Green initiatives for home improvements are great for the environment, but aren’t always financially feasible for many Americans. Thankfully, there are tons of inexpensive solutions to take the load off of your heating and air conditioning system, increase your home’s energy efficiency, and save yourself some money along the way.

• Start from the Outside In: Inspect your home for drafts or air leaks around windows and doors. While replacing or adding insulation is always a good idea, a more cost effective quick fix is to weather-strip or caulk around windows and doors. Weather-stripping costs around $10 for almost two dozen feet. Put draft guards around the bottom of doors to keep warm air in and cold air out.
  


• Dial Down, Dial Up: Turning down your thermostat just a few degrees in the winter not only uses less energy, but can also save 1-3% on your utility bill. If your home has air conditioning, the reverse is true for summer months. That’s a potential annual savings of nearly 10%!
  


• Snuggle Up: There are people who actually prefer to sleep in cold rooms, but for the rest of us it’s worth it to invest in some heavy blankets or a down comforter (you can find a decent queen size one for around $100) and lower the temperature in your home at night.
  


• Let the Sun Shine In: Give your furnace a rest. Open curtains on south-facing windows to create passive solar heat in winter and use natural light instead of lamps whenever possible.
  


• Let the Sun Shine Out: Close blinds and drapes in the summer to keep out the sun’s powerful rays and reduce the load on your home’s air conditioner.
  


• Be a Fan of Fans: Ceiling, box or desktop fans, used instead of central air or a room AC, can provide relief from the heat without breaking the bank. You can get a good fan for about $5 at most hardware or discount stores.
  


• Go Acoustic and Unplug: Few people realize that even when not turned on or in use, many devices continue to draw power as long as they’re connected to an electrical outlet. Unplug anything that’s not being used—toaster, coffee maker, cell phone chargers—and use power strips or a surge protector for things like computers and home theater equipment.
  


• Give Old Bulbs the Boot: Switching to energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs—you know, those weird looking spiral things—can help you save money and reduce energy consumption. The average CFL bulb lasts longer than a traditional incandescent bulb, doesn’t get as hot, and burns exactly the same as a standard bulb. A single CFL bulb can save about $35 over its lifetime; changing every bulb in your house could save you thousands. Plus, they just look a lot cooler!

Get More Energy Efficiency Tips from Horizon Services:

• Home Energy Myths Debunked!
• Seasonal Energy Saving Tips
• Cutting Edge Solutions for Energy Efficiency

Properly maintaining your home’s heating and cooling systems can improve energy efficiency, reduce your utility bills, and prevent the need for costly repairs. The best time to check your systems is in the spring and fall, before a heating and air conditioning contractors’ busy summer and winter seasons.

You can do many general maintenance checks yourself and then report potential problems to a trusted heating and air conditioning professional. It’s also a good idea to hire a professional to do a thorough inspection once or twice a year. A typical checklist should include:

• Reviewing your thermostat settings to make sure the temperature inside your home makes things comfortable when you’re there and saves energy when you’re not.


• Tightening electrical connections to make sure your appliances are running safely and to prolong the life of system components.


• Lubricating moving parts to reduce damaging friction and strain on your home’s electrical supply.


• Inspecting condensation drains if your home has central air, a furnace or a heat pump. Blocked drains can lead to water damage and mold infestation.


• Checking system controls to make sure everything is working properly. Be sure systems start, run and shut down as they should.


• Cleaning and changing air filters on your furnace, air conditioner and heat pump regularly. Dirty filters increase utility costs and can damage equipment. Most filter manufacturers have recommended replacement schedules clearly printed on product packaging.

If your home has central air conditioning or if you use portable window air conditioners, the following are some routine maintenance issues you should be aware of. (If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, it’s best to consult a certified professional heating and air conditioning contractor such as Horizon Services):

• Clean the evaporator mechanism and condenser coils. Dirty coils will restrict the air conditioner’s effectiveness in cooling your home, making the system work overtime to compensate. This will cost you more on your utilities and can significantly shorten the life of your system.


