5 More DIY Bathroom Ideas

As relaxing as it should be, the bathroom can occasionally be a source of some frustration.  Fogged-up mirrors, frigid towels, overly-humid air, and disorganized counter tops or drawers can get a bit annoying, especially when you’re groggy from a rough night’s sleep.

This month, we’re bringing you some ideas to make your bathroom a bit more user-friendly and luxurious.  As always, adding functionality to a room, especially your bathroom, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style.  Click here to learn how you can turn your bathroom into a haven of comfort and relaxation.

Ventilation Solutions

This time of year brings about an interesting conundrum.  Whether you’re pumping your home full of heat or still keeping the A/C on, it’s important to keep that conditioned air locked inside.  What a waste to spend money bringing your indoor air to the perfect temperature just to have the air escape, leaving you to heat or cool new air all over again!

However, making your home air tight isn’t the best for your home or your health.  Ventilation is necessary to rid your home of natural and man-made air pollutants that build up over time.  Natural ventilation, such as opening doors and windows, is easy, but makes it difficult to control the temperature and humidity levels of your indoor air.  Luckily, there are many solutions to ventilating your home, including some that will help keep you from wasting extra energy heating or cooling fresh air.

More Energy Saving Tips for Winter

Back in August we sent out a list of 14 tips for saving energy in the fall and winter seasons.  While it’s always best to get a head start, it’s not too late to make your home an energy efficient one.  Not only will you be helping the environment, but you’ll be saving money too.   And some of these tips might even make you more comfortable than you were before, all while using less energy.

With the weather being a bit less forgiving this time of year, you’ll probably be spending more time indoors than usual.  With that in mind, we’ve written up 10 more tips for you!  Spending more time at home shouldn’t have to mean spending more money on energy.  So without further ado, here they are:

Radiant Floor Heating

Winter weather is pushing its way in, and it’s not leaving any time soon.  That means getting back to that awful feeling of stepping out of your hot shower and onto freezing tiles.  For many of us, it can also mean waking up to see inches upon inches of snow on the driveway that has to get shoveled away.  For most of us, it means higher heating bills that seem to keep going up and up.

If you’re renovating your home or building a new one, consider solving all of these problems with one simple solution – radiant floor heating.  In short, radiant floor heating is nothing more than what it sounds like: providing heat by radiating it from the floor (or under the floor, really).  There are multiple types of radiant floor heating available, which means the right solution for you is out there and ready to be put into your home.  

Flood Recovery & Your Home

As North America recovers from Hurricane Sandy, the first priority will be ensuring the safety of people in the affected areas. Next, emergency workers will need to restore critical infrastructure such as power and telecommunications. Individually, affected people will need to assess the damage to their homes or offices.

You may find that your heating, cooling, or plumbing systems have been affected by the storm. We’ve written this short guide to help you safely restore these systems to full operation.

5 DIY Bathroom Ideas

It’s there because it has to be, not because you want it there.  But that doesn’t mean you have to let your bathroom sit ignored and neglected.  In fact, if you make the right changes, a bathroom could turn into a room that you’re proud to have in your house.  A remodeled bathroom can be a relaxing bathroom, and you might even start to enjoy spending time in there.  And that’s a good thing, since it’s estimated we spend about 2 weeks a year there!

In this article, we’ll talk about five ways that you can upgrade your bathroom yourself.  If you’re the type of person that gets a great feeling from completing a project on your own, feel free to take a hack at some of these projects.  Even if you’d rather bring in a contractor to do the dirty work, read through these project ideas and get inspired.

How Do Boilers Work?

It’s getting colder out, and most homes are starting to rely more and more on that big tank of water pumping out heat: your boiler.  Maybe it’s tucked away in a tight closet, or maybe it’s out for all to see in your laundry room or basement.  Either way,  there’s no doubt it’s getting more use now, so it’s not a bad idea to get it inspected by a technician before you can’t go a day without it.

