Window treatments are often seen simply as decorating tools, with patterns and styles designed to coordinate with any décor. However, you can also use your window curtains, blinds, and drapes to make your home more energy efficient. Did you realize that simply controlling the amount of sunlight entering your home can affect how much you pay in energy costs? Did you know that drapes can actually help insulate your home in winter? For reduced energy bills and a more energy-efficient home, it’s time for the right window treatments for your home.

Window Treatments Reduce Heat Gain in Summer

Have you ever stood in the sunlight to warm up on a cool day? The warmth of the sun’s rays, known as solar radiation, also heats up your house. This can be very helpful in the winter when you’re trying to warm your house, but during the summer, additional heat is not what you want! The warmth of the sun’s rays means your air conditioner will have to work much harder to keep your home a comfortable temperature. However, window blinds can be highly effective at preventing sunlight from entering your windows, keeping them from heating your home as much. In fact, lowered, closed blinds can reduce heat gain by up to 45%. Available in various materials, styles, and designs, both horizontal and vertical blinds are effective for increasing your home’s energy efficiency.

Window Treatments Decrease Heat Loss in Winter

In the winter, open window shades, blinds, and curtains allow the sunlight to enter-creating the opportunity for solar heat gain. At night and on particularly frigid days, though, your windows can let the cold in via conduction. Draperies can actually serve as insulation, helping to prevent this heat transfer and keeping your home warm for less. The energy efficiency of your window curtains is affected by a vast number of variables, including fabric weight and color as well as lining material and installation. One study showed that medium colored drapes with a white backing could reduce approximately 33% of energy loss. Because of the huge range of options in curtains, you’ll need to pay careful attention to the fabrics and especially linings and backings to ensure you get improved energy efficiency from your drapes.

Visit your local window treatment outlet today to learn more about the options for increasing your home’s energy efficiency. When you match your home with just the right window blinds, curtains, shades, or draperies, you get the ideal combination of beautiful looks and the energy-efficient performance that you need!

Statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy.

If you’re opening a new business, redecorating your office, or need new office furnishings for additional staff, finding the office furniture you need at prices you can afford to pay can be a nightmare. And with the economy the way it is, no one can afford to let overhead costs get out of hand! That’s why you should consider buying used office furniture to satisfy the changing needs of your company. You get the same great brands and quality, but at much lower prices.

Buying used office furniture does NOT mean sacrificing quality for cost. While there is probably some garbage on the market, reputable used office furniture dealers know the difference between “used” and “abused.” You’ll be able to buy use office furnishings that are functional, good-looking, and perfect for your company’s needs, not just worn, stained, or otherwise unsuitable pieces. Good used office furniture stores will always clean and sanitize their merchandise before offering it for sale. Office chairs will have broken castors replaced; conference tables may be stained or repainted; and other issues will be addressed and refurbished so your furniture is like-new when you purchase it. No one but you will know that it’s used!

In fact, the term “used office furniture” can be misleading in some cases: the office chair or desk was taken out of its original packaging but instead of being used in an office, it just sat in a storage room or warehouse-so you get the A+ condition of new without the cost. Regardless of whether this is the case or the conference table or filing cabinet has done duty in another business, there is a full complement of quality used office furnishings available to your company at a fraction of the cost of brand-new equipment!

That’s where the true value comes in: you pay used office furniture prices and you get beautiful, functional furnishings that look fabulous. Prices on these quality used office chairs, desks, filing cabinets, and other items can be as little as 15 cents of the dollar of their original value! That’s a savings of over 85%-just imagine how much money you’ll save when you equip your business with used office furnishings. And because even the highest end used desks or file cabinets rarely cost more than 35 cents on the dollar, you’ll be saving at least 65%.

When you choose used office furnishings, you get the attractive, durable, top-quality furniture you need at unbelievably low prices. Why spend up to 85% more on office furniture when you can get beautiful, functional used furniture at a fraction of the cost. Used office furniture is a great solution for keeping costs down and helping your company succeed despite the economic times. Contact your local office furniture store today to learn more.

Wood flooring is a beautiful way to add style and grace to any home, but it can be hard to choose among all of the various wood floor materials on the market today. Both wood laminate and site-finished hardwood offer attractive appearance for any room in your house. They’re also both durable, stain resistant, and low maintenance. Unlike carpets, all types of wood flooring are hypoallergenic; with no fibers to trap allergens, it’s easy to keep this type of floor clean. Yet, hardwood and laminate both have distinct benefits and drawbacks. So whether you’re just looking to upgrade your old flooring or want to increase the value of your house, keep reading to learn which type of wood floor is right for you.