• Check refrigerant levels and adjust fluids as necessary. The wrong amount of refrigerant chemicals circulating through a system can cause irreparable damage and will increase your energy usage.


• Have blower components cleaned and adjusted if needed. This ensures that the proper amount of air is flowing through the system at all times, which makes for more comfortable temperatures. Airflow restriction can decrease your energy efficiency by as much as 15 percent.

Heating systems require regular inspection and maintenance, too. No matter what kind of heat source you use, the following checklist can help your system work as effectively and efficiently as possible:

• Check all connections, especially if your heat is supplied by oil or natural gas. Loose or malfunctioning connections create a fire hazard and can lead to serious health risks like carbon monoxide poisoning.


• Make sure pilot burners and heat exchangers are functioning properly. Dirty, damaged or malfunctioning burners and exchangers can impede the operation of your system and may cause heating quipment to run less safely and less efficiently.
  

More Info About Heating and Air Conditioning Maintenance...

• Seasonal Energy Saving Tips
• A Precision Tune Up is Your Air Conditioner's Best Friend
• Horizon's Furnace Tune-Up

With so much media coverage of green initiatives these days, you may find yourself feeling guilty just flipping on a light switch in your home or turning on your heating or air conditioning system. For many people, "going green" is an overwhelming and intimidating prospect; but there is one simple thing we can all do to make a significant difference.

• Learn More About Energy-Efficient Heating and Air Conditoning Systems from Horizon Services!
• Cutting Edge Solutions For Energy Efficiency
• Home Energy Myths Debunked!

Your main sewer line is the largest drain in your home. All other household drains lead into this line which runs underground from your house and connects to a city sewer line or a septic tank. Your home's sewer line might have been placed properly at the time your house was built, but over time, it can become subject to a wide variety of damage, including:

• Breaking, cracking, collapsing due to shifting soil or frozen ground.


• Clogs and blockages due to household waste, debris, grease and foreign objects.


• Corrosion and leaky joints and seals due to age


• Obstructions caused by tree root infiltration.

When your sewer line is blocked or damaged, not only are you at risk for messy flooding throughout your house, you are exposing yourself to leaking sewage...which can contain diseases and hazardous chemicals, as well as serve as a magnet for rats and insects. For the sake of your home and your health, damaged and obstructed sewer lines must be identified and repaired as quickly as possible.

Here are the major signs of a damaged or obstructed sewer line:

• Slow-running or backed-up drains (sinks, tubs, toilets)


• Frequent back-ups of basement drains or laundry tubs


• Gurgling drain noises


• Toilet bowl water levels rise and fall


• Sewage odor inside, outside and around your house


• Raw sewage on ground surface


• Rats or rat holes in your yard


• Sink holes or soggy wet areas on your property


• Water stains around the floor drain in the basement


• Cracking and structural damage along walls, floors and foundations

If you observe any of these indicators, call a sewer line company like Horizon Services as soon as possible. A sewer line technician inspect your sewer line by running a high-tech video camera through the line. It's kind of like a colonoscopy for your sewer line! This will enable him to determine if there is any damage of blockage and to pinpoint its location.

If the problem is just due to a simple blockage, your sewer line technician can cut through the clog with a rooter machine and clear the sewer line down to its inner walls.

If your sewer line technician identifies more serious damage to the main sewer line, it will need to be repaired or replaced. In the old days, that meant digging up your entire yard and destroying your landscape. Today, companies like Horizon Services employ a trenchless method of sewer line repair and replacement that is quick, inexpensive and requires no or little excavation. There are two major ways he can accomplish this.

• Pipe Bursting: With this method, your sewer line technician makes small access holes where the damaged pipe starts and ends. Using your damaged sewer line as a guideline, he uses a hydraulic machine to pulls a long-lasting replacement pipe through the old sewer line path, breaking up the old damaged pipe as it moves into place.


• Pipe Relining: Here your sewer line technican places a fiberglass liner into the damaged sewer pipe -- ie. a pipe within a pipe. This creates a durable, damage-resistant inner wall that restores all flow and function to the line.
  

More Info...

