In the past, bringing environmentalism to the workplace has been framed as a choice between saving the planet and accepting higher cost.  No longer. Sustainability today means not having to choose between profit and principles. Here are three ways that greening up your business practices can immediately improve your business results.

Reduced energy costs drop to the bottom line. As the price of energy continues to rise, it makes good business sense to think hard about improving energy efficiency inside your organization.  What could your company do with the savings produced by reducing the fuel bill for your truck fleet by even 10 or 15 percent? As the price of fuel creeps ever upward, the cost to heat and cool your buildings will only continue to grow. Improving the efficiency of your heating, cooling and lighting systems can you save you money today and for years to come. A free energy audit, often offered by your local utility company, is a good place to start.

Less waste means more cash. Reduction of waste usually reduces costs, since waste is a sign of inefficiency in a business process. Savings from waste reduction can be significant. According to the Zero Waste Alliance, for example, Hewlett Packard in Roseville, CA reduced its waste by 95% and saved $870,564 in 1998.  Epson in Portland, OR has reduced its waste to zero and has saved $300,000.  Interface, Inc. in Atlanta, GA has eliminated over $90M in waste.

Even small companies can get aboard the re-use bandwagon. Lumen Essence Lighting of Portland, OR reclaims and restores original lighting fixtures from other eras and ships them to customers in reused packaging materials and cartons. Customers like this so much that many return all boxes and packing materials to Lumen Essence to be reused again.

A lean, innovate operation increases efficiencies. As the economy slowly improves, now is a great time for companies to help their employees work smarter. People that are already working hard often appreciate the little things that a company can do to improve their workplace. Upgrading workplace conditions with things like better lighting and air quality can help improve employee morale and performance. Rebates and grants for such improvements are available in most locations. Engaging employees in discussions about how to improve efficiencies among all the vendors in your supply chain can often reveal an entire new set of opportunities to help make your operation run greener and more efficiently.

A growing segment of customers is beginning to decide whether or not to do business with a company based on the sustainability of its business practices. Don’t be left behind as this trend gains momentum. Getting started today can pay immediate benefits to your organization, and can help make your future that much more secure.

Ray Berardinelli is a principal and founder of Kalpa Consulting in Portland, Oregon, which provides sustainable solutions that deliver financial results to businesses, not-for-profit organizations and municipalities nationwide. Visit http://kalpaconsulting.com/ for more resources and information about how to bring sustainability to your workplace.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_Berardinelli

It’s the beginning of summer: Have you had your air conditioning unit serviced yet? If not, it’s not too late. “Better late than never,” is a great philosophy to live by when it comes to servicing your a/c unit.

Air conditioning in the home definitely becomes a necessity rather than a luxury once the temperature begins reaching 90 degrees consistently. That is not the time to realize your air conditioning system is not working correctly.

There are some things you can do and some things that will require a professional. To become more educated on the subject, I contacted Tim Swan of Swan Heating and Air Conditioning in Fort Collins, CO and picked his brain. He said there are some things you can do before calling in a professional and paying a service charge.

If your air conditioner was working fine at the end of last summer then you probably just have a minor problem that’s preventing it from working this year. For example, the filter may need cleaned or replaced. Or sometimes people forget that they switched the a/c breaker to “off” last fall, so just need to turn it back on.

Checking the filter should be a regular duty throughout the hot season. Once a month you should open the door to the unit where the filter is and clean it or replace it.

Measure the opening and buy filters that fit the space exactly. You insert them according to the arrows on the filter, similar to replacing a furnace filter.

A word of caution- always disconnect the power to the a/c unit before working on it. Also, if you’re uncomfortable or unsure of what to do with circuit breakers or fuses, don’t touch them. This is a good time to bring in someone familiar with them to check your system.

If the unit is making noise then you should check the fan. Different kinds of debris, like leaves or weeds, can get clogged up in there and cause some damage to the fan. If the fan blade isn’t fixed or replaced timely, it can result in expensive repairs needing done to the unit.

The fan motor should also be lubricated if necessary. You’ll need to remove the fans to do this on some models (don’t forget to first turn off the power!).

Here’s an easy one- clean the outside of the unit. Vacuum and blow away all the leaves, animal hair, dirt, etc. that are clogging the outer fins on the machine. Remove weeds or other vegetation growing too close to the a/c unit.

Concerning the fins- straighten any that are bent. If the fins are bent, it can restrict proper air flow. Most home supply stores, such as Lowe’s, Ace Hardware or The Home Depot, sell fin combs.

You should also check to make sure the a/c unit is still level. The movement of the air conditioner can cause it to become un-level. This can cause it to run less efficiently.

Many air conditioners that are over 10 years old use R-22 Refrigerant as its cooling agent. The federal government is soon eliminating production of R-22 completely, meaning that an A/C that uses it will be useless without it.

This is the time to contact and consult a professional. For example, a Widget 72 Degrees System Rejuvenation is conducted by many HVAC companies, including Swan’s.

This is a multi-point inspection of the a/c system. It includes a system cleaning, adjustment, lubrication AND adding R-22 if needed. This is crucial to take care of now before the price of R-22 skyrockets and before it is discontinued all-together.

These tips should all be considered when you’re considering air conditioning service. Even though it’s already the beginning of summer, it’s never too late to get them taken care of- either by yourself or an air conditioning service professional.

If you enjoyed this article by Terry Schuman on air conditioning service tips, please visit our Fort Collins air conditioning [http://www.swanhomecomfort.com/index.html] website today. Find out more about our off-season pricing to save money on your purchase. Get a free Fort Collins air conditioning estimate today. http://www.swanhomecomfort.com

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Schuman

There are many different ways to cut the costs of air conditioner repair, and a lot really depends on how much you can do yourself, and the type of unit you have. It also depends on how much money you are willing to spend in preventative measures. There are several different options when it comes to cutting down on these costs.

The first thing is preventing the need for air conditioner repair in the first place. You need to do routine maintenance on the unit, and there are many things you can do yourself. Changing filters, cleaning areas that you have easy access to, are all things that will help keep you air conditioner running smoothly. If you have a window or outside unit, you can often replace simple things, depending on your skill level. You have to realize your limitations, and know what you can do, and what you should call in a professional for. No matter what, a professional should come in at least twice a year, and do a thorough inspection of you appliance.

If you have an old model unit, you can cut down on the costs of air conditioner repair by buying a new unit. Old products are not that energy efficient, have a tendency to break down more often, and in some cases have parts that are no longer made. While there may be some higher initial costs to replace your old unit, there are many tax credits available to help you get a more energy efficient model. Having a newer model will not only cut these cost down, but also reduce your electricity bill as well.

The next way you can cut the cost of repairs down it to buy extended warranties when available, and get appliance insurance in addition to your homeowner’s insurance. Standard warranties for air conditioners are usually under ten years, sometimes as low as two or three. You need to find a unit with the longest warranty possible, because the longer the warranty, the better it is made. You also need to spend the extra money on the extended warranty, because it seems that everything breaks down a few weeks or month after the first warranty expires.

