Tuesday, May 31, 2016

3 Common Energy Efficient Window Treatments

Energy-efficient window treatments can help provide effective insulation that maximize or minimize heat gain as needed.  In this post we’ll discuss 3 common energy efficient window treatments, including: awnings, shades and draperies.

Image Source: Flickr

Image Source: Flickr

Awnings
Window awnings can reduce solar heat gain in the summer by up to 65% on south-facing windows and 77% on west-facing windows. You can use an awning to shade one window or have an awning custom-made to shade the entire side of your house.
Awnings require ventilation to keep hot air from becoming trapped around the window. Grommets (eyelets) or other openings along the tops and sides of an awning can provide ventilation. The awning may also open to the sides or top to vent hot air. Source: Energy

Shades
The DOE considers window shades the simplest and most effective way to save energy with window treatments. Proper installment is key. Mounting shades as close to the glass as possible and right up against the adjacent wall creates a tight seal that minimizes both heat gain and loss. Shades with dual layers of fabric — a light color on one side and a darker color on the other— add more functionality. Try reversing the shades based on the season; the light color will reflect heat in summer, while the dark color will absorb heat during winter. Source: Houzz

Draperies
Like shades and shutters, draperies are only efficient when they’re closed. However, if they’re used in conjunction with another window covering, such as a honeycomb shade or a wood blind, you can let sun in during daylight hours and effectively shut out colder air at night. When fully closed, the R-values of thermally lined drapes range from R-3 to R-5, depending on the type of fabric and the thickness of the lining and interlining.
To maximize energy efficiency, Korby recommends floor-to-ceiling drapes that fold back against the wall. This allows the drapes to seal off the window, preventing drafts and loss of heat through convection. Source: HouseLogic

 

Contact:
Universal Blinds
601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9
Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988

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3 Things to Consider When Choosing a Security System

There are a number of factors to consider before choosing a security system, including: type of property, price and system controls.

Image Source: Flickr

Below are 3 things to consider when choosing a security system:

Type of Property
If you’re a renter, you should probably choose a wireless system that you can install yourself so you own the equipment and can easily move it from one location to the next. Life Shield, for example, has a package specifically tailored to renters.
If you’re a homeowner, you can install pretty much any security system you want, depending on your needs and budget. However, because you own your home, you might want to look into a landline system with a cell uplink backup, covering all eventualities and delivering total protection. Source: SafeWise

Price
The price of the security system runs hand-in-hand with the quality received. The pricing structure should actually be broken down into three separate components – the upfront cost, installation cost, and any ongoing fees. Source: DiscountSecurityCameras

System Controls
Your ability to access and control your system is vital to choosing the right one for your home. Traditional security systems use a simple keypad to enable and disable the alarm, but with today’s technology, you can now have access from your laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Source: CSPAlarms

Knowing your security needs and goals is the first step to ensure safety. If you want more information about home security systems, please give us a call or contact us here.

 

Contact:
Automotive Locksmiths

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Photographer of the Day: Sandeep Khade “Papercut Composite”

Registering Your Golf Cart

Is Chad The Best Villain In BACHELORETTE History?

Move over, JJ, Bentley and even Juan Pablo… there’s a new baddie in town, and the residents of Bachelor Nation haven’t even yet seen him at his worst yet! But two episodes in, it’s become clear that Chad Johnson — the 28-year-old native of Tulsa, Oklahoma — is the suitor to watch on the latest […]


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Bespectacled Rice Made by Farmers With Glasses

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In a crowded marketplace, how do you differentiate your product from similar products that are all competing for attention? One group of rice farmers came up with the unlikely idea of focusing their branding not on the product, but on the people who make it.

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In Sabae City, a district in Fukui Prefecture, 3 small companies got together to form a new brand of rice. Rather than focusing on the type of rice, where it’s from or how it’s harvested – features that are often highlighted in rice packaging and branding – Meganemai, as it’s called, focused on the fact that everyone involved in the production of the rice wears glasses.

