Posts Tagged ‘Remodelers’

1. It’s easier to install and the units are smaller than conventional duct systems. Mini splits come in different capacities depending on the area you want to use it for. However, they all require nothing more than drilling a hole a few inches in diameter through your wall. This considerably brings down you labor costs and time taken for installation.
2. It has more aesthetic appeal. The indoor fixture are usually built with very sleek design and finishing, (depending on the cost) and are come in various mounting options. For instance you will find indoor fixtures that can be installed on the ceiling, corners or walls.
3. Space friendly. The indoor and outdoor parts can have as many as 50ft between them. Thus, you could install the outer condenser somewhere inconspicuous, like the back of the house, when it won’t be an eye-sore.
4. Duct HVAC systems usually cause a certain amount of heat loss through the ducts, particularly if they haven’t been insulated well (That’s another thing – there is no insulation required with mini splits) With mini splits there’s no such issue – there’s minimal loss of heat or energy through the conduit wires.
5. The cost is comparable to a standard heat pump system. Unlike heat pumps, Mini splits only lose about 40% of their efficiency when the temp drops to zero degrees. However by over sizing the unit by 40 %,( this adds a little to the upfront cost) you will have 100% efficiency at zero degrees. Given the last cold spell we had in December, this could be money well spent.

We will all agree, that when it comes to home operating costs and maintenance, little else burns as large a hole in our pockets as heating and cooling. HVAC is one place where homes lose a lot of greenery – in terms of money, and in terms of the carbon footprint they add. Therefore, when we remodel homes, a lot of homeowners want to know how to restructure their HVAC systems, to make their homes (and their pockets) greener. Our answer to them – mini split systems.
Most homes run on centralized HVAC systems that use ducts and sometimes pipes to control temperatures indoors. While these systems are quite alright, they are not always feasible when you are attempting a remodel, especially if you are adding an extra floor or room space or making major design changes. Restructuring the entire duct and pipe system adds considerably to the cost. Mini split systems make it easy to manage indoor temperatures without any major construction or uprooting.
Mini split systems are also called ductless systems and are available for heating and air conditioning purposes. These systems come with three parts, which can be very simply explained as: one part which is mounted indoors to maintain air and temperature, one part outside which handles the condensing and compressing and a third part linking both parts with suction wires, electrical wires, drain and refrigerant tubing. This entire system can be fitted with minimal inconvenience and construction and works efficiently to heat/cool/condition as per your requirements.
The amazing thing about them is their efficiency. Bonneville Power administration just did a study that found that mini splits can be as high as 450 % efficient. For every $1.00 you spend you get $4.50 worth of heat. Nothing else on the market even comes close. Back that up with a supper insulated house and your heating bill will become a non issue.

The main reason we’ve included LED in our recommendations, is because they’re quite eco-friendly, compared to all other options. LED produce much more light per watt of electricity. To be precise they produce around 18-22 lumens per watt, much higher than the incandescent and fluorescent lamps. This means they use less power to produce more, which cumulatively adds up to a lot of energy savings. In fact, the US DOE estimates that if LED lighting were used on a large scale, it would convert to savings of $265 billion, reduce electricity demand for lighting purposes by 33% ; and avoid the set up of 40 power plants across the country.
Also, every time you turn on the lights, you’re contributing to CO2 emissions to the tune of 196 pounds per year, for every light bulb in your house. LED lamps bring this to just 63 pounds every year. LED lighting is also non-toxic, it does not contain mercury like fluorescent lamps and thus recycling them is less hazardous. A few other benefits:
• LEDs are extremely small and are available in different colours. This goes well when you try to get creative with lighting in your house.
• LEDs can be dimmed quite easily. Repeated on-off cycles don’t damage LEDs the way they damage other lights. Thus, using LEDs for Christmas lighting is the ideal option
• They’re shock resistant, not fragile like usual bulbs.

Forget wood, laminate, ceramic and all those other offensive gas emitting and environment degrading options for your floors and walls. No green home is green without recycled tiles. And thankfully when it comes to this, we have many options. Recycled glass tiles seem to be a hot item on the internet and also among those who want to build green homes. This is probably because everybody has use for glass tiles and they are relatively cheaper to recycle than other materials. Also, for those looking at colour and vibrancy in their showers or kitchens, recycled glass tiles are affordable and they fit the bill perfectly.
For those of you looking for something little more unique – try out recycled metal tiles. Very few people have ever really tried any kind of metal tiles; leave alone recycled metal ones but the ones at Eco Friendly Flooring leave you quite speechless. They’re made from recycled aluminium or brass and would look absolutely stunning in the kitchen or even as plain decorative elements on a wall.
Another great option is rubber flooring. Before you get ideas about bouncing along as you walk, let us make ourselves clearer: Rubber Flooring is actually safer (because it’s slip-proof); durable (because it won’t crack and will expand when your house settles); comfortable (it’s sound absorbent, soft to feel and walk on) and quite economical when compared to other options. And if you thought you might not get variety, check out Rephouse for their colours and textures.
If you find yourself confused by all the recycled flooring results when you try Google, visit www.ecosurfaces.com – a one stop shop that covers flooring surfaces made from all types of eco-friendly , materials in many colours and textures.

Remodeling – The Home Plan

Truth be told, when homeowners start off with remodeling their home; they have no idea as to what they actually want the home to look like, unless they know something about construction and architecture. Normally, they will wait till the contractor draws up certain plans, and then will generally approve or disapprove with little conviction in either case. So, when your contractor approaches you with the plans, this is what you should be noticing, and asking:

1. First and most important identify how family members use the rooms. The space requirement and positioning of rooms should be made accordingly in the plans. For example, does your wife take the kids’ lessons while cooking? If so, then the kitchen must be large enough to accommodate the wife’s requirements and sit the kids comfortably while they study. Similarly, if you work from home in the study, then you need to have the bathrooms close by. Or if you like entertaining guests every weekend, the living room needs to be large enough.
2. Keeping the family’s requirements in mind, is the house plan as eco-friendly as it could be? Ask your contractor to explain how much energy the new house will save as compared to the old house and if changes in the plan could make it better or worse. Don’t worry; contractors are more than happy answering questions.
3. How easy will it be to maintain the house, keeping in mind the time you have, and the environmental conditions?