Home appliance insurance can also help lower air conditioner repair costs. What this kind of insurance is is and additional insurance policy for the major appliances in your home against break down. In addition to your air conditioning unit, it can cover the dishwasher, refrigerator, and even your washer and dryer. Homeowner’s insurance only covers these if they were damaged or destroyed as a result of flooding, fires, or other covered disasters. You can get as little or as large of a policy you want, depending on how much out of pocket expenses you want to pay.

So as you can see, there are many different ways that you can save money on air conditioner repair costs. You can find an abundance more information available online. It is also important that you always read your appliance owners manual, they include other valuable tips and information you can use.

Doc Savage Air Conditioning Repair Augusta offers the most reliable HVAC Contractor Augusta and Repair services. We proudly serve all of the CSRA and offer our services at prices you can afford. Visit our website to find out about our latest specials pricing.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Kirzno

Technorati Tags: air conditioning, Portland heating

Now is a great time to get a local Vancouver, Wa air conditioning company to come out and do an inspection of your home.

Every major heating and AC business in the in the area has some sort of inspection home inspection program that is very inexpensive and takes less than an hour to do.

Many people do not realize it but there are many “energy hogs” in your typical American household. It could be from one or several of your appliances or it could be coming from somewhere outside.

Many residential air conditioning units could appear to be working fine while in reality they are working at 60% potential efficiency. As these units age they need to be checked and tested to make sure all of their components are in good order. Many times its something as small as changing the air filter out of it but other times it could be major like the actual motor going bad.

You would be surprised by what some of these technicians can find. They are specially trained to to spot items that could be causing your home to use more energy than it really needs and will give you a full write up when they are done.

How much does an air conditioning (cooling system) inspection cost.

Each company sets their own rates but the average cost is not high. They want to inspect your home, find problems, and the hope is that you will use THEM to fix it.

All the technicians recommendations will be in his final report for you to take a look at and see what you can and cannot afford.

Wait! Need an Portland air conditioning company to come out and do this work for you? Please call Advantage Heating and Cooling.

Also, click here if you wish to learn ways on the subject of decreasing air conditioning bills during the summer.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wesley_A_Barras

The most valuable kilowatt hour is the one you never use. That’s a great way to think about the pay-off of making your office more energy efficient. Remember that every dollar you save on your utility bill drops straight to your bottom line. The money you save can be kept as profit, shared with employees, or reinvested in your business to make it even more competitive and appealing to your customers.

Lighting, space heating and office equipment account for more than 70 percent of all energy used in a typical office setting, according to survey information released by the Energy Information Administration. As energy prices steadily increase year after year, with no end to these increasing costs in sight, the savings you realize by reducing your energy consumption now will only become more valuable in the future.

Here are 10 quick tips to reduce the energy consumed by the lighting, heating system and office equipment in your office, which are the top three categories that consume the bulk of energy in a typical office environment:

1. Switch to compact fluorescent lighting when possible. Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs use about 75 percent less energy and last about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb that gives the same amount of visible light. In the United States, a compact fluorescent light bulb costs more initially but can save about $30 USD over its lifetime and pays for itself in about 6 months.

2. Turn off the lights if no one is in the room for more than 5 minutes. Why light a room at all if no one is there to use it? It’s a good idea to install automatic dimming switches or motion sensor switches in all the rooms of your office or shop.

3. Install reflectors in your lighting fixtures. Get the most out of the lighting equipment you already have by installing reflectors in your lighting fixtures. You can reduce your lighting needs up to 50 percent by making this simple modification to your existing system.

4. Control the temperature of your office. In the winter, set your thermostat to 68 degrees during the day and 55 degrees at night, and 75 degrees in the summer, with a relative humidity of 55 percent or less. Be sure to install programmable thermostats in each heating and cooling zone. Cover and lock all thermostats to prevent tampering. The hassle of occasional grousing by employees who may want to make adjustments will be more than offset by lower utility bills and the good you are doing for the planet in the long run.

5. Maintain good air flow. Don’t make your heating and cooling system work any harder than it must to keep everyone comfortable. Walk around your facility and unblock all heating and cooling registers. Have your maintenance crew check for and repair any leaky ductwork. At the beginning and end of every season, make sure condenser coils are clean.

6. Put your office computers and copy machines in sleep mode or shut them off after hours. By properly adjusting the power management settings built into computers and monitors, you can save approximately $60 in electricity costs per machine each year, according to the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. A free, downloadable energy-monitoring application from Verdiem called Edison allows you to control the energy used by your PC and shows you the results by calculating your estimated savings based on the settings you choose.

7. Turn off peripherals such as printers, scanners and speakers when not in use. Automatically turn off your accessories when you shut down your computer by using smart power strips that detect when the main switched equipment, like your PC, is shut down. You can also plug all your electronics into one power strip and turn the strip off when you are finished using your computer. For added convenience, some power strips work with a remote control.

8. Don’t use a screensaver. Screen savers, originally developed to prevent etching of patterns on older monochrome monitors, are not necessary on modern monitors, but they are still used for aesthetics and entertainment. They actually consume more energy than allowing the monitor to dim or go into sleep mode when it’s not in use. Bottom line, don’t use them at all, or at least set the screen saver “wait time” to less than the period of time after which the monitor enters sleep mode.

9. Use a laptop instead of a desktop computer. A desktop computer typically consumes twice the power that a laptop uses. That’s because energy consumption is a critical factor in the design of a laptop computer, since extended battery life is key to keeping the laptop user happy. As a result, laptops use more energy efficient CPUs, hard disks, displays and other components. So buy a machine that sips watts when it’s plugged in, instead of one that guzzles power from the wall socket.

10. Buy Energy Star qualified products for your office. Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, provides a label on thousands of models of products for the office and home that have met Energy Star energy efficiency criteria. These products deliver the same or better performance as comparable models while using less energy and saving money. A new Energy Star compliant PC or laptop, for example, uses 15 to 25 percent less energy on average than a standard new computer.

So where to begin in your quest to save dollars by reducing energy consumption in your office? It’s always a good idea to start with an inventory of what you are spending now on energy. Audit current practices then put a plan in place to improve your operations in a systematic fashion. Measure the results of your efforts so you can track progress along the way in order to make any necessary adjustments to you plan. You’ll likely be surprised at how quickly your savings start to grow as you tighten up the use of energy throughout your organization.

