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Whhby Free Pieu, Weckiosday, jauay 13, 1993,Pao.17 A HOME DESIGN AND IMPROVEMENT FEATURE j aving money - and energyI 'Grand' opening THE OFFICIAL openlng was held in December for Grand Upholstery & Deslgn's new, larger location at 119 Brook St. S. in downtown Whitby. The store has also expanded bt stock, selling wallpaper and more fabric. Owner Dave Grandy is shown with emplyeeJillan inclir. Photo by Maurice Pliher, Whitby Free Proe If you're like most homeowners teday, you're probably trying te stretch your dollars sud save money on your utility bills - especially in light of recent increases. While yeu may think you'd have te live in the dark and keop ou r thermostat set at 55 degrees arenheit te make a sizeable dent i yeur bills, den't despair. There are seéveral « common sense' things you cen do te eut expenses, while still maintaining your creature comforts. Thero is an additional payoff as well -- you'1l be saving energy at the sanie tme. To start with, tako a look at your daily routines and alI the things you do around the bouse that require the use of utilities: the washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, the shower, tbe vacuumn, refrigerater, lights and se on. The list is.virtually endless. Water consumption Your sboer staîl is one of the easiest places te eut dewn on water consumptien sud save money. Considor installing a lew-flow nozzle on the shower bead. You can aIse, save money by installing a shower bead that bas its own on/off valve. That way, you can turn the flow off while yeu're applyingwsap or shampoo. Aiso e kp in mmnd that taking a shower generally uses less water then a bath -- depending, of course, on the duration of a shower. Lealdng faucets and toilets aIse Tips to protect against burgiars (PP) Assessing your home's security is the first stop tewards effective burglary protection. Take .a -waIk around your. home and property and try te identify the vulnerable areas of your home. eMake sure that yeu bave socure doors and htter than just 'good locks.' The door, fraensd lock formn a mini-security systeni that is only as geod as Wts weakest member. *Sliding patio doors offer easy accoss points for burglars. Most patio door locks are flumsy and can ho easily pried open. Installing a special lockcing device wiIl bo a deterront te theft. *Alwavs keep your garage door locked. * Infermn your noighbours if yeu are away and exchange each otber's phono numbers. e If yeu are away, use a timer te control yeur lights. When your bouse looks occupied, you are less of a target for tbe burglar. *Suspend alI newspaper deliveries for the time you pIlsu te bo away sud arrange te have your mail picked up by a neighbour. A dark, empty homo with a pile of newspapers and mail on the front poreh is an open invitation fer a thief. waste a majr amount of wator. Ifc you suspect you have a leakj somewhere in your plumbingq system or faucets, get it fixod;1 otherwiso yeur money is literally1 going 'down the drain.' You cari aIse have the temporature sotting on your bot water heater turned down te eut down, on the power it takes te, heat your water. Check with the utility com,,pany fer information. The water heater can aIse hoe insulated with a special cever; again, consult the advice of the utility compsuy. lIn the kitchen Don't open the refrigerater door endlessly and ho sure te dlean the condenser coils at the back of the unit about every six months. If you don't have a self-defrosting refrigerator, defrost it when there is a build-up of about one-quarter inch of frost. Aise ho careful te avoid cramming tee many items into the fridge because air cannot circulate proporly. Exorcise sim-i- lar precautions when operating the freeezer. Keep your oven clean -- it will eperate more efficiently. And, don't preheat it for more than 10 minutes when cooking or baking, because you're wasting power and money. If yeu're coeking small arnounts of foed, considor using your nucrewave or a toaster oven instead of the steve; these appliances use less power. Avoid using mhe large element on the rnetep if you intend te use a sma ucepan. As well, try stting appliances -- like your dishwasher -- on low-energy settings, wbere feasible. Avoid putting heat- producing appliances, like a steve or dishwasber, next te a refrigerater or freezer. The heat will cause the coling equipment te work harder. If you have a disbwasber, make sure there is a full load hofore using it, sud try letting dishes air dry after wasbing. Laundry To save money on utility costs associated witb laundry, try te, wash one fulIlead at a time -- but always use cold water in the rinse cycle. It's aIse advisable te wash laundry in cold water as much as possible. The sanie common sense approach applies te using the clothes dryer. Don't overload it, and be sure to dlean out the filter trap in between leads. It's aIse wise to avoid over-drying loads of laundry - you're wasting electricity and your clothes get an extra, unnecessary beating. Also, be sure to keep the dryer and area around it clean and lint-free, and remeve and clean the exhaust hose a couple of times a year. Check the vent and damper as well. If you suspect any probloms, cail a qualifiod repair persan. If you suspect that the clothes dryor is responsible for a large portion of the utility bill, consider air-drying clothes *when and where possible. Laundry saielîs fresher when it's been dried outdoors. 'You may aIse want te dry small items, liko socks, indoors on a folding, portable clothes rack. When laundry is dry, simply fold up the rack and store it out of sight. A small, retractable clothealine cari also be purchased and installed nver the bathtub. You cari replace existing light bulbs with more efficient ones. For instance, try using a 52-watt bulb instead of a 60-watt one. This will save ýenergy and money and the differonoe is barely neticeable. For peak officiency, be sure te keop .igbtbulbs free of dust and dirt. And, be sure te turn eut the lights in rooms that are net being used. As well, try te minimize the number of lights used in a room, whenever possible. You may want to install dimmer switches se you can diminish or itensify the arnount of light in a room te suit your requiremexits. This article is prouided by local reait ors and the Ontario Real Est ate Associat ion (OREA)Jor t/w benefit of consumers in the real estate market. ROYAL LEPAGE~. IS you that coun- ts the most. LOOK WHO'S JOINED US Johanna Rienstra & staff at Royal LePage, Whitby are proud to announce the association of Joan Rundie. Joan has been very active in JOAN the real estate industry for the RUNDLE last 17 years. She invites ailSae herpast clients & friends to cal! ae her at her new number Representative 666-1333 WELCOME JOAN! AUL FLOOR MODELS AND SCRATCH & DENTS AT WHOLESA LE PRICES 133 Taunton Rd. W, -T AUNTON-OSHAWA LPOOL~J571. 0189 Durham's Largest Showroom. Hcmz3 Moa~WcL 0.6~ ~Iuir~&ft. IO4,S~udy1-