When Michigan’s weather hits hard with ice and snow, keeping your home warm isn’t your only concern. Packed snow, ice and falling icicles pose a risk to your gas meter and your gas appliances’ chimneys and vents. Check your meter and vents regularly,...
Reading your gas bill, particularly during a long Michigan winter, may not be the highlight of your month. In addition to the seasonal hit on your household budget, there are lots of facts and figures that may not make the most interesting reading. However, that...
Condensing gas furnaces are among the most energy-efficient options for keeping away the cold of southeast Michigan’s winters. If you’ve been thinking about installing one of these furnaces in your home, knowing the basics of how they work will make your...
While forced-air heating does a decent job warding off the Michigan winter chill, it rarely provides the kind of cozy, even heating most of us prefer. For truly comfortable warmth, a radiant heating system is often a better choice. Radiant heating is based on electric...
A number of creature comforts — those things that make us most comfortable in our own homes — require the use of energy. In an effort to manage your energy bills you may think you need to make drastic changes or invest a lot of money, but small changes can...
The air in your southeast Michigan home contains gaseous pollutants and particles including mold, pollen, bacteria, viruses and dust. According to the EPA, the air in the typical home is one of the top five environmental hazards. Poor indoor air quality can cause a...
Shrewd homeowners performing home-efficiency upgrades by sealing air leaks and adding insulation shouldn’t overlook one very important system. Your water heater “leaks” heat in the form of standby heat loss — heating and re-heating stored water to maintain...
Nobody likes flu season, and 2013 has brought in an especially bad one: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported in January that influenza has already reached epidemic levels this year. Germs and viruses like the flu thrive in cold weather, and you need a...
Ice dams are a common wintertime issue for homeowners here in southeast Michigan. If you get an ice dam on your roof, it’s a sign that your attic is in need of some TLC. The ridges of ice at your roof’s edge keep water/melted snow from draining off, creating...
Carbon monoxide fumes are unfortunately a common problem in garages. This invisible gas is tasteless and odorless, and occurs when gasoline, wood, coal and other fuels burn incompletely. The exhaust that vehicles produce is filled with carbon monoxide that can drift...