Ray Berardinelli is a principal and founder of Kalpa Consulting in Portland, Oregon, which provides sustainable solutions that deliver financial results to businesses, not-for-profit organizations and municipalities nationwide. Visit http://kalpaconsulting.com/ for more resources and information about how to bring sustainability to your workplace.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_Berardinelli

For a person who is interested in building an energy efficient home in these times of rising costs, including energy costs, the amount of information is daunting if not downright scary.  We’ll try to pare the information down to something manageable by looking at some of the ways we can build and keep our energy demands under control.  Our solar energy facts give us a number of options:

-Conventional structure-stick and wood

-Earth bermed-using earth for a moderator

-Rammed earth

-Rammed earth blocks

-Adobe

-Straw

-Earthbag

-Cordwood construction

An energy efficient conventional house can cost anywhere from around sixty thousand to more than two hundred thousand dollars, depending on how much energy you, yourself are willing to invest.  One thing to bear in mind-how much skill do you have for this kind of project?  To build a successful energy saving house of this sort would require super insulation, photovoltaic or wind power, and solar hot water, as well as some form of space heating.

A well designed earth bermed structure has only minimal needs for space heating.  I’ve seen many options for this including wood stove, baseboard heating, and European tile stoves.  Combined with solar hot water and either photovoltaic or wind energy, this is an excellent way to go, and is adaptable to any climate.  I’ve seen costs for this type of construction from the seventy thousands to over two hundred thousand.

Rammed earth is a viable concept probably only if you are prepared to do a tremendous amount of physical labor, or you have laborers available.  This method involves using forms between which dirt is compacted layer after layer until reaching the desired height.  If you are really interested in this process, I recommend two books, Comfort in Any Climate, by Michael Reynolds-Solar Survival Press; and The Rammed Earth House, by David Easton-Real Goods Press.

One of my favorite choices is rammed earth blocks.  This concept was developed several decades ago in Columbia with the invention of the cinva block ram.  This is a mechanical device with a long handle with which one can compress soil to about half its former volume.  With the right mixture of soil, water, and about 3% Portland cement, we can make earthen blocks that are very tough, strong, and cheap-really excellent building materials.  These blocks are a product that can be pretty much used anywhere in the world.

Adobe is another of our prime choices, according to our solar energy facts.  Some people might think adobe construction might be limited to our southwest, but for a slightly higher cost adobe bricks can be stabilised using either 3 to 6% asphalt emulsion or 5 to 10% Portland cement.  There is a strong customer demand for adobe.  In New Mexico half of all new homes selling for more than $300,000. incorporate some form of earthen construction.  Most are adobe, but some of them are using new earthen technology.

In the last few years, building with straw bales has become very popular as a means of keeping costs down and providing a great deal of insulation.  There are many good designs to choose from and this is another method of construction that is usable anywhere in the country, as long as one can locate the straw at a good price.  This method of construction either uses the structural integrity of the stacked bales, themselves, or a post and beam construction with the bales just used as walls and insulation.  Either scheme requires that the bales be stuccoed inside and out.  This type of housing can be very cost effective with the proper design.

One method of construction that has gained a certain popularity in recent years is called earthbag construction.  Basically it consists of polyester bags, filled with soil and stacked according to the design.  The bags are nearly always stacked in circular patterns so as to achieve a certain rigidity.  Barbed wire is laid between the courses to give strength to the structure.  Plaster is applied to the outside to provide waterproofing.  Solar energy facts assure us that this is a legitimate form of construction and seriously to be considered.

These are some of the main options we have when considering building with energy efficiency in mind.  Before any kind of choice is made, the prospective builder needs to consider climate and land considerations.  Size is another thing to think about because the smaller a structure is, the less energy it will require.  The proper preparation for a venture of this sort will certainly make the outcome more satisfying; so, the more research, the better.

Harry Faris has been involved in alternative energy for the past three decades. He generated his own electricity for some twenty years using solar and diesel. “12 volt is great!” solar energy, solar hot water http://www.solaradvocate.blogspot.com.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harry_Faris

Technorati Tags: Portland heating

To capitalize on this environmentally friendly movement, the city of Portland is offering incentives to promote eco-friendly roofing. Builders and Home Owners can receive cash incentives of up to $5 per square foot for the installation of an eco-friendly roof. With an average installation cost of up to $5-$20 per square foot for a new ecoroof, many homeowners are expected to take advantage of this opportunity and opt for a new, sustainable roof.

Once you make the decision to invest in eco-friendly roofing, what are the options? The use of solar paneling is known as black roofing. In contrast, a green roof uses vegetation, grasses, shrubs and trees as an alternative to conventional roofing. An excellent example is an ecoroof project completed by Gresham Roofing in Portland,Or. The Sacramento Roof Project is a luxury condominium project with six 300-square-foot eco-roofs designed to grow plants.

Regardless of which direction you go, an ecoroof will likely increase the life of your roof two or three fold, adding insulation and reducing storm water runoff. The long term benefits of sustainable roofing include reduced energy consumption, fewer pollutants, improvements in air quality and lower heating and cooling costs.

The recent economic incentives make the future look bright for eco-friendly roofing and the industries that support them in Portland.

Jessica Rosales
Http://www.networxwebsolutions.net/

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jessica_Rosales

As we see more eco-developments and retrofits popping up in our towns and cities; making offices, homes and all other buildings more environmentally friendly and energy efficient is ever more prominent. But which cities around the world have and continue do it the best?

Copenhagen, Denmark

Denmark’s capital Copenhagen largely has its residents to thank for being one of the greenest cities on the globe. Compared to other populations they really do some extremely environmentally conscious with 36% cycling to work and school making Copenhagen Europe’s second largest cycling city. Carbon emissions have been reduced by 20 per cent since 1990, mainly due to the enormous wind farm off the city’s harbour that supplies it with energy equivalent to the amount needed to supply 32,000 homes. Copenhagen is also home to the world’s biggest district heating system that supplies 97 per cent of the city’s homes. On top of this, Copenhagen’s advanced waste management system allows for 90 per cent of building waste to be recycled. Sound like a lot? Well, the city plans to reduce its carbon emissions by another 20 per cent by 2015!

Reykjavik, Iceland

Using what the environment supplies us is the essence of green living and Reykjavik does exactly that! This city is history’s largest and most complicated geothermal heating user and has been forward thinking on this front from as early as 1930. Even back then hot water was drawn from natural springs to the city’s buildings and since then the use of this natural resource has only increased as technology has developed. The city has the ability to be powered solely by geothermal energy and its electricity network draws in 750 megawatts of power from natural steam as well as utilising a hot water distribution system generating 60 million cubic metres of hot water a year! Estimates show that this use of geothermal power saved the environment from around 110 million tons of CO2 emissions between 1944 and 1996 alone!

Portland, USA

Consistently ranked as the most sustainable city in the USA, Portland in Oregon has been thinking about its impact on the environment since the 1970s. Long before anyone else the city had enacted strict land-use regulations, an urban growth boundary and began plans for sustainable development. Even 30 years ago Portland was thinking green, the fact they demolished a huge highway in order to build a waterfront park proves it! Portland’s forward thinking is renowned worldwide and the city have produced the ’20 Minute City’ plan aiming to provide residents with everything including school, shops and work within a 20 minute walk of home. Through such initiatives, Portland plans to fulfill all its energy requirements with renewable sources by the end of this year!

