm starting and completion dates; and price and terms of payment. Avoid `progression' clauses requiring payments at specific times regardless of the amount of work that has been done. Never pay for work that hasn't been completed. Although you should still monitor the work as each step is completed ,- for example, make sure the vapor barrier is well sealed before the drywall goes up - a detailed writ- ten contract should make the project worry free. Just remember that a reputable contrac- tor should not be offended by your ques- tions; as with any other service you buy you should be assured that you are getting your money's worth. How .much do y ou know? point, leaky old windows should always be replaced with new, energy-efficient units. 1). Fluorescent lights use 60 to 75 per cent less energy to produce the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs — and last longer. m) For each degree you set your ther- mostat above 20 degrees C (on a 24-hour basis),,, your fuel consumption will in- crease an average of 5 per cent. Answers on Page 5 air leakage sites into the attic and paint upper -storey room ceilings with a couple of coats of mil -based or vapour barrier paint. j) The earth floor of a crawl space should always be left uncovered, so that it can dry out naturally. k) From 'an energy conservation stand - Bursting the balloon on some energy conservation myths Sometimes the people with the best inten- tions make the worst mistakes. Energy efficiency around the home is one area where good intentions can go a long way to reducing energy bills. Sometimes, though, those good intentions are based on myths and misconceptions. These straightforward answers about home energy efficiency should set the record straight. •Turning a fluorescent light on and off wastes more energy than leaving it on all day. A widely held belief, about fluorescent lights concerns the energy used in turning them on and off: that fluorescent lights must be turned off for at least half an hour before the energy saved equals the energy used to energize it in the first place. People argue that you should not turn off the lights when leaving a room for short periods. In fact it takes less than a second for a turned off fluorescent light to save the amount of energy required to turn it on again. As a rule, if fluorescent lights are not going to be needed for five minutes or more, switch them off. •Turning the hot water heater off at night is a valuable energy saving habit. It is more practical to maintain the hot water tank at a set temperature than to reheat it every day. There are better ways to save energy and dollars. One simple alternative is to lower the temperature setting on the heater. This - alone can result in energy savings of 5 to 20 per cent, depending on the temperature drop. A fixed setting of 43°C should result in notable savings. Some people choose to keep the setting as low as 38°C. Remember, though, that a dishwasher re- quires a higher water temperature setting to be effective. Insulating the heater and the piping is another realistic way to save energy and money, especially if the water tank is located in an unheated space such as a cold basement. There are two types of heater insulation. One is a simple -to -install tank blanket; the other is strip insulation. Either is appropriate for gas and oil -fired heaters, but controls, junction boxes, air in- lets and the top and bottom of the tank should be left free of insulation. Covering a gas- or oil -fired heater's control box is a dangerous fire hazard. Insulating an electric heater without first having it inspected by a utility represen- tative is not recommended. If you are ren- ting an electric heater, the utility may in- stall a blanket for you. •Insulated shutters and blinds are too ex- pensive to make the energy savings worthwhile. Custom-made insulating shutters and blinds can be expensive, but there are many cheaper do-it-yourself varieties. Some shut- ter kits, for instance, cost less than $20. An even cheaper solution to the exEensive shutter is a removeable foam board pop -in, cut to the size of the . window and weatherstripped along the ede for a tight fit. Insulated curtains need be no more than in-place heavy curtains sealed tightly to the wall and window sill with special tape. Or sew in energy savings the next time you make curtains by adding a layer of in- sulating material between the fabric and the backing. Insulation values can range from a high of RSI 1.25 (R7) for a well made shutter to RSI 0.19 (R1) for insulating drapes. •To be cost effective and keep out cold winter drafts, insulating shutters and blinds should be closed day and night. Interior window insulation helps stop warm household air from seeping into the night air, but it should always be opened or removed during the day, for two important reasons. In the first place, uncovered windows on all but northern exposures take advantage of passive solar gain during daylight hours, allowing the sun's heat to warm the house. Second, when the blinds or shutters are left closed Slay and night, there is a danger of heat build-up between the glass and the window covering. The windows may overheat, sometimes stressing the glass to the breaking point. .Keeping a furnace fan running con- tinuously during winter months creates cold drafts and wastes more electricity than it saves in home heating fuel. The answer to this statement is not quite as cut and dried as the others. Expert opi- nions vary, but for the most part keeping the fans running on low makes sense. Here's why. Furnace fans continually recirculate room air throug the ducting and the furnace, spreading heat evenly throughout the house., Energy savings result because the con- tinuous air circulation not only extracts ' more of the heat produced by the furnace, but also makes efficient use of trapped household heat from such localized sources as lights, cooking, laundry, showers and solar heat. Instead of being left to overheat certain rooms, warm air is evenly distributed throughout the house, raising the general temperature. The end result is that the fur- nace turns on less often and the homeowner saves fuel. The added electricity cost to run the fan continuously is about .$3.30 per month, or less than $25 for the heating season, a cost that will likely be recovered in fuel savings. People sometimes complain of cool drafts from the fans' -but that is simply because room temperature air in motion feels cooler; in fact it isn't. But let your comfort be your guide. There are many misunderstandings that cloud the road to energy efficiency. The next time you hear of a foolproof way to save energy, back it up with an expert opinion from the Ontario Ministry of Energy. Better to be energy sure than energy poor. Good new' and more good news THE GOOD°NEWS! Horne team won, but what a :Hess. MORE GOOD NEWS! Plenty of hot water electrically. TO 40 %MOREUP HOT WATER. That's right! No matter how big the mess, an electric water heater stores enough for the whole team (and their uniforms!). ,Why wait an hour or more for other water heaters to re -heat when you can have the convenience of Targe storage electric water heating. With up to -1.0%► more storage than other water heaters, you'll have plenty of hot water. (;tri►wnietit, wort: -free rental water heaters available to rural customers only. For more information GODERICII PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION CLINTON AREA ONTARIO HYDRO CUSTOMERS CAL, YOUR CUSTOMERS PLEASE CALL LOCAL DEALER 482.3483 or Zenith 28220 SEE BERT AND HARRY FOR DETAILS "I've got a new Clare Megasave natural gas furnace that'll stop winter in ifs tracks. That's not all. Ask me how to Rent and Relax with an economical- worry -free natural gas water heater." •Cut your fuel bills with - economical natural gas. •No equipment payments or rental payments till April '87 (ask me for details). *Clare Megasave gas furnaces are up to 95% fuel efficient. Treat yourself to savings and complete home comfort this winter. Call today ° to avoid the rush. WORSELL BROS. LTD `40 Victoria Street N., Goderich 524-7952 urban inti HDEALEATINGER (