While that boiler is chugging away, what exactly is it doing?  In this article, we’ll talk about the various parts of a boiler system and how they all work together to bring comfort to your home, office, or other building structure.  While we’re at it, we’ll throw in a few tips on how you can increase energy efficiency and save some money this winter.  Maybe you can use that money to take on that bathroom remodeling project you’ve been waiting on (see our other article this month for some bathroom DIY tips).  Or maybe you could buy a nice coat and stay warm outside too!  It’s always good to get some fresh air…

Convenience in the Kitchen

Remodeling a kitchen can be an intimidating project.  With so many components to fix up, it can be tough deciding where to start.  One approach is to first upgrade the big appliances, since they’re often considered the centerpieces of the kitchen.  But most people only use their ovens or dishwashers a few times a week, at most.  Why not start with a part of your kitchen that you probably use multiple times a day, but maybe haven’t put much thought into?

How do HRVs and ERVs work?

Today’s buildings are being built tighter than ever before.  Extreme care is taken to install modern siding, use high-quality insulation, and seal all cracks to prevent air from leaking in or out.  Such tight buildings are designed with the intention of keeping as much heat inside as possible in order to save energy and reduce heating costs.  This technique, though, has some unintended negative consequences.  While drafts are typically thought of as unwanted, indoor air quality can suffer from a lack of air exchange.  Nobody likes to breathe in old, stale air, and without proper ventilation, humidity and pollutants can build up and damage your property and your health.  Luckily, there are several solutions to this problem.

Furnace, Heat Pump, or Both?

When it comes to heating your home, there are plenty of options to choose from.  Not only are there various brands, sizes, and efficiencies for you to juggle, but the equipment itself may also vary depending on your specific heating needs.  For such a significant purchase, it’s important to know what your all your options are.

For starters, most people in North America have a furnace as their primary home heating system, while boilers are more common across the ocean.  While a furnace can certainly do the trick, in certain situations, it might be advisable to include a heat pump into your heating system, as well.  In fact, sometimes a heat pump is all you need!

To see exactly how a heat pump can help, let’s explore how both heat pumps and furnaces work.

Tips to Prepare for the Fall and Winter

Heating season is on its way and it’s always best to be prepared.  Whether you’ll be up to your knees in snow or getting a nice tan, it’s important to take steps to ensure your home is ready for the coming months.

For your convenience, we’ve got 14 tips for you so that you can continue living in comfort all fall and winter long.  Not only will these tips help keep you comfortable no matter what climate you might be living in, but they also might help you save both energy and money!

Indoor Air Quality

Taking an active stance in managing your indoor air quality can be a relatively easy, although often overlooked, task.  Its importance arises from the fact that indoor air pollution can cause many health problems, both immediate and long-term, if it goes unrecognized and uncorrected.  Indoor air pollution can be caused by a variety of sources, some of which are more controllable than others.  If you’re able to keep your indoor air quality under control, you’ll be keeping harmful pollutants out and fresh, pleasant air in.

Energy Saving Tips

Did you know that one of the easiest ways to save energy can be completely automated?  Even better is that you might never notice the difference – except on your energy bill.  According to the US Department of Energy, you can save up to 10% on energy bills each year by setting your thermostat back 7-10 degrees for 8 hours a day. This way, while you’re away from home or sound asleep, your heating and cooling equipment isn’t using as much energy – or costing you as much money.

With today’s technology, you can automate this process with just a tap on your iPhone.  Using products such as the Ecobee EB-SmartSi-01 Home Series Smart SI Programmable Wireless Thermostat, you can make adjustments to your thermostat program on the go from your tablet, computer, or smartphone.  So if you’re coming home from work early and want to cool off your house before you arrive, you can change the settings from the office and enter a comfortable home. Many are using this flexibility for even greater savings.  In fact, ecobee users are saving an average of 26% a year, more than double what the DOE suggests!

Another great option for saving energy and money is using a tankless water heater. Conventional water heaters that use a tank will always try to maintain the pre-set temperature of the water stored in the tank.  This means that even if no water has been drawn from the tank, the temperature of the water will drop naturally (since the heater is not always operating) and periodically need to be reheated, using up extra energy when you're not even using the water.