Help make your home more energy efficient and your city greener with double glazing from Safestyle UK.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_H_Hunt

Architects, Interior Designers, Property Managers or Owners usually ask this question – How decorative concrete floors contribute to LEED points. How can a concrete floor be considered environmentally friendly? Please find information below that will substantiate that specifying concrete floors is a smart choice.

Thermal mass: Concrete takes a while to heat up – and also a while to cool down. That’s because it has what’s called thermal mass – heat storage capacity. A concrete floor has lots of thermal mass, which allows concrete to dampen out the highs and lows of temperature fluctuations in a room, reducing the overall heating of cooling load. That saves energy and also allows a size reduction in heating or cooling systems. Properly designed, concrete floors can also contribute to passive solar heating and cooling. Energy performance in LEED for Homes is worth as much as 34 points (Credit EA 1), so this is potentially a huge contribution. In the NAHB Guidelines, this would qualify for points under Section 3.2.1.

Radiant heating: Concrete floors, whether elevated floors or slabs on grade, are the perfect medium for radiant heating. Utilizing embedding plastic tubing in the concrete, radiant floors provide quiet and comfortable heating and cooling that can result in energy savings of 10 percent to 30 percent, according to the Portland Cement Association. Another advantage of radiant heat is that it easily integrates into solar heating systems. Again, the added energy efficiency contributes to credit EA 1 in LEED or Section 3.2.1 in NAHB.

Recycled content: Both LEED and NAHB encourage the use of recycled content and award points for doing so. Concrete can easily incorporate fly ash and slag as supplementary cementitious materials. Using fly ash and locally produced aggregates yields LEED credits for environmentally preferable products (Credit MR2.2). NAHB Section 2.4 provides points for using recycled materials without being specific about what that means.

Indoor air quality: Concrete floors make a huge contribution to indoor environmental quality, simply because of the fact that cured concrete is completely inert and implies the absence of carpeting or vinyl that can release volatile chemicals into the air. In LEED, points can be claimed under Credit EQ 1 by complying with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Indoor Air Package. In the NAHB Guidelines, claiming this credit is more difficult, although a case can be made under Section 5.4, Innovative Options for Indoor Environmental Quality.

Credit could be claimed for a durable structure that requires little maintenance; termite and mold resistance and waste reduction. Concrete floors are no longer dull and boring. With the advent of latest polymer technology in Concrete and various methods of coloring concrete, they exhibit modern, contemporary and artistic.

http://www.duraamen.com

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Victor_Pachade

Technorati Tags: Portland heating

At Spokane, I-90 turns left to the southwest and to our relief, away from the gloomy gray. If fact, with every tick of the odometer, the heavens were returning to the royal blue, sun drenched skies we’d become accustomed to. While we loved the return of fairer weather, we soon became aware of boiling heat. Even with our flip-face helmets wide open, we felt wave after wave of hot scorching air reflecting from the pavement – occasionally bolstered by a torrid surge from our ‘air-cooled’ V-twin. However, this discomfort paled in comparison with the joyful satisfaction of riding, and smelling and feeling the rolling-hill resplendence of Central Washington. Mile after mile, we coursed through flowing golden-grained wheat fields, occasionally interrupted by an aluminum-bladed windmill or grain mill.

Roughly 1 hour southwest of Spokane, I-90 turns due west and Seattle. We stayed on WA-395 in a southwesterly direction for another hour and arrived at the Tri-Cities of Pasco, Richland and Kennewick. We found a truck stop just outside of Pasco a welcome break from the heat, and took the opportunity to refuel us and the bike. We found the highway through this area a bit confusing. WA-395 intersects I-182 so we traveled east for a few miles, then WA-395 turns south again, crosses the Columbia River and then drops into Kennewick. Just follow the signs for WA-395 and you should be good. We didn’t stop in Kennewick, but it’s a nice community and there are lots of shops, restaurants, or anything else you might need. From Kennewick, the junction with WA-14 is 22 miles. As I mentioned in Leg 1 of this trilogy plus one, WA-14 is by far the most interesting of the highways paralleling the Columbia, but if speed and saving time is your priority, you can save about 3/4 hour traveling toward Portland on I-84.

The trip to Washougal is simply the reverse of Leg 1′s itinerary, and brings us back to our humble abode. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our BEST first ride to Montana. Better yet, we hope you’ll take this ride and then let us know how you enjoyed it. We sure did. In fact, we’ve made the trip several times since. Stop by our website soon for another great ride.

Craig Rollins is a senior marketing communications professional. He and his wife are motorcycle advocates and love touring the US. Craig’s website is http://CraigsFavoritesList.com which fouses on motorcycing and products or services Craig has experienced that deliver excellence.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Rollins

Stucco is an ambiguous term, sometimes referring to portland-cement stucco, but more often than not referring to “Synthetic Stucco” or EIFS, which is what we will be dealing with. EIFS stands for “Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems” – the exterior insulating portion being the topic of this article.

Building a new home with, or renovating with stucco, reduces heating bills in 2 ways. The first is by reducing air infiltration into your walls, and the second is by reducing heating transferred through walls by adding insulation to their exterior.

Air infiltration occurs whenever there is a gap. This gap occurs on the siding as well as between studs. On most homes, the siding is not air tight, allowing air to pass through loosely connected vinyl, or on brick weeping vents. The second layer of defense is the weather barrier, which is typically a building wrap usually 8 foot in height, and overlapped at the seams. These seams are rarely sealed, resulting in a gap the entire length of the home where ever the building wrap is overlapped. Once air passes through the weather barrier, it encounters the sheathing next. This is usually some sort of composite wood (plywood, particle board) or exterior drywall, which is butted up against one another and again, rarely sealed. Finally, the invading air reaches the studs with loose-fill insulation, which still provides little to no resistance to air flow. Now take into consideration that a 1% air leak in your walls can reduce the effectiveness of insulation by as much as 60%, and you understand why air leakage is such a large problem.

EIFS solves this problem by using a trowel-applied, continuous weather barrier over the sheathing. The plywood or exterior drywall is entirely covered, including joints, completely sealing your walls from any possible air infiltration. The material used is one that adheres to the material around it as it cures, creating a single, monolithic barrier to the air.

This continuous barrier also serves as a surface to allow water and moisture to run off the wall, ensuring it never comes into contact with your sheathing and studs to form rot and mold.

Heat is constantly transferred through walls as well. Whether it is heat leaving your interior in the winter, or heating infiltration your interior during the summer. Materials such as insulation transfer heat less effectively than other materials, such as wood or metal, and as such as valued for their ability to separate your interior and the exterior climate. The problem with traditional between-the-stud insulation is that insulation is only effective where it is present.