• Learn More About Sewer and Water Line Repair and Replacement from Horizon Services!

Nobody wants to be the one to have to unclog the toilet. Not only is a malfunctioning commode extremely inconvenient, but removing the problem can be really unsanitary. It is possible, though, to safely and cleanly deal with toilet clogs.

If you’ve flushed once without success, don’t try it again. This will only pump more water into the bowl from the toilet tank, raising the water level and causing a messy overflow. It may take a while, but the toilet will eventually drain on its own so avoid the urge to keep flushing until the clog moves.

This is definitely one of those jobs where you’ll want a pair of good quality rubber gloves. If you don’t have cleaning gloves, even a cheap pair of latex gloves will do in a pinch. It’s also a good idea to cover the bathroom floor if you can. Newspapers, old towels you don’t plan to use again, or rags are perfect because you can simply toss them in the trash later.

Hot water and liquid dish soap can help break up most clogs. Microwave or boil a few quarts of water; if you boil the water you’ll want to let it cool a bit before proceeding with this method, until it’s roughly the temperature of a cup of coffee. Add a squirt of dish soap to the toilet bowl and slowly pour in the hot water. If this doesn’t work the first time and the water in the bowl is not overflowing, try once more. If you live in an apartment, skip this method.

Enzymes are a good option as long as you have another toilet you can use while they do their work. These biological materials eat away at waste and are often used to maintain septic systems. You can find enzymes at most home improvement or hardware stores, but they’ll have to sit in the bowl at least overnight in order to dissolve a clog so you should only try this if you have another bathroom you can use in the meantime.

Plungers, while an old standby in many bathrooms, are not exactly the most sanitary method of clearing a clogged toilet, but if you’ve tried hot water and can’t wait for enzymes it may be a reasonable option. If you must use a plunger, invest in a large, good quality device. The bigger the plunger, the better it’ll work which means less splashing, less mess, and less time with your face down in the bowl.

If you’ve tried a plunger to no avail, a pipe snake or auger is the next logical step. Not quite as messy as a plunger, quicker than an enzyme treatment, and generally more effective than hot water and soap, a snake feeds a long tube down the toilet drain and into the pipes. The end of the tube pushes against the clog, clearing it from your pipes and letting the water flow freely again. You can buy a small pipe snake at most home improvement or hardware stores for less than $10. For larger jobs you can rent a bigger snake.

If these methods fail to clear your clogged toilet, STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING; chances are your efforts will just compound the problem and lead to more expensive repair work. Stubborn toilet clogs require professional drain cleaning services like those offered by Horizon Services. Our plumbing and drain cleaning technicians have the tools and training to quickly and safely unclog any toilet.

• Learn More About Clog Removal and Drain Cleaning from Horizon Services!
• How to Properly Use a Plunger to Unclog a Toilet, Sink or Tub

Even in areas like Maryland, Delaware and Southeastern Pennsylvania that have relatively mild winters, sudden snow or ice storms can do major damage to your property if you’re not prepared. Your plumbing system is especially vulnerable to sudden freezes and cold snaps. Fortunately, a little pre-season preparation can save you a lot of plumbing headaches later in the winter. Here are some fast and easy tips that you can do now to prevent potentially thousands of dollars worth of water damage later.

First thing you should do is identify all areas in and around your home that are most likely to freeze. This includes parts of your home's plumbing system that are located in an unheated crawl space, a basement or an exterior wall with little insulation. Also check outside pipes and hoses. Look for any signs of leaks or damage. If you see any, fix them now. are the most likely to freeze.

If you have had problems with frozen pipes that have frozen in the past or think a pipe is vulnerable to freezing, insulate them. The easiest and cheapest way to prevent a frozen pipe is to use foam insulation tubes on pipes exposed to cold climates. These insulation tubes are inexpensive and easy to install; just measure your pipes to get the correct size. You can also use heat tape to prevent freezing in pipes that have already been insulated. Heat tape is attached to the pipe and gives off a slight heat when plugged in. It is easy to install and can be found in most hardware stores.