Hardwood Flooring: the Pros and Cons

Hardwood flooring has several definite advantages over laminate. First, although laminate is attractive, hardwood provides the beauty of a natural floor. From grain variation to satiny texture, real wood is arguably more appealing than laminate. Hardwood also offers options for customization: homeowners can select wood species, stains, and finishes to tailor the floor to their exact specifications. Moreover hardwood floors can be refinished when they become marred or worn, making them a long term investment. While refinishing hardwood floors makes them as good as new, laminate must be replaced when it is damaged.

Yet, hardwood floors do have some disadvantages. The fundamental problem with hardwood is price; this is not an inexpensive flooring material. Installation can also be a drawn-out process, as the floor must be laid, sanded, stained, and sealed over the course of several days. And, keep in mind that hardwood floors cannot be laid over your old flooring. While laminate can be installed over your old flooring, hardwood requires a bare subfloor, so you’ll have to remove your existing floor before hardwood installation can even begin.

Laminate Wood Flooring: the Pros and Cons

Laminate can be an attractive alternative to hardwood flooring. One of its primary advantages is cost; laminate is affordable, coming in at around half the cost of hardwood. Moreover, laminate floors can be installed quickly and easily. And, since virtually all laminate floors are floating floors, no special subflooring is required. They can be installed right on top of your old floor, excluding carpet. One additional benefit is that some floating laminate floors can be installed and later removed without harming the underlying floor!

Nonetheless, laminate floors do have shortcomings. The most significant is that, unlike hardwood, laminate cannot be refinished. When a laminate floor is scratched, worn, or warped, the only option is to replacement. Another downside to laminate flooring is design options are more limited. While there are a number of colors and styles available, hue and sheen are set by the manufacturer, not the consumer, so you cannot customize with the same flexibility as with hardwood. Also, the custom patterns and borders available with hardwood simply aren’t an option with laminate. Lastly, laminate floors add less value to your home than hardwood floors do. Because most home buyers prefer hardwood, the simple truth is that while laminate floors do increase the worth of your house, they don’t bump it up as much as hardwood flooring.

With these factors in mind, you can easily select the best wood-look flooring for your home. For more information contact your local wood flooring installer.

Choosing the location for your new construction home can sometimes feel overwhelming. With dozens of subdivisions in the Capital District, it’s hard to know which one is best for your family. But if you’re looking for a great town, large lot, and easy access to the city, East Greenbush, New York, is the town you’ve been dreaming of!

New home construction, just like all real estate, is about location, location, location. That’s why we think you’ll love living in East Greenbush. Close enough for convenient access to Albany and other area attractions yet far enough away for that small town feeling, this municipality is one of the best places to live in the Capital District. Only 7 miles from Empire Plaza and 14 miles from the shopping on Wolf Road, East Greenbush is one of the lowest traffic areas in the Albany region. That means you can easily reach popular destinations nearby, but you don’t have to deal with congestion in your community! And with a huge variety of local shops, restaurants, and stores, you won’t even have to cross the river if you didn’t want to. Top-rated schools and idyllic parks are also convenient to new construction in East Greenbush.

Another huge advantage of settling in Rensselaer County is space. Unlike many of the developments in Colonie and Latham, housing developments in East Greenbush typically feature large lots. While some developments seem subdivided for quantity rather than quality, East Greenbush home developments typically have spacious 1.5 acre lots. Some are even wooded for privacy and that country living feel! The simple truth is that most newer homes near Albany only offer small lots and cramped subdivisions because they are constricted by surrounding development. When you build your new home in East Greenbush, you’ll have all the space you need for your family to grow, play, and live

Why deal with the traffic and problems of other towns when you can have your luxury custom home built on a roomy lot in East Greenbush, New York! With the advantages of country living, new home construction in this area still keeps you close enough to downtown Albany for convenient access. East Greenbush NY is the ideal location for your new home! Contact your local home builder to get started on turning your dream of a new home into reality.

Everyone knows that insulation is the key to keeping your home heating costs in check. But did you realize that effective insulation can also help keep your cooling bills down? It’s important for your house to be thoroughly insulated for big savings all year round. Your local insulation contractor in Kansas City can help you upgrade your insulation for reduced air-conditioning costs this summer.

Insulation helps your home retain heat in the winter, but it also helps keep your home cool in the summer. That’s because the insulation in your house actually accounts for 70% of the building’s total heat gain and loss! In plain English, without insulation, the high temperatures outside would make the temperature inside your home up to 70% higher. When you have effective home insulation not only does it work to keep the hot air outside from getting in, it also helps keep your cool, air-conditioned air inside. The end result is a cooler, more comfortable home for you-no matter how hot it gets outside.