That means that if your walls are composed of 80% insulation and 20% framing, you are really only get 80% of the possible insulating value. Again, EIFS blows traditional construction methods out of the water by covering 100% of the wall surface with insulation, by adhering it to the exterior of the building. This insulation is protected from the elements (and people) by mesh, a cement coating and the beautiful acrylic finish coat you see on stucco homes.

You can see that far from simply adding exterior wall insulation, EIFS plays a much larger role in making your home comfortable by reducing air infiltration. No other cladding product on the market today solves both problems so well, and at a price that anyone can afford to it.

Jim Schwarznoff has taken courses in green building and practical construction methods as a part of his Bachelor of Applied Technology in Construction Science and Management.
If you have an existing home that you would like to renovate with EIFS or have moldings added to, visit http://TorontoStuccoContractor.com/

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Schwarznoff

With the warmer, Spring-like temperatures approaching, higher cooling costs are a fact of life. Today, heating and cooling costs account for more than 40% of your home’s energy bill, with much of your heating and cooling costs unfortunately escaping through your roof. To offset the increasing cost of energy, energy efficient roofing, such as solar panel roofing, live roof systems, or the so-called “ecoroof” are gaining popularity. Many local Portland roofing contractors are now specializing in these eco-friendly roofing systems.

To capitalize on this environmentally friendly movement, the city of Portland is offering incentives to promote eco-friendly roofing. Builders and Home Owners can receive cash incentives of up to $5 per square foot for the installation of an eco-friendly roof. With an average installation cost of up to $5-$20 per square foot for a new ecoroof, many homeowners are expected to take advantage of this opportunity and opt for a new, sustainable roof.

Once you make the decision to invest in eco-friendly roofing, what are the options? The use of solar paneling is known as black roofing. In contrast, a green roof uses vegetation, grasses, shrubs and trees as an alternative to conventional roofing. An excellent example is an ecoroof project completed by Gresham Roofing in Portland,Or. The Sacramento Roof Project is a luxury condominium project with six 300-square-foot eco-roofs designed to grow plants.

Regardless of which direction you go, an ecoroof will likely increase the life of your roof two or three fold, adding insulation and reducing storm water runoff. The long term benefits of sustainable roofing include reduced energy consumption, fewer pollutants, improvements in air quality and lower heating and cooling costs.

The recent economic incentives make the future look bright for eco-friendly roofing and the industries that support them in Portland.

Jessica Rosales
Http://www.networxwebsolutions.net/

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jessica_Rosales

Technorati Tags: Portland central air, Portland cooling, Portland heating

Hey Readers! I’ve been comin across some crazy stuff the past few days from a few different blogs around the web which I just had to share with you. Check em out below…

Home for sale in Portland, OR

… Square feet: n/a; Location: 2373 NW Pettygrove Street, Portland, OR, 97210, USA. Exceptional Restoration in the Heart of Nob Hill and Alphabet District. Completely Renovated to Include Newer Electrical, Plumbing, Roof, Central Air, …

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

When it got hot, I went across the street to Sandi's central air, parked myself in a recliner and watched the Food Network. Sandi could walk again. She would watch Nora while I made us an antipasta tray. …

A Tourist’s Guide to the Natural Sights of Oregon | What Youve Heard

Returning to a roaring fire which castes warmth and light into the wooden lobby from its central stone fireplace after a day of skiing and enjoying award winning cuisine in the rustically elegant Cascade Dining Room, and then cacooning …. After the air station had been decommissioned in 1948, the two hangars had been used for several purposes, including those of hay bail storage, and the material in Hangar A had unexplainably sparked and ignited in 1992, destroying it. …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Perry staffer loses his hair in fundraising challenge

AP: “Police said Wednesday they are reopening an investigation into a Portland massage therapist's allegations that former Vice President Al Gore groped her …   Read More…

'Transportation Challenges Here Rival Any In The Country'

Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat who represents Portland. In introducing Blumenauer, Himes called him Capitol Hill's leading expert on transportation. …   Read More…

Erickson Air-Crane helicopter crashes in Malaysia, killing pilot

Erickson manufactures helicopters in Central Point. The company moved its headquarters to Portland last year. Erickson has been involved in logging …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Real Estate & Building Green Homes

The housing market is beginning to show that consumers want “energy efficiency in their homes, indoor air quality and lower energy bills” (Listing Service Will Note Green Homes, 2006). Unlike what many people may think, it is not a only a small group of radical consumers that are demanding these features, but mainstream buyers as well.

Building sustainable homes includes adding features such as “non-toxic paint and finishes, wheatboard cabinetry, low-flow showerheads and toilets, wood floors of Brazilian cherry, Caribbean walnut and other plantation-grown varieties, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, recycled and locally obtained building materials, rain and waster water captured for toilets and landscaping, and panels that double as sunshades and solar power generators” (Building ‘green’ reaches a new level, 2006). These features are not only important for the environment, but also controlling energy costs and keeping building costs low.

Rising building costs are a factor in the increase in home prices due to the demand in markets besides the United States, such as China. By implanting green building techniques such as using locally obtained building materials and other renewable resources, capital costs can possible be decreased and home prices do not increase.

As real estate professionals it is our ethical duty to encourage the building and marketing of ‘green homes’. Recently, the Portland, Oregon Regional Multiple Listing Service added the ability to search for homes based on green certifications and specific aspects the home has that make it green, such as the features discussed above.

Everyone in the real estate industry needs to work together to promote green building. Appraisers can note the value in the home based on the full-life circle of the home and the savings in monthly energy and maintenance costs. If lenders begin considering not only PITI (principle, interest, taxes, and insurance) as monthly costs of home ownership but also EM (energy and maintenance costs), buyers may be able to afford more home based on their monthly savings.

Buyers will enjoy the facts that green homes will save them money and maintenance but also add benefits such as comfort and health. These benefits will mean more to the buyer than explaining the actual components of a green home. (Oliver, 2006)

R
1000
eal estate professionals need to not only educate buyers, but also builders and developers. If custom builders are informed and know how green building will affect their bottom line they will be more inclined to build and market sustainable homes. Builders may learn that the cost of building a green custom home is very similar to building a conventional, non-sustainable custom home.

Green homes will benefit first-time home buyers and lower income families due to lower monthly costs. As we have seen with the adjustable rate mortgage and interest only mortgage craze, buyers are interested in keeping their monthly costs low. Living in a green home will contribute to lowering the monthly costs of owning a home.

Besides residential green building, commercial green building has shown additional benefits. These include but are not limited to “resource efficiency, energy efficiency, pollution prevention, harmonization with the environment, and integrated and systemic approaches” (Beard & Roper, 2006). These benefits lead to increased productivity and decreased costs therefore increasing the bottom line.

Professionals throughout the real estate industry need to promote green building and can even use it as their niche and a marketing tool to help them become leaders in their area.

