Author: Eric Scop
About 90% of homeowners want to implement some kind of environmentally friendly or energy saving changes. That’s a lot of good will (and an increasing awareness of rising energy costs). However, the biggest budget priority for outdoor spending is adding a new deck or hot tub, not investing in green technology. That also makes sense – homeowners want to find comfort in their living spaces, so their first investment is toward things that enhance that experience.
Retractable awnings provide a two-fold solution that combines energy efficiency and functional recreation. Retractable awnings reduce air conditioning energy use an average of 25%, but they also make outdoor areas cooler and offer protection from sun, UV rays, wind, and mild rains, so outdoor space is more livable and enjoyable.
A Word on Energy Efficiency
According to the Minnesota Commerce Department, sunlight increases indoor heat almost 90% and is the biggest contributor to indoor temperature changes. Most energy efficiency measures attempt to deal with the heat after it has reached the home interior.
Managing heat after it’s in the room can require a lot of money, such as installing new low-solar-gain windows, putting in programmable thermostats, or getting new equipment. It can also require uncomfortable changes, like setting the thermostat at 78 degrees or even as high as 90 degrees (using a rule of thumb that the indoor temperature shouldn’t be more than 20 degrees cooler than outdoor temperatures). Lower cost solutions like reflective blinds are also less effective because heat-creating sunlight still reaches the interior of the home before being reflected.
The Professional Awning Manufacturers Association commissioned a study to see how energy efficient sun protection systems are which stop solar rays before they reach the interior of a room. For a year, in twelve cities, PAMA surveyed the effect of awnings on energy consumption and utility bills.
Stopping solar rays before they reach the room, at the exterior of the building, reduces the heat buildup between 65% and 77%. The PAMA study reveals that reducing the heat buildup means that retractable awnings lower indoor room temperatures 8-15 degrees. If solar energy is stopped outside the room, it requires less air conditioning naturally, so it’s not necessary to raise your thermostat, and you’ll still lower your energy use.
According to the PAMA study, energy consumption on houses which used awnings went down 69% in Seattle, 33% in Boston, 26% in Phoenix, and 10% in Miami. Any climate will realize lower energy use.
Using retractable awnings is important for homes with southern or western-facing windows, which are susceptible to solar heating. Retractable awnings on southern and western windows saves 25-50% more energy even than with eastern-facing windows or equally-distributed windows. This reduction holds even for windows with solar-gain glass, and is especially effective for windows with regular glass.
For Budget Buyers
Retractable awnings provide a very simple and relatively affordable avenue to control indoor temperatures. They’re cost-effective for several different reasons, such as a long lifetime (over a decade), simple installation, and flexibility in where they can be used, from windows to porches to front doors and walkways. Two extra features – motors and the retractable awning solution dyed acrylic fabric (not vinyl) – are good for budget buyers because they make retractable awnings even more energy efficient, with little or no extra cost.
The first tip is to use a motor. This inexpensive option, often less than 10% the cost of the awning, means the retractable awning will be used (retracted) four times more than manual awnings. While awnings cause a significant reduction in air conditioning use, keeping awnings extended in winter increases heating expenses about 10%, and for areas with longer fall and winter seasons than summer, that increase can actually raise annual electricity bills. Retractable awnings are so easy to close, letting in effective solar heat in winter, that they don’t affect heating bills.
Another recommendation is to use light-colored fabrics for the awning, particularly in high-sun areas of the building. Light colors reflect sunlight better than dark ones, which is even more effective in preventing solar heating indoors. Better awning companies have a large selection of fabrics (more than 200) with no price differences between the fabric options. For extra service, ask for swatches or look for drafting or 3D rendering programs that can help visualize awning styles before you purchase them.
Spring brings daylight-saving time, Earth Day, and spring cleaning – reminders to reduce consumption and move outdoors. Retractable awnings make that possible cost-effectively both by reducing energy use and make your outdoor space more pleasing and comfortable.
วันพุธที่ 2 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551
Great Gifts for Quilters
Author: Penny Halgren
There are many great gift ideas for quilters that go beyond a simple gift card to a favorite craft or hobby store!
To pick the perfect gift ideas for quilters you know, it's important to know what kind of quilting they enjoy. It's easy enough to ask if you don't already know.
Some quilters prefer appliqu?a sewing technique in which a design is sewn on top of a fabric block or panel. All three applications may be done by machine. The blanket stitch method may also be done by hand.
Nice gift ideas for appliqu?uilters would include a gift basket with supplies such as needles (machine or hand sewing), transfer paper, a good pair of scissors, and an appliqu?esign book.