When it comes to upgrading your insulation, you can choose from a number of different materials. Each material has different insulating qualities as well as installation requirements, so you’ll want to consult your local insulation company about which is best for your home and your needs. Popular options include spray foam insulation, blown insulation, and batt insulation. Blown insulation and spray foam insulation are particularly great solutions for retrofitting spaces like attics, although batt insulation can work as well.

Correct installation and appropriate materials make a huge difference when it comes to insulating your house or business, so we recommend using a professional insulation company to ensure the best results. Insulation can only be truly effective when it is installed without holes or gaps, and it is often difficult for DIYers to achieve this complete, even installation. On the other hand, insulation companies in Kansas City have the expertise and skills to ensure your home is thoroughly insulated for the best energy-efficiency this summer.

To ensure that your insulation company is fully qualified, only choose licensed, insured professionals. Certifications from manufacturers and trade organizations-like the Blow-In-Blanket Contractors Association (BIBCA)-are also signs that your insulation pro is a true expert!

Relaxing in your hot tub or pool is one of the highlights of summer. But when you’re having problems with your pool or hot tub wiring, you can’t enjoy them! Make sure you don’t have to suffer in the heat by fixing your pool pump, hot tub wiring, or spa wire problems before they become major issues!

When it comes to keeping your hot tub, spa, and pool in great working shape, it’s best to leave it to professionals. Especially if you’re having wiring issues, it’s important to call the experts. The potentially deadly combination of electricity and water simply isn’t worth the risk. The good news is that your local residential electrician has the skills and expertise to correct your pool or hot tub related wiring issues to get you back in the water ASAP.

A professional electrician can efficiently trouble shoot your hot tub or pool wiring problems to accurate diagnose the issue. And, unlike with amateur repairs, the pros won’t damage to your hot tub or void the manufacturer’s warranty. Best of all, they have the experience and training to safely repair your pool or hot tub without electrocuting themselves! When you have hot tub wiring needs, let your electrician get your hot tub or spa in great working order in no time.

In fact, having an electrician install your pool pump or hot tub in the first place is a great way to help prevent future problems. Of course, regardless of the expert installation, malfunctions can and do happen. But if you have a professional install your hot tub, you avoid DIY mistakes like an incorrectly installed disconnect switch.

From swimming pool wiring to hot tub installation, a professional electrician has the qualifications and hands-on knowledge to handle your pool wiring problems! Choosing a licensed, insured electrician is the best way to ensure you’re getting a skilled professional for your hot tub repair or installation. For extra peace of mind, you may also want to check reviews and references of the electrician’s past work.

So if you’re experiencing electrical problems with your pool or spa this summer, contact a professional to get them resolved. Your local electrician will safely and correctly take care of your wiring issues to get you back enjoying your pool or hot tub in a jiffy!

Wood flooring is a classic choice to add elegance and style to any home. With their long-lasting beauty, durability, and sophistication, hardwood floors are an attractive option for just about every room in your house. But if you want a hardwood floor that really makes a statement, why not opt for custom hardwood flooring. You get all the durability of traditional wood floors with the addition of the unique splendor and dramatic good-looks of patterning, inlays, and custom finishes!

The most straightforward custom wood floors simply alter the way the flooring is laid. Rather than laying the planks parallel and perpendicular to the four walls of a room, your hardwood floor installer arranges the planks to form a pattern. Some standard options include diagonal and herringbone. Choosing a patterned wood flooring installation is a gorgeous way to create rich texture, and it’s also a great option for attractively flooring an irregularly shaped room.

Another popular option for customizing your hardwood flooring is inlay. This process combines different types/colors of wood to create two-tone accents in your floor. Custom hardwood floor inlays are available as borders, motifs, and medallions. These designs are particularly striking when there is a strong contrast between the inlay and the rest of the floor; for that reason, rich purple heartwood, cherry, and other exotic woods are industry favorites for hardwood inlay. Depending on the type of wood inlay you choose, custom hardwoods can be used to accent the shape of a room, draw the eye to the center of the room, or just create interest in a large space.

An alternative to having a custom hardwood floor installed is simply to personalize your existing wood floor with unusual stains or finishes. Your flooring can be stained, dyed, or antiqued to create just the look you want. Some options include:

• Aniline dye coloration
• Oil stains
• Bleaching
• Pickling

In fact, you can even get the look of inlaid flooring without the commitment through stencils; your hardwood floor can be colored to mimic the permanent look of inlays, with the color later being removed when the floor is refinished!

If you’ve been dreaming of an exquisite hardwood floor that stands out from the crowd, it’s time for a custom wood floor. You’ll love the beautiful designs, colors, and shapes of custom hardwood flooring. Contact your local wood floor installer to learn more about available options. Why settle for a plain floor when your custom hardwood floor can be a work of art!