Resources:

Beard, Jeffrey and Kathy Roper. (2006). Justifying sustainable buildings – championing green operations. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 8(2), 91-104.
Building ‘green’ reaches a new level. (2006, July 27). USA Today [McLean, VA], p. A1. Retrieved September 18, 2006, from pqarchiver database.

Listing Service Will Note Green Homes. (2006, September 7). The Oregonian [Oregon], Retrieved September 18, 2006, from knowledgeplex database.

Oliver, Felicia. (2006). The Case for Going Green; Custom builders are learning that green0built means quality, high-performance construction that home buyers can’t resist. BUSINESS BUILDERS; Green Report, 38.

By: Jill Page

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Jill Page is a Keller Williams Agent with the Carolina Living Home Team and sells Wilmington, NC Real Estate.

Technorati Tags: Portland central air, Portland heating

Louisville Bats fans brave the heat to support their team!

Wed Jun 23, 10:09PM PT – WHAS TV11 Louisville 1:35 | 373 views

Box Office

19, Rose Quarter, Portland. Admission: $49.50-$175. Information: www.rosequarter.com. Beavergrass Bluegrass Festival, Aug. 20-21, Central Park, Corvallis. …   Read More…

East Bay Events: Where to pursue happiness July 4

Memorial Park, 1325 Portland Ave. 510-525-9316. Parade — 1 pm July 4. At Somersville Towne Center, a parade takes place in the parking lot and a concert …   Read More…

CCC alum Webb back in town with Padres for series vs. Rays

The 24-year-old right-hander was sent down to Triple-A Portland early in spring training so he could work on a new arm delivery. Webb lowered his arm angle, …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

True Cost Of Icfs In Ghana

Even though ICF construction requires the use of high quality material, overall ICF construction cost in Ghana is comparable to the cost of ICF construction in the United States.

The Unites States primarily build homes with wood products. The US has experienced that building the same building with ICFs involves only a 4 – 7% increase in cost over the cost of wood framing. This initial increase in construction cost is easily recuperated through lower annual building operational costs.

The heating and cooling equipment in an ICF home can be smaller than such equipment in the same sized wood framed home. According to the Portland Cement Association, the smaller mechanical equipment can equate to “at least 1% in up-front savings.” With this in mind, ICF construction involves only a 3 – 6% increase in construction costs over wood framing.

In Ghana, there is no need for heating equipment. Ghanaians should actually experience an even lower cost due to the need for only air conditioning equipment.

According to the Portland Cement Association, ICF homeowners experience a “savings of at least 25% or more depending on the climate.” This means that the monthly energy use and electrical expenses are lower for owners of ICF homes or buildings. In the USA, homeowners have experienced “30 – 40% off the energy used to heat and cool a house.”

In the US, masonry walls (such as concrete block) cost between $10.50 and $13.00 per square foot. ICF masonry walls cost between $11.70 and $14.50 per square foot and fluctuates with the market price of concrete.

Two other issues that may affect the cost of ICF construction in Ghana are shipping building materials labor costs. The cost of ICF construction in Ghana would normally be more than the cost in the United States due the expense of shipping the ICF blocks to Ghana. However, this cost is offset by the drastically lower cost of Ghanaian labor. The time to construction ICF buildings are also 20% – 50% quicker than traditional construction. Because of the lower cost of labor in Ghana, Ghanaians may experience lower ICF construction costs than in the United States.

According to the Portland Cement Association, “ICF wall-building crews report that their costs drop sharply until they have built 4 or 5 houses. After that they continue to realize savings
1000
.” In Ghana, these cost savings will be most realized in construction settings where the entire building envelope is built from start to finish. (A building envelope includes the foundation, floors, walls, windows, doors, and the roof.) Insulating concrete form (ICF) construction times are significantly quicker than masonry block construction. Because of this, Ghana builders will experience a greater profit margin when switching to ICF construction while still building a quality building.

One possible set back is the cost for Ghana builders to stock up on the bracing required for ICFs. However, the alignment system is simply the equipment necessary for quality construction, much like the need for concrete mixers. An additional issue is the need for construction workers to be trained in the methods of ICF construction. The skills used for masonry construction are easily transferrable to ICF construction. Laborers can find their expertise in as little as three projects. With the aid of training seminars such as the GHANA ICF Conference and Ghanaian ICF builders such as Elegant Homes, Ghana’s transition to ICFs should go very smoothly.

By: Lakisha David

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Lakisha David is a construction manager for Light Ready Construction, LLC, specializing in ICFs. Want to know more about building with ICFs in Ghana? To find additional resources, including videos, go to www.lightreadyghana.com . Comments or questions can also be directed to contact@lightreadyghana.com.

Technorati Tags: Portland central air, Portland central heat, Portland heating

New plan could bring high-speed rail to Central Texas

Wed Jun 16, 5:36PM PT – KENS5 San Antonio 1:50 | 447 views

Crisis Comes Home | City | Portland Mercury

The center—which will reside inside Central City Concern's Hooper Detox building on NE MLK—will be funded three ways: $842000 from the county, $1 million from the State of Oregon, and $2 million from Portland Development Commission. …

Update on Love-A-Bull Pooches

Smile Man by a Love-A-Bull member – locked eyes and hearts and now he is col' kickin' it on a couch, in a house with central air. No longer stuck at the end of a chain in the rain, heat, cold. I hear from a very reliable source (Leala …

Portland, Oregon- An Overlooked Gem « Reading, Writing, and Reflecting

Following the Dragon Boat Races, we took a stroll through downtown Portland. Near the central square Pioneer Square, walking through downtown is a pleasant experience. An uncluttered downtown, exceptionally clean, accessible by public transportation, with a variety of shopping, … The powerful sound of roaring waters, the light mist on one's face, the crisp mountain air, and the feeling one feels in the outdoors was a perfect end to to the weekend trip. …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Choosing A Big Screen Entertainment System For Your Home Theater

Home electronics has become a fascinating topic on the lips of consumers and technology fanatics across the globe. It seems that a good combination of equipment has become almost a rite of passage for some homeowners and in many circles of friends. While electronics that deal with such important factors as lighting, heating and communicating are all incredible and somewhat of a necessity, the real eye-poppers have always been part of the home entertainment scene. HD technology has created a huge new surge of components and sound systems are constantly being reworked, reimagined, and reinvented. To complement these technological pieces, a good home entertainment system needs to have a clear and functioning video display unit. But with so many available technologies out there to choose from, what is the best of the lot?

The “best” is really in the eye of the beholder, and also in the desired needs of the consumer. Everything from big screen entertainment systems to projector screens can be purchased to enhance a home entertainment system. However, preferences are given to certain devices for various reasons. Some may give sharper pictures, others may be easier to work, and yet others may simply be easier to keep maintained. Choosing the proper mix of all these qualities will help you find the perfect type of video display to make part of your system.