Other quilters prefer to piece quilts. This is a quilting method in which pieces of fabric cut in various shapes or strips are sewn together to create a quilt top. Many popular traditional designs for pieced quilts include a 9-Patch, Double Wedding Ring, and Monkey Wrench.
Quilters who like to piece quilts use hand and/or machine sewing methods. Gift ideas for quilters who piece quilts are easy!
These quilters would enjoy gifts of fabrics, quilting threads, needles (machine or hand sewing), and books that feature a variety of quilt designs.
Another quilting technique is called foundation quilting. It's a technique in which fabrics are pieced together by sewing them onto a temporary paper foundation. Gift ideas for quilters who enjoy foundation quilting can be quite fun!
Ask what type of paper foundation they use. If it's newspaper, save several back to include with his or her gift. Remnant fabrics are always appreciated because they increase the fabric stash the quilter has on-hand!
Quilting software would make a great gift idea for quilters who like the age of technology in which we live! You'll need to know your friend's personal computer operating system to make sure the software will be compatible.
Buying quilting software will take a little research. Read about your options online and talk with sales representatives at your local craft, hobby or sewing stores before making a purchase.
Another way to select gifts for quilters is to examine your friend's market. Does he or she quilt for fun or for profit? Some quilters concentrate solely on baby quilts. Some like to quilt wall hangings. Others create bedspreads. Some quilters create clothing.
A hobby quilter would love to receive any of the quilting necessities and notions, such as threads, needles, thimbles, sewing books, etc. Quilters who sell their creations would appreciate custom labels or ribbons they could use in packaging their products.
Quilters who create clothing would enjoy books that offer lots of photos for inspiration and how-to advice. If they embellish their quilted clothing with rhinestones or studs, those would make a nice gift idea for clothing quilters. You'll need to know how your quilting friend attaches rhinestones -- by ironing them on or with a small rhinestone apparatus. It will make a difference in the type of rhinestone you should buy for his or her gift.
A perfect gift for any quilter would be an Internet quilting club membership. The best quilting membership websites have video demonstrations of various techniques, have a good range of FAQ and offer lots of inspiration and encouragement!
If you're giving an Internet club membership as a gift, make a nice card with the membership information on it and place it in an envelope. Finish it up by attaching a cute bow you've made from a scrap piece of fabric!
There are many great gift ideas for quilters that go beyond a simple gift card to a favorite craft or hobby store!
To pick the perfect gift ideas for quilters you know, it's important to know what kind of quilting they enjoy. It's easy enough to ask if you don't already know.
Some quilters prefer appliqu?a sewing technique in which a design is sewn on top of a fabric block or panel. All three applications may be done by machine. The blanket stitch method may also be done by hand.
Nice gift ideas for appliqu?uilters would include a gift basket with supplies such as needles (machine or hand sewing), transfer paper, a good pair of scissors, and an appliqu?esign book.
Other quilters prefer to piece quilts. This is a quilting method in which pieces of fabric cut in various shapes or strips are sewn together to create a quilt top. Many popular traditional designs for pieced quilts include a 9-Patch, Double Wedding Ring, and Monkey Wrench.
Quilters who like to piece quilts use hand and/or machine sewing methods. Gift ideas for quilters who piece quilts are easy!
These quilters would enjoy gifts of fabrics, quilting threads, needles (machine or hand sewing), and books that feature a variety of quilt designs.
Another quilting technique is called foundation quilting. It's a technique in which fabrics are pieced together by sewing them onto a temporary paper foundation. Gift ideas for quilters who enjoy foundation quilting can be quite fun!
Ask what type of paper foundation they use. If it's newspaper, save several back to include with his or her gift. Remnant fabrics are always appreciated because they increase the fabric stash the quilter has on-hand!
Quilting software would make a great gift idea for quilters who like the age of technology in which we live! You'll need to know your friend's personal computer operating system to make sure the software will be compatible.
Buying quilting software will take a little research. Read about your options online and talk with sales representatives at your local craft, hobby or sewing stores before making a purchase.
Another way to select gifts for quilters is to examine your friend's market. Does he or she quilt for fun or for profit? Some quilters concentrate solely on baby quilts. Some like to quilt wall hangings. Others create bedspreads. Some quilters create clothing.
A hobby quilter would love to receive any of the quilting necessities and notions, such as threads, needles, thimbles, sewing books, etc. Quilters who sell their creations would appreciate custom labels or ribbons they could use in packaging their products.
