Halloween

As the evening approaches for pumpkins, ghosts, and vampires to be knocking on doors, consider some of these tips to help green your Halloween:

• Decorate with nature. Visit the local pumpkin patch for fresh gourds, grow mums, or use hay bales. They can all be used as a compost pile after the holiday.
• Reuse costumes or pull out materials from the closet or attic.
• Hand out organic chocolate treats or at the very least find candy that uses minimal packaging therefore reducing waste.
• You can be creative with the treats too – perhaps recycled material to make cards.
• Light the walkway to the front door with solar lighting. If the kids need a light in between houses, consider a shakable light.

You can also check out our tips from last year.

Winterize Your Apartment

As we’re all well aware, it’s getting chilly outside. Being that not everyone lives in single family homes that they own, we want to make sure our apartment and townhome renters are also able to save some green!

One of the best ways to winterize your apartment is to talk to your leasing company. Ask them to make investment measures around your home, insuring they are holding up their end of the lease.

Below are a few ideas to help you save some money:

• If you have control of your thermostat, turn it to 68 degrees
• Have maintenance check and replace HVAC filters
• Install window film
  
• Ask maintenance to replace weather stripping, especially around sliding glass/patio doors
• Install outlet and switch insulation gaskets
  
• Minimize the neat to conditioned unused rooms – if you rarely go into the room, close off the vent
• Remove air conditioning window units

If you have any other ideas, let us know!

Remove that Roof Rack!

We all know it’s cool to have a roof rack on your car to show your active lifestyle, but did you know that it’s costing you? Roof racks, bike racks, luggage racks and everything in between, really decrease your car’s aerodynamic shape and fuel efficiency.

In a tip published by Cartalk, they tell us that your roof rack is costing you up to 5% in MPG. Read what they have to say…

You know that Thule roof rack you keep on your car to convince people that you're really outdoorsy? (Even though you drive a Volvo.) It's costing up to 5 percent in MPG. So unless you need the rack to boost your flagging self-esteem, we suggest you pull off the entire rack. That also goes for standard luggage racks, kayak holders, ski racks, Labrador retriever holders and all the cross bars that go with them. Put it in the garage, and toss the rack back on the roof when you really need it. You'll reduce your aerodynamic drag significantly.

Now that you’ve finished with your summer kayaking sessions, why not take the roof rack off and enjoy an increased MPG.

Almanac – Cold Weather

You guessed it, Old Man Winter is coming in full force this year! After taking a look at the Long Range Forecast on Almanac.com, you might want to start the weatherization process before it gets too cold.

Here’s what almanac.com says about some our reader’s locations with colder winters…

• Richmond, VA - Winter will be colder than normal, on average, primarily due to persistent cold temperatures in January, with only brief thaws. Other cold periods will occur in mid-December and mid-February. Precipitation and snowfall will be below normal. Watch for a snowstorm around Thanksgiving, with other snowy periods in mid- and late December and mid- and late January.
  
  
• New York, NY - Winter will be colder than normal, on average, especially north of the Chesapeake Bay. The coldest periods will occur in early to mid- and late January and mid-February. While precipitation will be below normal, slightly above-normal snowfall will occur in many parts of the region. Watch for snow around Thanksgiving, with other snowy periods in mid-January and mid- and late February.
  
  
• Pittsburgh, PA - Winter will bring rapid changes in the weather, from mild to very cold and back to mild again. Temperatures will be slightly below normal, on average, while precipitation will be above normal, with near-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will occur in the second week of December, early to mid-January, mid- to late January, mid- and late February, and early March. The snowiest periods will occur in late January, mid-February, and early March.
  
  
• Cleveland, OH - Winter will be about a degree colder than normal, on average, despite a number of mild periods. The coldest periods will occur in the second week of December, early to mid-January, mid- to late January, and mid-February. Precipitation and snowfall will be below normal in the east and above normal in the west. Watch for a snowstorm around Thanksgiving, with other snowy periods in early and late December, late January, mid-February, and mid-March.

Stay warm this winter!

Profile Of Blogger In News

The other week, our very own Energy Conservation Blogger was featured in the online version of the local paper.

The segment included an overview of what Alison does here at Dominion as an Energy Conservation Specialist.

Check out the segment and learn more about Energy Conservation at Dominion.

Number 5 In Our Weekly Series Of Tune-up/ Check-up Tips

Cleaning your dryer vents and ducts should be done once a year. This will prevent a fire hazard, reduce the time needed to dry your clothes, and save you money on your electric bill. There are two options for getting this done, the first being to call in the professionals. The average professional dryer vent cleaning costs about $150. Or you could do it yourself!

This should be a relatively simple task, requiring only a screwdriver to loosen the dryer clamp, a lint brush or tool to scrape out the lint, and your household vacuum cleaner.

Most of the lint collects within a foot of either end of your dryer duct, so even if it twists and turns or is longer than your vacuum can reach, you will be able to remove most of the problem.

If you want to do a really thorough job and clean the entire vent or you suspect the tube is blocked in the middle, specialized dryer vent cleaning kits and brushes can be purchased online or at your local hardware or home improvement store.

Here's some more detailed instructions.

Don’t forget to empty the lint trap inside your dryer after every load. This will reduce (but not eliminate) the lint buildup in your vents.

National Energy Awareness Month – Video Blog

We’re in the middle of National Energy Awareness Month and our very own blogger, Tom, sat down to talk a bit about the month, Virginia and North Carolina’s Tax Free Weekend, as well as ideas to prepare your home for the winter.

Some of the links he references are Tax Free Weekend Information, Department of Energy, and EnergyStar.gov.

Weekly Tune-up / Check-up Series - 4th Installement

Another check on your house includes the drafty windows.

Did you know that a 1/8th of an inch crack all the way around a doorway creates the same air loss as a 6 inch square hole in the middle of your door?

Properly sealing up your windows and doorways using weather-stripping eliminates drafts and keeps the heated or conditioned air you pay for from escaping. There are many options available for homeowners to do this yourself.

Check out the Department of Energy for more information on the different types and materials of weather-stripping.

Here’s a trick to test whether you need to invest in weather-stripping: close a sheet of paper in a door or window. If you can pull it out without ripping the paper, you are losing energy.

New Year’s Resolution Tip #10 of 12 – Window Insulation Kit

Estimated Cost: $10-20

Ease of Install: Easy

Other Notes: Drafty windows are one of the biggest issues when trying to stay warm in the winter. Window insulation kits are a great solution to fix this problem – the kits usually consist of a thin sheet of plastic and double sided tape. The plastic film is placed on the inside of the window keeping another layer of protection between the warm air inside and the cold air outside, performing like a storm window.

To install:

1. Clean the frame around the window on the inside of the house.
2. Measure the window frame you want to insulate.
3. Cut the film the size of the window, giving about 5 or 6 extra inches on each side.
4. Measure, cut, and place the double sided tape to the frame of your window.
5. Place the clear film on the tape, keeping it as taunt as you can.
6. Take a hair blow dryer and blow hot air at the window film to shrink it and tighten in your window frame.