Let’s start by discussing big screen technology. Home theaters are often judged not only by the quality of the equipment that makes them up, but on the size of the screen that is the focal point of the whole home theater. Televisions come in all shapes and sizes these days, but the widescreen television sets are by far the kings of the set. The only problem that big screen televisions have faced is in picture quality. Sometimes the picture would not be as sharp as if it were viewed on a smaller screen, especially from certain angles. With HD technology leading the way now, that problem has been solved. Big screen televisions now almost always give crisp, clear images, but the differences lie in the types of screens.
Plasma television sets are defini
1000
tely the playboys of the big screen televisions. With their sleek designs and sexy appeal, any home theatre will be looking its best with one of these. However, while style and picture quality are top-notch, there are some technical problems that tend to come up with plasmas. Mainly, these include connectivity, of which there are often limited choices or amounts. So for those who plan to have numerous output cables attached to a television, it may be better to stay away from plasmas, unless an outside electronic box is purchased to wire multiple connections as an intermediary. The other problem with plasma televisions are the price. While a big screen television of the same size, although boxy in appearance, may cost a pretty penny, buying the same size plasma will apply a noticeable increase in the price tag.

Increasingly popular video display equipment is projector screen technology. This brings a real cinema appeal to your home theatre. These can often give the clearest image possible with current technology, but you need to know exactly what will work best with the conditions of your home theater. There are various color screens that could be purchased, white and grey being the primary. White is perfect for a theatre in a windowless room, while grey should be used if there is ambient lighting or sunlight that could affect the image quality on a white screen. Some downsides to the projector screen technology is that many models run loud and hot, which could be distracting and lead towards poor maintenance quality.
Besides the types of video display equipment available, the technology employed by each is also important to look at. Many people like LCD screens, while many more prefer CRM technology. Perhaps the best resolution you can get is 1080 p, which is rare among plasma screens, but readily available in other forms of video display equipment. You simply need to find the conditions that meet you theater best, ask the right questions when you’re about to purchase the product, and of course have in your mind the picture of your ideal home theatre system.

-Ben Anton, 2007

By: Ben Anton

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Ben Anton lives in Portland, OR.
Learn more about the benefits of adding a quality home theater sound system to your home
at Ronny’s 5th St. Audio Vision, a Northwest custom home theater installer and retailer.

Technorati Tags: Portland central air, Portland heating

How Concrete Floors Build To Main Points

Architects, interior designers, property managers or owners as a rule, this question – How do decorative concrete floors contribute to LEED points? As a concrete floor can be used as environmentally friendly? Find out at this demonstrate that the claim is concrete flooring is a smart choice.

Thermal mass: Concrete takes a while until the heat – and a time to cool. For it is what it’s thermal mass – heat storage capacity. A concrete floor has a lot of thermal mass to dampen the concrete to the highs and lows of temperature fluctuations allowed in one room, reducing the overall warming of the cooling load. This saves energy and allows a reduction in heating or cooling systems. If properly designed concrete floors can be a passive solar heating and cooling also contribute. Energy Performance in LEED for Homes is worth as much as 34 points (Credit EA 1), then this might make a huge contribution.
Radiant heating concrete floors, whether a raised floor or slabs of quality, are the perfect medium for radiant heating. Use of plastic pipes embedded in the concrete, radiant floor offers quiet and comfortable heating and cooling, which may result in a saving of 10 percent to 30 percent, according to the Portland Cement Association. Another advantage of radiant heat is that it integrates seamlessly with solar systems. Again, the bear has energy to credit EA 1 in Section 3.2.1 LEED or NAHB.

Recycled Content: Both do LEED and NAHB award promoting the use of recycled content and points it. Concrete can be easily integrated fly ash and slag as a supplementary mineral materials. With fly ash and locally produced units is LEED credit for environmentally preferable products (Credit MR2.2). NAHB Section 2.4 provides points for the use of recycled materials, without the need of it, what this means specifically.

Indoor air quality: concrete floors make a huge contribution to indoor environmental quality, simply because of the fact that the cured concrete is completely inert and does share the lack of carpeting or vinyl, the volatile chemicals in the air can. In the points under LEED EQ Credit 1, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Star Indoor Air Package are claimed by the observance of the energy. The NAHB guidelines and asserted th
1000
at this credit is more difficult, although a case to be made in Section 5.4, innovative options for Indoor Environmental Quality.

Credit could be for a permanent structure that requires little maintenance to be claimed, termite and mold resistance and waste reduction. Concrete floors are no longer dull and boring. With the introduction of the latest technology in polymer concrete, and various methods of coloring concrete, they show modern, contemporary and artistic.

By: ususus143

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Mr. John has well knowledge of stone verities and can help to supply granite kitchen worktops and Floor Tiles.

Hi,
I'm going to be moving to the UWS for a year and am wondering–do the majority of apartments have some kind of AC? Not necessarily central-air, but even a window unit? I'd like to figure out whether I'll need to get a window unit.
Thanks

2BR 1BA Single Family House – Portland

preview of 2BR 1BA Single Family House – Portland. Price: $224000, City: Portland, Square feet: n/a; Location: N. Atlantic Ave, Portland, OR, 97217. Charming Bungalo with Central Air,Hardwd. Flrs., Storm windows, Basmt. w/ Tv room, …

Portland Roundball Society: A Trail Blazers Blog – Home – Pick and …

I talked with Josh Hairston about his strategy for playing Nogueira and his philosophy was to attack his hips, get him in the air, get him in foul trouble early and box him out when the shot goes up. If you'd like to see for yourself …

TriMet’s new general manager takes the wheel | OregonLive.com

"I've got a pretty full plate," McFarlane acknowledged as the bus he transferred to rattled across the Ross Island Bridge toward TriMet's central operations center in Southeast Portland. …. TriMet isn't cutting administrative overhead; TriMet isn't asking for available money to repair/replace the bus system – TriMet spent more Stimulus money on bike issues (which TriMet has nothing to do with) and air conditioning in an I.T. server room than on buses (two-thirds of …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Technorati Tags: Portland central air, Portland heating

Yuko Hair Straightening Treatment

This unique straightening system was created in Japan. It thermally reconditions and restructures the bonds in your hair. The Yuko hair straightening system makes your hair lie straight and leaves it glossy, smooth, shiny and straight.

The Yuko straightening system is a permanent treatment and works on most hair types with one condition; your hair has to be between four and five inches long. Although the Yuko system is permanent a lot of people who have it done like to get the treatment re-done about every 12 months due to the hair growing. Depending on how fast your hair grows depends on how often you will need the treatment re-applied.

The condition of your hair plays a factor as to whether the Yuko system would work for you. Your hair needs to be in reasonable condition for you to be able to have the treatment done. The system is however less harmful to your hair than bleaching it would be. As long as the right products, procedure and the treatment is done by professionals your hair should not be harmed at all during the Yuko treatment. If you are considering having the Yuko treatment applied you should always get a consultation with your chosen stylist before hand so the condition and type of hair can be assed.