To prevent pipes from freezing never turn off the heat in your home. Broken water pipes can cause thousands of dollars in repairs and water damage clean-up and keeping your heat on, even at a low setting, will keep pipes warm enough to prevent freezing and bursting.

• Winter Plumbing Maintenance Tips


• Winter Survival Guide


• Emergency Hot Water Heater Shutdown Procedures

Green initiatives for new home construction or renovations are great for the environment, but aren’t always financially feasible for many Americans. Thankfully, there are tons of inexpensive solutions to help reduce your energy dependence, increase your home’s energy efficiency, and save yourself some money along the way. Here are some extremely quick and easy things that you can do RIGHT NOW to start saving energy and money.

• Start from the Outside In: Inspect your home for drafts or air leaks around windows and doors. While replacing or adding insulation is always a good idea, a more cost effective quick fix is to weather-strip or caulk around windows and doors. Weather-stripping costs around $10 for almost two dozen feet.

• Dial Down, Dial Up: Turning down your thermostat just a few degrees in the winter not only uses less energy, but can also save 1-3% on your utility bill. If your home has air conditioning, the reverse is true for summer months. That’s a potential annual savings of nearly 10%!

• Snuggle Up: There are people who actually prefer to sleep in cold rooms, but for the rest of us it’s worth it to invest in some heavy blankets or a down comforter (you can find a decent queen size one for around $100) and lower the temperature in your home at night.

• Let the Sun Shine In: Open curtains on south-facing windows to create passive solar heat in winter and use natural light instead of lamps whenever possible.

• Let the Sun Shine Out: Close blinds and drapes in the summer to keep out the sun’s powerful rays and reduce the load on your home’s air conditioner.

• Be a Fan of Fans: Ceiling, box or desktop fans, used instead of central air or a room AC, can provide relief from the heat without breaking the bank. You can get a good fan for about $5 at most hardware or discount stores.

• Go Acoustic and Unplug: Few people realize that even when not turned on or in use, many devices continue to draw power as long as they’re connected to an electrical outlet. Unplug anything that’s not being used—toaster, coffee maker, cell phone chargers—and use power strips or a surge protector for things like computers and home theater equipment.

• Give Old Bulbs the Boot: Switching to energy efficient compact florescent bulbs—you know, those weird looking spiral things—can help you save money and reduce energy consumption. The average florescent bulb lasts longer than a traditional, doesn’t get as hot, and burns exactly the same as a standard bulb. A single compact bulb can save about $35 over its lifetime; changing every bulb in your house could save you thousands. Plus, they just look a lot cooler.

• Get Out of Hot Water: Running your water heater can eat up more than 20% of your total utility bill, but for every 10 degrees you turn down the heat you can save 3-5%. 130 degrees is optimal for cost and energy efficiency—hot enough to clean and kill bacteria, but cool enough to prevent scalding.

More Energy Efficiency Information from Horizon Services:

• Seasonal Energy Saving Tips
• Frugal Fridge Maintenance Can Save You Energy...and Cold Hard Cash
• Cutting Edge Solutions for Energy Efficiency

Clogged and slow running drains are most definitely a nuisance and can cause serious damage to pipes, fixtures or appliances if left too long. Grease, hair, food, soap waste and other materials can easily accumulate in pipes and drains. If detected and addressed early, removing these common clogs can be an easy fix for even the most inexperienced do-it-yourselfer. And regular cleaning and maintainance of your drain systems is a simple, effective way to prevent costly problems amd repair work down the road.

The most popular tool for removing blockages is a common plunger, which you can purchase at just about any home improvement, hardware or discount store for less than $10. Put the plunger over the drain and press down firmly. Pull straight up with gentle force. Repeat the pushing and pulling a couple of times. Adding a little water to the sink, toilet or tub can help to create suction around the drain, making the plunger work more effectively.

Chemical drain solutions are widely available at hardware and grocery stores. These affordable cleaners are easy to use—just pour, wait and flush—and are great for removing small clogs or stubborn build-up. Always read the product label carefully, though, as some of these chemicals can be corrosive to plastic plumbing or are not recommended for use in kitchen sinks.

