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An energy efficient home will not only save you lots of money in the long run but also contribute significantly to protecting the environment. Energy bills have been hitting record highs with most homes spending more than 25% of their income on these bills alone. Looking for ways to save energy, and implementing them is however the first step to making your home energy efficient. Even the simplest changes in the house can help lower your carbon footprint and bring your energy bills down as well. Here are a few tips on how to improve your homes energy efficiency.

1. Seal All Windows, Doors, And The Attic

Drafty windows, doors, and an inadequately sealed attic contribute significantly to the high heating and cooling bills. Having every drafty part of the home sealed however creates an envelope in the house, thus making it easier or HVAC systems to run smoothly. Drafts contribute to heat gain/loss, a factor that forces the HVAC system to strain to maintain the set temperature. Having these sealed (professionally or in a DIY) can make a huge difference in energy savings.

2. Lower Your Thermostat Settings

Heating and cooling appliances run almost all the time, and take up a considerable chunk of your energy bills. Taking simple measures such as turning the thermostat settings to a lower level, say 5 degrees lower than usual will help save lots of energy in the long run. One thing you need to know about temperature settings is that your body will automatically adjust to these temperatures too. Encourage everyone in the house to learn to put on heavy clothes and socks (during winter) and lighter ones (during summer) to save even more energy. You should also consider investing in a smart thermostat. Smart thermostats can be programmed to turn everything down when no one is in the house, and also support zoning.

3. Invest In Energy Efficient Appliances

Many of the older appliances in the house (5 years and older) use up more energy than they should in normal operations. Take your good old refrigerator or heater, for example; these use up to 45% more power when compared to similar but newer appliances. That said, investing in new (Energy Star-Rated) appliances can see you save lots of energy in the long run. While the initial cost might be high, overall energy savings, in the long run, will be remarkable. Identify appliances that use up lots of energy and consider replacing them with Energy Star rated ones.

4. Switch To Energy Efficient Lighting

Light bulbs take up around 25% of your energy consumption. The number could be even higher depending on the type of lighting appliances you have installed in your house. Replacing incandescent and halogen bulbs with more energy efficient fluorescent lighting, CFLs, and LED bulbs could see you save loads of power in the process. You might even want to take advantage of natural light to record even better energy savings.

5. Consider Double Or Triple-Glazed Windows

Windows tend to encourage heat loss and especially if you have single-paned windows. Nonetheless, replacing these with more energy efficient double or triple glazed windows should help improve your home’s energy efficiency.

Aside from investing in energy efficient appliances, changing your lifestyle and behavior, such as turning off all appliances that are not in use, or even investing in a smart power strip can help lower your energy consumption per month.

Are you in search of a new pair of mens sunglasses either, for yourself or someone you know? Maybe you don’t know where to look or how to make sure you are getting a good pair. If this is the case, you have landed in the right place. This article will give you advice that will come in handy when you are searching for mens sunglasses that are both affordable and stylish. Keep reading to learn more about where to look to find the best prices and styles around.

Search on Amazon for mens sunglasses. This website has a large assortment of sunglasses that will meet the needs of anyone’s style. If you aren’t sure what exactly you want, simply sort the results by bestsellers in that category. This will give you a page of sunglasses that are the most popular items on Amazon. Take a look at the prices and the reviews on the sunglasses that interest you. Make sure the reviews are good and the prices are reasonable. If you find something you like, add it to your cart and compare your choices later.

Check out websites that specialize in selling sunglasses. You can check out Sunglass Hut or other major retailers. Once you get to their website, select mens. From there you can sort by bestselling. You will see the most popular sunglasses available. You can also sort the results by new so you can see what has just been released. You may find something there that you like. Add the ones you like to your cart so you can decide later on which ones will work best for you.

Head to a retailer or kiosk in the mall that sells sunglasses. Many people agree that they want to try their sunglasses on before they buy them to make sure they fit right. If this is what you prefer, this is your best option when shopping. You may also find really great prices in the store, even better than the prices online. Look around and try on several pairs to make sure you like them. The color of the sunglasses when you look through them is important to many people. Pay attention to this and be sure they are what you want. You will also want to check out polarized lens on sunglasses for better visibility. While they are a little pricey, they are worth the extra cost. Check out the reviews and you will see that many people prefer these lens and claim they won’t own another pair that aren’t polarized.

Now that you have a few ideas of where to find affordable and stylish mens sunglasses, you can start your search. Visit different retailers online or visit a store in person if you prefer to try the sunglasses on before you buy them. Either way, you won’t be disappointed with your purchase when you use the advice from above. Start searching around now and you will find sunglasses you like and at a price you like too!

An excess of stormwater on a developed site can result in floods or other inconveniences. Stormwater detention vaults can function as an underground water detention system that can greatly help to provide the best management practice for stormwater.

These structures, largely built underground, help to manage and control the stormwater that would otherwise flow to nearby surface waters and cause erosion or flooding in streams and rivers. You can even have such structures built over the ground in the form of detention ponds that will temporarily store the stormwater so that it prevents localized flooding. These structures, detention vaults or detention ponds, also serve to help in reducing pollution as they can be made to act as settling basins that allow dirt and debris to settle in them before the excess water is led into natural courses.

During storms, impervious surfaces in built-up areas result in runoff that goes into waterways or storm sewers. When the storm event is large, the volume of runoff moves at increased rates, and this increases the potential for flooding in downstream areas, as well as act to erode watercourses. These detention ponds or vaults act as a temporary store for stormwater runoff, and this help to reduce the peak rate of runoff to streams or even storm sewers. This goes a long way in preventing localized flooding, reduces erosion of stream banks downstream, and also produces some water quality benefits.

These underground and overground water detention systems are designed to release all the water that they have captured over a period of time, and are not meant to act as permanent pools of water. The captured run-off can be released through outlet structures that can be pipes, weirs, orifices or risers, and their design provides for increased discharge from them as the water level in them increases. Extending the detention time for the water to remain in these structures allows for increased sedimentation of pollutants that improves the quality of water being discharged from them.

These water detention systems have to be downgradient to the built-up area and their floors need to be at least a couple of feet over the high water table, as otherwise groundwater can seep into them and reduce their capacity. These structures need to be at a fair distance from property lines so that this detained water does not have any effect on adjacent properties. For the same reason, they must also be at a substantial distance from wells and septic tanks.

An underground water detention system is primarily meant to delay the release of stormwater runoff, and need to be designed for the eventual release of the retained water. You can also have detention ponds that allow the water to infiltrate into the ground, while only the excess is allowed to drain out after the water has reached a certain level.

Underground vaults can be located under parking lots and this allows the entire developed plot area to serve the purpose behind the development. Detention ponds will result in a reduction of the land area in the property that can be used.