A question often asked regarding the Yuko treatment is whether it can be applied to color hair, the answer is yes. As long as the color has been on for at least two weeks the treatment is perfectly safe to have done. It should also be noted that if you do go ahead and have the Yuko treatment done that you cant dye your hair for at least two weeks after the treatment has been applied.

In the case of bleached and highlighted hair there are a few factors that could sway the decision either way. Things such as how often your hair is bleached and the last time you bleached could prevent you from being able to have the treatment done. If you have a full head of bleach then you should defiantly not opt for the Yuko treatment. However if your bleach has grown out or you don’t use that much it is possible that the Yuko treatment would be safe for you to use.

The Yuko treatment can take anything from three to five hours to complete, depending on the length and condition of the hair. The Yuko treatment really is worth investing in; the average cost of it being anything between £200 – £600, but you’re not just gett
1000
ing straight glossy hair for this price you are getting hair that is going to be repaired whilst it straightens. The Yuko treatment leaves your hair in a more healthy condition thanks to specially designed heating irons.

Research suggests that on average 67% of women in the UK with wavy or curly hair attempt to straighten and smooth it out every day, spending about 30 to 45 minutes every day on doing this. Those 30 to 45 minutes daily add up to between four and six hours a week, which is roughly 275 hours a year we spend on straightening our hair. The Yuko treatment gives us back those 275 hours and replaces them with three or five hours instead, which one would you prefer?

Helen Cox is the web master of Innate, based in Great Portland Street, London, home of your requirements. This article is free to republish provided this resource box remains intact.

By: vaibhavsharma

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

do please browse for more information at our websites.
www.adsence-dollar-factory.com
www.100earningtips.com

Foxy Falafel's Erica Straight: Five Questions

Strait sprouts her own chickpeas, ensures most ingredients are organic (bright and cooling) and green tahini (herbaceous and lemony). …   Read More…

Crystal Light Offers Lilith Fun to All with Pre-Lilith Tailgating Event In …

Attendees will be invited to sing karaoke for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Portland Lilith show and receive other exciting giveaways. …   Read More…

Coaching carousel at full spin

Former Coach of the Year Avery Johnson has agreed to lead the Prokhorov Plan in New Jersey after spending the last two years cooling his heels at ESPN. …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Wed Jun 23, 11:04PM PT – KREM.com Spokane/Coeur d’Alene 1:25 | 2321 views

Technorati Tags: Portland central air, Portland cooling, Portland heating

What Do Garage Doors Have To Do With Portland?

If the coin toss had gone the other way this beautiful city near the Pacific Coast of Oregon would be called Boston, rather than Portland Oregon. How exactly did that happen? Well, back in the 1840s the original two developers of the area each wanted to name the new town they founded after their respective home town. Asa Lovejoy was from Boston, and Francis Pettygrove was from Portland, Maine.

The name was chosen by a coin toss, which Pettygrove won. Actually he won two out of three tosses, just to make it as fair and square as possible. The coin they used is in the headquarters of the Oregon Historical Society and today is called the Portland Penny.

Portland was built on the Willamette River with excellent access to both the Pacific Ocean and the interior of the state. By 1851 the population of Portland was about 800. The area has grown a bit since then: by the year 2006 the population of the Portland metro area was just about 2 million.

Why does this matter to you? Well, if you’re from Portland and you’re a home owner in the Portland area, then chances are you have a home and that home has a garage door. Which brings us to the topic of this article, namely, garage doors. Especially Portland garage doors.

There are so many things that you can do with your garage. If you have a hobby, chances are you will be able to easily turn your garage into a place where you can work away at it in peace and apart from the rest of the house. You don’t need to do anything big, in fact, just changing the garage door can do a lot to make a difference in your garage. You will be able to enjoy your leisure time more often when you utilize your garage.

Obviously, one of the biggest uses for garages is that people use them to store their vehicles. This is the case in Portland as much as it is in Tampa, Las Vegas, Toledo or Charleston. But if you prefer to keep your car in the street, or if you don’t have a car, you have a whole extra room that you can do absolutely anything with. It could be a new home office, a practice room, a music room, a workshop, or even an art studio. Depending on the size of your garage, you might even be able to make it into an extra bedroom.

When you are renovating your garage, the most
1000
important thing to do is to install a good garage door. If you are going to use this space for more than very short periods of time, you will notice that it can be very cold and uncomfortable, or very hot in the summertime. So the next thing you need to do is install heating and cooling – making sure that you properly insulate it. A good garage door, that is tightly installed without any air leaks will be key to making your new space as comfortable as possible.

There are many things that you can do with the garage doors themselves. Some people, especially those who enjoy sports or have children, install basketball hoops attached to or just above their garage doors. This makes for a really great practice spot in a small area. Be sure that if you have windows in the door that they are small paned and durable.

If you have hockey players in the family, the driveway is the perfect spot to set up a goal net, complete with a dummy goalie and targets in the corners. Naturally your garage door is going to serve as backup and take a huge beating just as the boards at an arena do. It will be worth it to contact the nearest garage door service provider in your area, not only to select the toughest door possible, but to be available when you need repairs. It will certainly pay to find a dealer that has the widest selection of garage doors to choose from. And if you happen to live in Portland, then just search online for Portland garage doors.

By: N. Messe

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

For the best garage door installation and repair service in the Portland Oregon area call Dave’s Garage Doors at 503-641-8987 – Portland Oregon Garage Door Service and Vancouver WA Garage Door Service – www.davesgaragedoors.com

49 minutes ago – WWL-TV, Channel 4 New Orleans 1:09 | 2 views

Orangette: Summer list

amen! i live in portland and we northwesterners have more than earned all of the sunshine and warmth we'll get this summer. yay for fireworks and burgers today, but i'm ready to sweat tomorrow love your idea about a summer list, too. i'm going to start one myself … Oh how I pray for central air in our next house!! 5:03 PM, July 04, 2010; Blogger Pattee said… LOL I had to really laugh at your post about it really starting summer on the 5th here in Washington state! …

The Hobbit Could Lose McKellen, Movie House Revivals, Lautner’s …

A crew inhabited the space while they turned the parking lot into the piazza Director Park—possibly an ideal central hub for Portland's ongoing cultural life. Thompson on Hollywood. – Meanwhile, Vulture has asked the important question …

The American Spectator : Portland Paper Denies Protecting Gore …

Bottom line Portland Oregon is Perv. central and Al Gore thought he would fit right in. But, Al didn't figure he would meet up with the one person that wasn't inclined to such liberated thinking such as his. Reply to this ….. They are lemmings running full bore to the tall cliff, thinking they are so clever, and hip. Picture Wile E. Coyote 10 feet removed from the edge, in thin air, with a sign in his hand that says,. UH OH! Reply to this …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Technorati Tags: Portland central air, Portland heating