Just for Summer - Cooling Your Home and All About Sunscreens

We are finding great information which are great to consider for home energy efficiency, as well as information about sunscreens. Not to forget native plants for your garden.

Visit the links below to our website and find out all the latest.

What's new with insulation?

Spray foam, traditional rolls, blown in, etc. What are 3 things I should know about new products/techniques I should know about?

Annual Sunscreen Safety Guide

Consumers can have confidence in about one quarter of the sunscreen products on store shelves this year, according toEnvironmental Working Group’s review and ranking of more than 1,800 products. Last year, only 20 percent got EWG’s best ratings, and only 8 percent scored well in 2010.

Native Plant of the Week

Blue Star - Amsonia hubrichtii -
This tough but delicate looking plant is not well known despite being a three season beauty. Steely blue starry flowers from May to July and light green feathery foliage form add texture all season. In the fall, the leaves turn a glorious golden yellow. Blue Star is deer resistant. It is also lovely as a cut flower.

 

This year I cleaned out the bottom 1" of the AC units outside.

Used a shop vac, and a small screwdriver to free up dirt stuck in the fins. The area between the fins and the bottom lip of the case was completely full of dirt and mulch.

Have noticed a definite improvement.

 

We brush the fins annually, too. Don't know if it makes a difference in cooling because we've always done it, but hopefully the unit operates more efficiently.