May 28th, 2010
One big part of making plumbing, electrical, HVAC or solar upgrades to your home is knowing what to change and why. While you can always ask the team at Progressive for advice, it’s helpful to have the base knowledge so you know what home upgrades you’re interested in.
Many of our clients ask us what they can change at home to help them go green and save money at the same time. That’s why this Friday we’ve aggregated a few quizzes to share with you. These fun, simple quizzes will help you learn about green home options for energy use, plumbing upgrades and more. Ready to test your knowledge of water conservation and green plumbing and electrical options?
- Learn more about home energy use and what you can do to reduce it with this quiz.
- To understand the green tax breaks available for upgrading to energy-efficient and water-conserving systems in your home, try this quiz.
- To learn more about the role green appliances can play in your home, this is the quiz for you.
- Interested in solar photovoltaic panels or a solar water heater in your home? Test your knowledge of these upgrades here.
- Now it’s time to test your toilet — try these three tests on your toilet to see if it’s wasting water.
- Tired of tests? Give yourself a break with this game: Designed for kids (but helpful for adults too!), the TipTank game helps players learn about water conservation.
Interested in green upgrades for your home in the Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill area? Learn more about our green plumbing services, solar water heaters or photovoltaic system installations.
Tags: energy conservation, energy efficiency, Green Plumbing, Raleigh solar, raleigh solar installation, solar panels, solar water heater, water conservation, water heater
Posted in Green Plumbing, Progressive Electrical Services, Progressive Plumbing Services, Progressive Solar | 2 Comments »
February 12th, 2010
If you have a young child or a family with young children is coming to visit, it’s important to childproof your home. Toddlers and young kids are at that (cute but) dangerous age when they like to explore their environment and test their boundaries. With these electrical and plumbing tips, you can let them explore without worrying that they could put themselves in a dangerous situation.
Electrical safety tips:
- Block little ones from sticking their fingers in electrical outlets with outlet covers
- Keep electrical cords wrapped up and out of the way where kids won’t be tempted to play with them
- Replace damaged electrical plugs and cords on appliances
- If your home has electric baseboard heaters, block them as much as possible
- Make sure all wire boxes and electrical boxes in your home are locked
- Move electrical appliances away from water, paying special attention to bathroom and kitchen counters
Plumbing safety tips:
- Keep your water heater set at 120 degrees or lower to avoid scalding water temperatures
- Use anti-scald devices on faucets and showerheads
- Install toilet seat locks and toilet tank locks
If you need help installing child-safe locks and enacting safety precautions for your Raleigh plumbing and electrical system, call Progressive Electrical Service or Progressive Plumbing and Drains!
Tags: electrical safety, raleigh electrician, Raleigh plumbing, shower heads, tips, water heater
Posted in Progressive Electrical Services, Progressive Plumbing Services | No Comments »
October 9th, 2009
As you know, conserving water helps the environment and saves you money on your utility bills. Our Plumbing division has posted blogs on the topic of water conservation in the past.
Today we’re featuring some pointers for conserving energy to lower your bills and your negative impact on the environment. Our Raleigh electrical division, Progressive Electrical Service offers the following advice:
Reduce your use of overhead lighting:
- Open your blinds during the day, and take advantage of natural light!
- Use task lighting like a desk lamp when you don’t need the room flooded with light
- Try dimmer switches and use only the amount of light you need
- Turn off lights when you leave the room or the house
Save the electricity used to run your heating system:
- Here’s the obvious – put on a sweater and keep the thermostat at a cooler temperature
- When it’s sunny out, open window blinds and take advantage of the sun’s ability to heat your home
- Close the doors to rooms you’re not using so your heater doesn’t have to work as hard
- Is your home properly insulated? Seal cracks where air can escape
In the kitchen:
- When using the oven isn’t crucial to meal preparation, use the microwave instead
- Does your toaster, coffeemaker or other kitchen appliance have status lights? Unplug the device when not in use
- Handwash dishes when you have the time
- Instead of running the dishwasher’s drying cycle, hand-dry or air-dry the dishes
What does your family do to conserve energy? Tell us your favorite tips in the comments!
Tags: electricity conservation, raleigh electrician
Posted in Progressive Electrical Services | No Comments »
August 7th, 2009
We’ve posted a lot about water conservation, but energy conservation is important too. What are the benefits of conserving energy? For starters, reduced utility bills (something we can all appreciate). Conserving energy also reduces our consumption of non-renewable energy, thereby minimizing our negative impact on the environment.
Here are some ideas for conserving energy. Best of all, these simple changes won’t cost you a thing:
- Turn off lights (and TV) when you leave a room. Simple, but we often forget to do it.
- Hand-wash dishes. When you do use the dishwasher, turn off the heat-drying option.
- Shake out wet laundry before placing it in the dryer: it won’t take as long to dry, saving you time too!
- Unplug – don’t just turn off – appliances when not in use. When appliances are turned off but still plugged in, they continue to use electricity.
- Use the front door instead of the garage door.
- Air-dry hair instead of using a hair dryer.
Tags: raleigh electrician, tips
Posted in Progressive Electrical Services | No Comments »
