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On average, 55 percent of the annual cost of energy goes toward heating and cooling. For most people, this is a lot of money, although it can never be eliminated, there are ways to keep heating, and cooling costs in check. There is no need to be at the mercy of the weather; a few hours on the weekend are all you need to save on energy costs.

It is not even necessary to drag out the toolbox; there are things that can be done that take no more than a desire to reduce your cost of heating and cooling in Chicago.

• Control the thermostat: Every time you feel a little chilly, remember that every degree that you crank up the temperature increases your cost of energy by three percent, or think of it the other way: every degree you set back on the thermostat saves you three percent. If you drop the temperature at night and while you are at work by ten degrees, this total time of 16 hours will reduce your costs by a whopping 14 percent annually.
• Use fans: Exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom can dispel heat. Use them wisely during the summer; you can reduce your dependence on air conditioning, which will save you money.
• Use curtains: During the day, keep the curtains on the south side of your house open in the winter. Let the sun work for you. Close all curtains at night to keep the heat or cool in, rather than leak through drafty windows.
• Reduce the water temperature: A comfortable water temperature is 120 degrees F. If your water heater setting is higher than that, turn the thermostat back, you will not notice any appreciable difference.

These are a few tricks that can help you control the cost of heating and cooling in St Charles. It takes little time and effort to make an appreciable dent in one of your biggest annual household expenses.

As well as a few things you can do, to keep the cost of heating and cooling in St Charles in check, make sure your HVAC system is maintained and serviced regularly. To arrange service, contact Blue Frost Heating & Cooling. Follow us on Google+.

Submitted by: Chance

The idea of a holiday property can differ greatly depending on what your perception of a holiday actually is. Some like the freezing arctic weather to go skiing and snowboarding whilst others like to feel the warmth and see plenty of sunshine.

Wither it’s hand mitts and scarfs to keep warm or E45 to block out the sun rays if you decide to purchase a property abroad remember that it does need to be maintained. Depending on your work and relationship commitments this may prove to be a task that you find difficult to accomplish. On the other hand if you are lucky enough to spend more time living in your second home than you do in your main house then your difficulties may be far less.

This article will provide sound information to help you overcome some of the difficulties in owning a second property abroad.

The following points outline some of the most important tasks that need to be carried out even if your property is vacant although general property maintenance can vary depending on the property type which could be an apartment, townhouse or villa for example.

Garden Work

Repairs

Security

Garden Work

If you purchased an apartment then the chances are high that you have no garden to look after and can skip this task. However, if you purchased a villa or townhouse then you will almost certainly have a garden of reasonable size which could include a pool, trees, grass, BBQ area, flowers and many other things that need regular work to keep your place looking good.

Repairs

Some simple things like a plank of wood on your summer decking or fresh lick of paint for your house may need to be made. These types of repairs and easy to deal with and can be attended to when you are living in your property.

Some repairs can need to me made quickly when you are back home like the problems that strong storms and general strong weather can create. Wild weather could for instance damage your roof and if not dealt with speedily could potentially cost you more to fix than what the house is worth. This can be a real problem if you are somewhere else and have no intention on visiting for several months.

Security

No matter how pretty the area that your holiday property resides in you always need to take necessary precautions to prevent burglars and vandals. Plenty of good alarm systems are available on the market today some of which in the event that a burglar is breaking in can connected direct to the local police station to alert them. Other more advanced systems that use camera surveillance can allow further functionality to allow you to view the cameras on a computer from anywhere in the world.

Let me introduce a property management company

A property management company can take care of everything for you when your back at home. This includes looking after the garden, regularly visiting the property to check it’s general health and deal with any repairs that need to be done. They will report back to you regularly and let you know that everything is fine. They do have a cost but in the long run the money a property maintenance company saves you out weights the money that they cost you.

About the Author: This article was written by Chance Hoggan who writes for

HFG Property Management San Pedro, Costa Del Sol, Spain

.

Source:

isnare.com

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