Dodge the Drafts

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafts can waste 5% to 30% of your energy use. Start simple and adopt that old Great Depression fixture -- the draft snake, which you can easily make yourself. Just place a rolled bath towel under a drafty door, or make a more attractive DIY draft snake with googly eyes, felt tongues and the like. You can use any scraps of fabric -- even neckties -- and fill with sand or kitty litter for heft.
Make sure drafts aren't giving your thermostat a false reading too, and read on for more advanced solutions.


Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/winterize-home-tips-energy-461008#ixzz16m4sZ8j6

Updated Newsletters

Gardens Home Management Services has updated their website to include the most recent Newsletters. Click on the link below to read all of our newsletters!

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Energy Saving Exteriors

Energy saving exteriors are the first line of defense when it comes to reducing energy consumption in the home.

The addition of more efficient windows, doors, siding and skylights are crucial if energy savings are going to be realized to their maximum potential. Windows that are double and triple paned provide insulation from the cold in the winter and the heat during summer months.

Entry doors that are energy efficient and storm doors that provide a quality barrier to the weather are essential. Keep an eye out for windows and doors that are Energy Star rated as they meet qualifications established by government agencies.

Energy saving exteriors also includes reflective roofing materials that are formulated to deflect a greater amount of the sun's rays. This can lower the roof's surface temperature by up to 100° which in return decreases the amount of heat transferred into the dwelling reducing the need for air conditioning.

Spanish River Business Partners

We are posted on the Spanish River High Marquee at the corner of Jog and Yamato as Spanish River Business Partners!

Run Fans In Reverse

Most people think of fans only when they want to be cool, but many ceiling units come with a handy switch that reverses the direction of the blades. Counterclockwise rotation produces cooling breezes while switching to clockwise makes it warmer: air pooled near the ceiling is circulated back into the living space - cutting your heating costs as much as 10%!

Winterizing Your Home

Winterizing Your Home

As the seasons change, you need to make sure your home is ready to anything that the cold weather will throw at it. Here are some Critical tips to help prepare your home for the winter.

Home winterization tips - winterize with insulation

The first thing you want to check is to make sure you're not - as your parents would say - paying to heat the outdoors, but making sure your home is properly insulated and winterized. Check your attic, walls and basement for adequate insulation. Feel around electrical outlets and switch-plates for cold air. Have a professional add insulation if necessary. Look around doors and windows for gaps and potential places where warm air can escape. Use caulking or weather stripping to take care of any problem areas. And consider having a professional replace old windows with energy-efficient double-paned windows. A ServiceMagic.com poll shows that only about 15-percent of homes have energy efficient windows, which could save you money on your heating bill.

Home winterization tips - winterize your furnace

Next, you want to check out your furnace. Keeping a clean filter on your furnace throughout the winter is essential to maximizing its efficiency. Dirty filters make the furnace work harder and may damage it. Having a heating expert check out your unit for leaks on a yearly basis is always a good idea. Firefighters will tell you that a dirty chimney can be extremely dangerous. Wood fireplaces can lead to creosote build-up in your chimney, which can lead to a chimney fire. Hire a professional to make sure your chimney is clean before lighting your first winter fire. Also, if you don't have one already, install some type of glass enclosure on your fireplace opening to reduce the amount of hot air that's being sucked out of your house when you're burning a fire.

Home winterization tips - winterize your pipes

Many people underestimate the importance of taking care of their outdoor pipes. Leaving water sitting in outdoor pipes through the winter could be disastrous. The water supply to your outdoor pipes should ALWAYS be shut off for the winter, and the pipe's drained. Even if you've been lucky so far, it only takes one winter blast to freeze a pipe, which can burst...leaving you with a watery and expensive mess to clean up. The same is true for your lawn's sprinkler system. Right now, you probably have water sitting in the underground pipes. If that freezes, those pipes could burst, too. A lot of homeowners do this themselves, but a professional will make sure that all that water is blown out, so you don't end up replacing some or all of your sprinkler system.

Home winterization tips - winterize your gutters & downspouts

Finally, make sure you keep your gutters and downspouts clear of all the fall leaves. If water isn't properly drained, it could freeze and cause big problems for your roof. Protecting your home from the harsh conditions of winter is critical. Spending a little time and money right now could save thousands down the road

Mailer to over 4,000 Homeowners in Palm Beach County

Gardens Home Management Services has a mailer going out to over 4,000 homeowners in South Florida.  We have sent 2,000 so far and have another 2,000 to go!!