On the other hand, a tankless heater, like one of these made by Noritz, doesn't store any water, so there's no need to expend needless energy maintaining a constant temperature.  In the case of a tankless water heater, water enters the heater only once you turn on the faucet, and the heater only turns on once it senses the water entering. Thus, since you only heat water when you need it (it only takes about 5 seconds to heat up), you save tons of energy that would wasted maintaining water temperature in conventional water heaters.  In fact, Nortiz suggests that with one of its tankless water heaters, you can save nearly 50% each month on your hot water energy bill!

Now that's a lot of savings - and it's nice to the environment too!  So why wait?
     

Get eComfort-able now!

Online Building Supplies Retailer e-ComfortUSA.com Moves to eComfort.com

Buffalo Grove, IL (PRWEB) March 06, 2012

e-ComfortUSA.com, a leading supplier of building supplies and home improvement products, is proud to announce the acquisition of eComfort.com. Effective immediately, e-ComfortUSA.com will rebrand itself eComfort.com. This move helps to cement the site’s branding strategy, setting it up to become the clear leader in its space.

"We're all really excited about the move to eComfort.com. For our customers, it's great because eComfort.com is simple, easy to spell, and easy to remember. For our dedicated, hard-working employees, the new brand is a validation of their unyielding efforts over the past years to build a rock-solid foundation for our business,” said eComfort.com’s President, Pavel Sokolovsky. “As eComfort.com, we will continue to aggressively grow our market share in the Building Supplies and Home Goods verticals."

eComfort.com provides a complete selection of high quality products for applications in heating, air conditioning, plumbing and home improvement. Expanded, extensive product lines from over one hundred high quality brands will be available for purchase to consumers in North America. Sought after, reputable products from brands such as Mitsubishi, Viessmann, LG and Honeywell will continue to be offered across the US and Canadian markets.

eComfort.com will continue to provide Unmatched Expertise™ to contractors, homeowners, businesses and government agencies. Products on the new site are intelligently categorized, allowing anyone to find any product in seconds. Everything needed for a new project or renovation is included in eComfort.com’s extensive catalog, minimizing the challenges of working with multiple vendors. Every item on the site follows this strict adherence to quality, from large items such as air conditioners and boilers to smaller products including thermostats, bath fixtures and more. As always, shipping is free.

The transition to eComfort.com is an opportunity to offer more than just great products and service. “In this transition, we are able to refocus and reevaluate not only our growing product offering, but the essential security features that are required more and more in online retail today,” said eComfort.com’s Director of Information Technology, Dmitry Fishkin. “That is why we have decided to take additional security steps for eComfort.com, including protection using VeriSign’s best in class SSL security.”

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Based in Buffalo Grove IL, eComfort Holdings Inc. is a leading online retailer of building supplies and home improvement products. They have blazed new trails in both technology and shipping services in order to bring the best products to consumers’ front doorstep for fantastic prices. In house engineering staff, logistics professionals and strong partnerships with manufacturers and others have allowed eComfort Holdings Inc. to establish their brands as reliable, knowledgeable and helpful.

If you would like to discover more information about eComfort Holdings Inc., please call Chad Metzger at 866/554-4328 or Email Chad at Info(at)eComfort(dot)com.

e-ComfortUSA.com Adds Schluter's KERDI-BOARD Line

e-ComfortUSA.com is proud to add Schluter's KERDI-BOARD product line to its product offerings.

Kerdi Board Panels naturally provide the perfect substrate for tile. Their combination of durability and being a perfect rectangle provide tile setters with the optimal tool they need to lay perfect tile surfaces time after time. Kerdi Board is easily cut with a utility knife and has marked gridlines on it, offering tile setters everything they need to make flawless measurements.

Kerdi Board is durable enough to be used as not only a surface for supporting a raised substrate, but as a surface that can support body weight on its own when installed properly. This makes it the perfect support structure when used for building a shower or bathtub surround, as it can be easily cut and measured to the exact specifications one may need. Schluter offers a segmented board ideal for curved surfaces, making visually appealing curved tile surfaces a snap. Kerdi Board can even be used to construct a shelving structure for a bathroom vanity, as it can be cut to the exact specifications of a sink or countertop while being strong enough to support both.