Public Education Effort Has Potential for Huge Water and Energy Savings in West Orange County
Mr. Handyman serving West Orange County part of the Mr. Handyman national home repair and maintenance franchise and the nation’s #1 employer of handymen, is leveraging its access to hundreds of West Orange County households with practical energy-savings solutions that could effectively decrease water usage by millions of gallons each month and significantly reduce the region’s energy consumption overall.
As part of the campaign, local West Orange County franchise owner Jim Reinstein has developed a checklist of simple, eco-friendly tactics and product suggestions designed to reduce energy costs, which will be provided to the hundreds of area homeowners that regularly hire Mr. Handyman for maintenance and repair services.
Below is a sample of just some of the tips Mr. Handyman offers to homeowners. All statistics were provided by the U.S. Department of Energy:
• Sealing cooling and heating ducts with duct wrap or mastic sealant could save as much as 25% on the energy bill.
• Replace shower heads with low-flow shower heads could reduce your water usage by 20,000 gallons per year.
• Install outdoor solar lighting, which is easy to install, virtually maintenance free, it provides free electricity.
• Insulating hot water pipes will save money on water heating costs, and will conserve water since it will take less time to receive warm water at the faucets and showers.
• Installing shades and drapes will block light on hot sunny days and keep cooling costs down.
• Insulating the hot water heater can reduce CO2 emissions and save around 4% to 9% in water heating costs.
• Caulk windows and doors to reduce heating/cooling loss
• Add insulation in ceilings and walls
• Weatherstrip doors to provide a better seal
• Put insulators behind switch and outlet plates that are on exterior walls
• Replace old, drafty windows with energy efficient units
• Installing ceiling fans could cut air conditioning costs by as much as 40% in the summer and will save on heating costs in the winter, by circulating warm air down from the ceiling.
• Fixing a single drippy faucet could save up to 212 gallons of water per month.
• Installing low flow toilets could save up to 3.5 gallons per flush.
• Replacing old light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs will save on the lighting bill and the bulbs last 8 to 12 times longer. Changing only five bulbs could save 50 percent on annual lighting costs.
According to the U. S. Census Bureau, six out of 10 homeowners have home improvement “to-do’s,” and most Americans have an eye on seven or more projects at any given time. Thriving on this demand, Mr. Handyman provides reliable services to area homeowners on regular basis and can assist homeowners with many of these projects.
For more information on Mr. Handyman serving West Orange County please contact Jim Reinstein at (714) 892-0411.