If you’ve tried a plunger and a chemical drain opener with little success, it may be time to use a pipe cleaner or snake. These specialty devices are easy to find or rent from home improvement or plumbing supply retailers and are perfect for getting rid of clogs close to the drain. The tool is inserted into the drain and maneuvered until the clog is pushed away and out.

Here are a few simple recipes for dissolving clogs caused by grease or debris buildup:

These days, many homeowners are exploring alternative heating sources as a means of heating their homes and reducing heating bills during the winter months. Pellet stoves, wood stoves, fireplaces and space heaters are among the many home heating solutions that have seen a resurgence in recent years -- both as primary and supplementary heating sources -- as homeowners try to do their parts to save on heating bills.

• Be sure that carbon monoxide detectors are installed in throughout your house


• Make sure that smoke and fire alarms are working properly


• Make sure that there is plenty of clearance bertween the stove and floors, walls and ceilings


• Keep combustible items such as books, newspapers, clothing and furniture far away from the heating source


• Make sure that your stove or heating source sits on a non-combustible, fire-resistant base


• Burn only dry-well-seasoned wood


• Dispose of ashes in a closed metal container outside of your home


• Regularly clean vents, flues and chimneys


• Check power cords frays, cracks and breakage


• Never let a fire burn unattended or overnight while you sleep


• Keep a fire extinguisher handy

Additional Information from Horizon Services:

• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
• Heating Systems: Installation and Replacement

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the federal government and many state agencies are currently offering lucrative tax incentives for citizens looking to improve their homes’ energy efficiency. The following is a brief overview of what is included in the plan, those who are eligible for tax breaks, and where to find more information about what’s being done on the state and local level.

The federal incentive program is divided into two parts. One division includes renovations on existing homes only; the other covers both new construction and improvements to existing structures. Each arm of the federal program awards credits for different things, but neither places restrictions on individual or family income limits—either upper or lower.

The government will provide a tax credit in 2009 and 2010 that is 30% of the cost of improvements up to $1500 made to existing homes only. Eligible renovations included in the program are energy efficient windows and doors, insulation, metal and asphalt roof replacement, HVAC systems installation, non-solar water heaters, and biomass stoves.

Through 2016 the federal government will also credit 30% of the cost, with no upper limit, on new construction and in existing homes for installation of geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, solar water heaters, small wind energy systems, and fuel cells.While the tax credits will generally cover the cost of materials, the only services that qualify for installation and labor charge reimbursements are HVAC, biomass stoves, water heaters (both solar and non-solar), solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, wind energy systems, and fuel cells. Contractor installation charge reimbursements are not allowed for windows, doors, insulation or roofs.

The federal program has also specified separate tax incentives for home builders and commercial property owners. The aim is to encourage commercial construction to look toward more environmentally conscious and cost effective building solutions.
With all of these federal tax credits, certain restrictions and conditions apply. If you are interested in discussing any of these options with your contractor be sure to do your homework first so you’re not left holding the bag on a construction project or extensive remodel that doesn’t qualify. You can log on to the government’s Energy Star website at http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index to research the program thoroughly.

At the individual state level, there is much more variation. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, President Obama allotted millions of dollars of economic stimulus funds to state and tribal governments and directed them to somehow put the money to use. The money is supposed to encourage states to implement more energy efficient incentives, programs and services for residents. Most states have now set up ARRA websites specifically devoted to explaining the Recovery Act and outlining how the states have chosen to use the stimulus money. Check your state’s homepage for links to state-specific ARRA information and to learn about ways in which your home state is putting that federal money to use for you and your neighbors.

Meanwhile -- 2009 is quickly drawing to a close. Time is running out if you want to make energy-efficient improvements and receive credit on your 2009 tax forms. Fortunately, Horizon Services offers a wide array of energy-efficient heating and cooling systems and equipment that meet and exceed the federal governments energy-efficiency standards. When you schedule a FREE In-Home Energy Analysis, a Horizon comfort consultant will thoroughly analyze your home and your family's heating and cooling needs to match you with the ideal heating and cooling system for your home and budget requirements.