Cooling Down Upstairs

Cooling Down Upstairs

How to Keep Your Upstairs Cool—Without Freezing Out the Downstairs Smart strategies to solve one of summer’s most common comfort problems. You know the feeling: it’s a sweltering August night, and your upstairs bedroom feels like a sauna. So, you drop the...
There Should Be a Holiday

There Should Be a Holiday

Some inventors change the world quietly. They don’t become household names. They don’t land on postage stamps. But they do transform our daily lives—and in the case of one young engineer, make the hottest days bearable, the sleepless nights tolerable, and the modern...
Cost-cutting Part 2

Cost-cutting Part 2

With a recent rate increase baked into your utility bill, yet another is pre-heating in the oven, proposed for next spring.  Part 1 of this series highlighted how to improve home cooling efficiency and comfort (click here to review it).  In Part 2, let’s take a...
Cost-cutting Part 1

Cost-cutting Part 1

A 13% electric rate is proposed for next spring on top of a recent one. Aside from turning off lights when you leave the room, what can be done to reduce the impact on your budget?   Top three energy users are heating, cooling, and hot water (according to the U.S....
Clearing the Air, Part 2

Clearing the Air, Part 2

Smoke and dust can’t be avoided.  Canadian wildfires are one of the culprits.  The sunset below shows the haze in the air on June 10th. Dust, stirred up by wind, can add to the problem.  So, keeping indoor air clean and fresh becomes a priority.  How to do it? ...
Clearing the Air, Part 1

Clearing the Air, Part 1

The Weather Channel reports more than one hundred wildfires are burning out of control in Canada.  Michigan is one of many states where sunlight is dimmed.  Though not visible inside, air in your house can also be affected. Because the quality of inside air is so...