AMAZING NEWSLETTER
Volume 1 July, 2005
Welcome to our Amazing Newsletter! We hope that you find it interesting and informative and will come back and visit often! We welcome your questions and suggestions!
Improving Energy Efficiency in Your Home
Want to know a few ways to improve the energy efficiency in your home? Try these tips.
- Install ceiling or attic insulation.
- Keep curtains closed to prevent heat gain.
- Close off un-cooled areas.
- Don't overcool your room; increasing the thermostat setting by 1 degree can decrease costs by 3 percent.
- Clean the AC filter regularly.
- Wear cool enough clothing to help cut cooling costs.
- Choose energy-efficient appliances when making new purchases.
- Turn off appliances when not in use.
- Use compact, high-efficiency fluorescent lighting in areas where this is appropriate. It can save you up to 80 percent in energy costs over conventional light bulbs.
“A Dollar saved is a Dollar earned!”
VAPOR BARRIERS AND VENTILATION
A vapor barrier is a material that stops the flow of moisture. Moisture can decrease the effectiveness of insulation, loosen plaster, blister paint and lead to structural damage of your home.
Batt or blanket insulation can be purchased with an attached vapor barrier of asphalt-coated paper or aluminum foil. Other types of insulation should have a separate vapor barrier installed.
Vapor barriers must always be on the living space side of the insulation and should not be sandwiched between new and existing insulation. When adding insulation, never put a vapor barrier next to existing insulation. For example, if the insulation you are adding to an attic has a vapor barrier, remove it or slash it thoroughly before installing over existing insulation.
Adequate ventilation in attics is also important in protecting your home from excessive moisture. The location of vents will depend on your particular home.
Experts recommend at least on square foot of inlet vent and one square foot of outlet vent for each 300 square feet of attic floor area. However, this can be reduced by one-half if you install a vapor barrier beneath the attic insulation.
In unexcavated crawl space areas, install 4 mil or thicker plastic sheeting on the ground to reduce the amount of moisture entering the living space.
Announcing a Great Financing Option!
Would you like to have brand new siding for your home and pay for it later? Amazing Siding currently has a great financing option available for you! How about this?
Have NO PAYMENTS & NO INTEREST UNTIL July of 2006!
That’s right! Buy new Amazing Siding, Amazing Plank or James Hardie Plank now & have no payments or interest for a full year! Contact any Amazing office for details!
Want to try and win up to $10,000 in new siding or windows?
Register for our $100,000 Siding and Window Extravaganza!
Amazing Siding will give away up to $10,000 each month for ten months in siding and /or windows!
To be registered to win, just click on the green button on the top of our home page that reads: Sign up for our $100,000 giveaway!
And, if you have Amazing Siding installed anytime during this contest and you name is drawn as a winner, we’ll refund your purchase price, up to $10,000!
Here’s some great tips on Lawn Care!
Proper Mowing
Proper mowing, along with proper watering, can be the most critical factor in the appearance of a lawn. Good mowing techniques not only enhance the appearance of the lawn, but also increases the turfgrass vigor.
Mowing Height
Turfgrass stressed by mowing too low is more prone to disease, weed invasion, drought and traffic stress. Removal of most of the leaf blade limits food production. Limited food production decreases root, thizome, and stolon growth. Plants with limited food production and a limited root system will not have vigorous growth. A vigorous, dense turfgrass area is one of the best defenses against weed invasion. Weak grass plants with a limited root system are more prone to drought damage. It is particularly important to mow high during dry weather. Mowing height varies for different turfgrass species:
- Many turfgrasses such as Kentucky bluegrass should be cut at 2 1/2 to 3 inches.
- Bentgrass and bermuda grass should be cut at 1 to 1 1/2 inches.
- Determine the type of turfgrass in a lawn before recommending mowing heights.
- St. Augustine thrives best at 3” or more in height.
Mowing Frequency
The second critical factor is mowing the lawn on a frequent basis
- The grass should be mowed so that no more than 1/3 of the leaf blade is removed.
- If the desired height is 3", mow the grass when it has grown to 4".
- Mowing frequency will change throughout the year with different weather patterns.
- Cool season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass may require mowing twice a week in the spring, but only every 7-10 days in the summer.
- Warm season grasses such as Bermuda grass may need more frequent mowing in the summer than in the fall or spring.
Scalping
When a lawn is allowed to grow too high and then mown too low, excess leaf blade tissue is removed. Such "scalping" of the lawn can cause severe visual damage. More importantly, scalping shocks the grass plants and growth slows or stops, limiting the vigor of the turf. A scalped lawn may dry out quickly from drought, or may develop unusual weed and disease problems.
Blade Sharpness
A dull mower blade shreds the tips of the grass blades. The shredding opens the ends of the leaf blades for increased moisture loss and potentially provides a site for disease invasion. Lawns cut with a dull mower blade may have an overall white appearance from the shredded grass blades.
Improved Mowing Practices
Mowing during the heat of the day during hot weather may cause the lawn to brown. It is best to mow during the cooler part of the day. And leave your grass clippings on the grass.
Clippings
When grass is mowed frequently, clippings are small and degrade rapidly. Recycle plant nutrients by returning clippings to the lawn rather than bagging them.
Did you know that you could save up to 25% on your energy usage with new Amazing Siding on your home?
That’s right! Amazing Siding guarantees you will save up to 25% on your energy usage during the first year our product is installed on your home! It actually pays for it’s self over time!
Just click on the get an estimate button on our home page and ask for a free estimate and to see this fantastic energy savings guarantee in writing! No other siding company in America even comes close!
That’s all Folks for this month’s newsletter!
Please come back and visit our site again!