Quilters who create clothing would enjoy books that offer lots of photos for inspiration and how-to advice. If they embellish their quilted clothing with rhinestones or studs, those would make a nice gift idea for clothing quilters. You'll need to know how your quilting friend attaches rhinestones -- by ironing them on or with a small rhinestone apparatus. It will make a difference in the type of rhinestone you should buy for his or her gift.
A perfect gift for any quilter would be an Internet quilting club membership. The best quilting membership websites have video demonstrations of various techniques, have a good range of FAQ and offer lots of inspiration and encouragement!
If you're giving an Internet club membership as a gift, make a nice card with the membership information on it and place it in an envelope. Finish it up by attaching a cute bow you've made from a scrap piece of fabric!
Fun Ideas for Personalized Address Labels
Author: Craig Thornburrow
Personalized address labels are the perfect way to get your mail noticed. Your mail will always be recognizable because of the colorful, meaningful address labels that you use. Not only that, but using labels saves you the trouble of typing or hand printing your return address on your outgoing mail. If you are someone who sends lots of mail then manually filling out the return address could get very time consuming and even painful for your hands. Imagine if you had hundreds of envelopes to address, you would surely get writers cramp without return address labels. Self-adhesive printed labels take all the work out of printing the return address. Just peel, stick and send!
When choosing your personalized address labels you will find there are unlimited options available to you. You will find a plethora of companies who sell customized labels in a wide variety of designs and colors. You can choose every aspect of your label including size, design, theme, color, font and more. The font is the lettering. Some people like a simple type font while others prefer a more creative type of text like cursive or Old English style. It all depends on what your preferences are and the type of correspondence you are sending. For example, business mail may often require a different style label than personal mail. You may not want to use one of your smiley face address labels to send correspondence to the IRS or one of your business clients, for example, or perhaps you would. It all depends on your personal situation.
Speaking of business mail, there are labels created for various types of businesses and occupations. You can find labels for medical professionals, attorneys, hairstylists, teachers and so many more. For example, a teachers' address label may have a cute picture of an apple or a pencil on it while a hairstylists label may have an image of a comb or scissors. Other than business theme labels, there are many other themes to choose from including holiday scenes. You can find all kinds of theme labels for holidays like Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day, Easter and quite a few others.
You will love the convenience of having your very own customized labels for your mail. The good news is they are cheap to purchase or make. That's right -- you can even create your own with a word processing program that supports labels and the appropriate label paper. You can purchase ready-to-print labels from any office supply store that sells printer supplies. However many people prefer to buy their labels pre-made because it saves them the time and effort. It all depends on the type of label you want, whether you can find it pre-made and whether or not you want to spend the time and effort making your own labels. Personalized address labels are a luxury that most everyone can afford and should have for their home and/or office.
Personalized address labels are the perfect way to get your mail noticed. Your mail will always be recognizable because of the colorful, meaningful address labels that you use. Not only that, but using labels saves you the trouble of typing or hand printing your return address on your outgoing mail. If you are someone who sends lots of mail then manually filling out the return address could get very time consuming and even painful for your hands. Imagine if you had hundreds of envelopes to address, you would surely get writers cramp without return address labels. Self-adhesive printed labels take all the work out of printing the return address. Just peel, stick and send!
When choosing your personalized address labels you will find there are unlimited options available to you. You will find a plethora of companies who sell customized labels in a wide variety of designs and colors. You can choose every aspect of your label including size, design, theme, color, font and more. The font is the lettering. Some people like a simple type font while others prefer a more creative type of text like cursive or Old English style. It all depends on what your preferences are and the type of correspondence you are sending. For example, business mail may often require a different style label than personal mail. You may not want to use one of your smiley face address labels to send correspondence to the IRS or one of your business clients, for example, or perhaps you would. It all depends on your personal situation.
Speaking of business mail, there are labels created for various types of businesses and occupations. You can find labels for medical professionals, attorneys, hairstylists, teachers and so many more. For example, a teachers' address label may have a cute picture of an apple or a pencil on it while a hairstylists label may have an image of a comb or scissors. Other than business theme labels, there are many other themes to choose from including holiday scenes. You can find all kinds of theme labels for holidays like Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day, Easter and quite a few others.
You will love the convenience of having your very own customized labels for your mail. The good news is they are cheap to purchase or make. That's right -- you can even create your own with a word processing program that supports labels and the appropriate label paper. You can purchase ready-to-print labels from any office supply store that sells printer supplies. However many people prefer to buy their labels pre-made because it saves them the time and effort. It all depends on the type of label you want, whether you can find it pre-made and whether or not you want to spend the time and effort making your own labels. Personalized address labels are a luxury that most everyone can afford and should have for their home and/or office.
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