Indeed, Meganemai is Japanese for “rice with glasses.” The rice farmer wears glasses, the rice polisher wears glasses and the designer wears glasses. “That’s it? Yup, that’s it,” they say.

However, this is a modest statement and at the heart of the project is a lot more. It’s about giving a face to a product you buy, and ultimately eat, which provides a sense of security and transparency that is often hard to find.

The team is currently selling their rice online via their own website.

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meganemai 1



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How to Return Serve (VIDEO)

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Experiment in Photoshop for Nine Seconds

UnREAL: Catch up on Season 1 and Watch a Sneak Peek of Season 2

UnREAL took the TV world by storm last summer when the new Lifetime drama turned out to be fantastic. And suddenly the show about the behind the scenes drama at a fictional BACHELOR-type series was one of the favorite new summer shows. In anticipation of the new season, Lifetime has put together an extended look […]


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100-Year Old Japan, as Seen Through The Lens of Arnold Genthe

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photos of the shopping streets offer the most details to observe and marvel over

Arnold Genthe (1869 – 1942) was a German-born photographer who emigrated to San Francisco at the age of 26 and made a name for himself photographing Chinatown, but also the city’s wealthy socialites. In 1908 Genthe followed his passion and interest in ukiyo-e prints, sparked by a chance meeting with Japanese art scholar Ernest Fenellosa, and traveled to Japan where he spent 6 months touring and photographing the country. The images, part of a larger collection, were later acquired by the Library of Congress, where they remain preserved, offering a rare and authentic view of what Japan looked like almost 100 years ago.

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However, photographing Japan the way Genthe did was not easy. As author Terry Bennett describes in his book Photography in Japan 1853-1912, Genthe was “a natural linguist” and “he had mastered a reasonable amount of colloquial Japanese. He studied, and learned, 300 kanji.” However, methodical preparation on Genthe’s part simply wasn’t enough and a large amount of success can be attributed to luck.

Simply by fate, Genthe encountered “an elderly gentleman on vacation with his son and daughter-in-law” and was able to convince them to accompany him on his travels by offering to pay for all their expenses. “Genthe later recounted in his autobiography that their presence meant the he ‘saw and learned a great deal about the real Japan that without my new friends would have remained unknown to me.’ ”

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Here’s another interesting tidbit from Bennett’s book:

“He had obtained an official permit to use his camera from the Japanese Minister of War, but noted that this came with a long list of restrictions. Amongst these were a prohibition on photography within a 30-mile (48-km) radius of any fortifications and a ban on photographing any place visited by the emperor. Furthermore, no photographs could be taken without first notifying the local chief of police who would then detail an officer to accompany him. Genthe found that these officers, whilst always courteous, would never permit the slightest deviation from the official rules.”

I guess some things in Japan never do change!

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note the sign that points women to the left and men to the right

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Adobe Market and Photoshop Assets

Morning Static: NASHVILLE, THE CARMICHAEL SHOW, UNREAL & More!

• For When We’re Not Watching TV: The TV Addict’s Kickstarter Launches Tomorrow! • The Carmichael Show Season Finale Recap: Making Sitcoms Great Again • Family Drama: Meet Randyll Tarly, Game of Thrones’ Newest Terrible Father • Person of Interest Bosses Preview Finch’s Big Turn, Episode 100′s Action Sequence Five Years in the Making • […]


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On TV Tonight: Tuesday May 31, 2016

NET 8PM 8:30PM 9PM 9:30PM 10PM 10:30PM ABC 500 Questions Fresh Off the Boat CBS NCIS (R) NCIS: New Orleans (R) Person of Interest CW The Flash (R) Containment FOX Hotel Hell Coupled NBC America’s Got Talent Maya & Marty MISC The Mindy Project (Hulu) Roots (A&E, Lifetime, History) Peaky Blinders Season 3 (Netflix), Powers […]


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