Energy adviser: Work with landlord to reap savings
31.12.69
If you rent a single-family home, or even a one-bedroom apartment, there are ways to reduce your energy use and save money.
For renters interested in bigger energy savings, negotiating with a landlord to share in the cost of upgrading to Energy Star appliances, installing a programmable thermostat or improving insulation and duct sealing may be a win for both. Your landlord keeps a good tenant happy and you see a reduction in your monthly power bill.
Just be sure to check with your landlord before starting any major projects because some leases prevent tenants from making changes even if they could lead to energy savings.
Vancouver apartment manager Jason Pulse says renters can take small steps to reduce energy use by replacing incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent lights, turning lights out in unoccupied rooms and setting the heat at a lower temperature.
Compact fluorescent bulbs can use up to 75 percent less electricity. (You can recycle used CFLs at any Clark Public Utilities office).
Source: The Columbian
Five things appliance stores don't want you to know
31.12.69
Fall is a great time to find a bargain on home appliances, large and small. Holiday sales are heating up, especially on ranges, cooktops and microwaves. Plus retailers have to clear out inventories to make room for the latest vacuums, coffeemakers and more. But with Black Friday looming, the make-or-break stakes mean you could be subject to pushy sales tactics or less-than-full disclosure about the particulars of your purchase. With that, here are five things appliance stores might not tell you.
Extended warranties typically don't pay. If you're buying a major appliance, chances are you'll be pitched an extended warranty, which might sound tempting given the size of the investment. But Consumer Reports surveys have found time and again that most appliances don't break during the extended-warranty period. And even when breakdowns do occur, the median cost of the repair, $150, isn't much more than the median price of the warranty, $142.
Price is always negotiable.
Source: ConsumerReports.org (blog)
