Going Solar: 3 Reasons Why Solar Panels Should Be Your 2018 Home Improvement Project

Have you been scratching your head, wondering what your next great home renovation project should be? If you are like most homeowners, you have many areas that could use a little attention. Let's explore three reasons why installing solar panels should be high on your list of home improvement projects for 2018.

The ROI On Solar Is Getting Better

It might seem counterintuitive to think about spending money to save money, but with solar panels, that's precisely what you are doing. Solar is an up-front investment that returns money to your bank account over time. As you are generating your own electricity, you will spend less on utilities each month. Depending on your setup, you may even be able to sell surplus electricity back to the grid, lowering your monthly bills even further.

Don't think about solar panels and installation as sunk costs that will never be recovered. Instead, work with your solar installer to determine what your return-on-investment should be.

Solar Drives Property Values Higher

As you might expect, installing solar panels can also increase the value of your home. Many potential home buyers are searching for modern, efficient, climate-friendly homes that allow for a bit of energy independence. If your home already has these features, it is likely to be more compelling than other houses on the street without them. If you are thinking of selling your home in the future, installing solar is a great way to increase its value.

Protecting Your Local Environment And Community

Finally, let's not forget that investing in renewable energy means protecting the health of your local community. Every solar panel installation that goes up means one less home relying on power produced by other means. It might not seem like much, but over time a single home's worth of solar panels can prevent a significant amount of emissions from reaching the sky. You can even take things one step further and invest in an electric car which can be connected to and charged by your solar panels.

In closing, these are a few of the many good reasons to consider an investment in solar panels in 2018.

Summer Home Safety Tips - Conduct a Home Safety Check

Summer is approaching and it's time to go around the home looking for potential safety hazards. Inside and outside are potential dangers that could cause harm.
It’s important to us all that our home be considered safe. Accidents happen all the time within the home, though. Listed below are several tips to follow to ensure safety in each room in your home.

In the Kitchen

* Keep flammable objects away from the stove. Do not let oven mitts, paper towels, etc. come into contact with the hot pots and pans or the burners.

* Use cleaning products with caution. Ensure that you do not put the cleaning products within reach of your children. Keep them out of reach so they cannot accidentally poison themselves.

* Never leave sharp objects and tools unattended in a place where little hands can reach them.

* Ensure that all electrical cords are kept away from water and flammable objects like curtains and hand towels. The cords could overheat and catch fire.

* Ensure that your appliances are getting the proper ventilation. You can do this by keeping them away from other objects and regularly vacuuming out the back of your appliances.

In the Bathroom

* Just like in the kitchen, ensure that all cords are kept away from water. Water and electricity does not mix and can cause an electrical fire.

* Use non-slip floor mats. The shower floor can be slippery when wet. By using a non-slip floor mat you are protecting yourself from slip and fall accidents.

* Like in the kitchen, keep cleaning supplies locked up and out of reach of small children to prevent accidental poisoning.  

In the Bedroom

* Never smoke in your bedroom, or anywhere in your home. Flammable objects could catch fire from your cigarette and destroy your home and belongings.

* Purchase a mattress that is flame resistant. If a fire breaks out in your bedroom, then you want to be protected and allow yourself the time you need to figure out your escape route and get out of your home.

* You’re most vulnerable when you sleep. To ensure your safety in case someone were to come into your home, keep a phone and light by your bed.

In Your Yard

* To ensure the safety of your pets and kids, surround your yard with a fence.

* If you have a pool, make sure that it’s covered and fenced in. This will protect your kids from any risk of falling in and drowning. Having an alarm on the fence or the door leading out to your pool will alert you of any possible security breaches by your children so you know where they are and can prevent accidents.

In Your Garage

* Keep any harmful substances you store in the garage out of the reach of your children and pets.

* Keep the space clean and organized. Ensure that there aren’t sharp objects that are out in the open and in easy reach of your children and pets.

Your home is a place to live and relax in, so you should feel safe there at all times. To ensure that you achieve the highest degree of safety within your home, follow these steps and do what you think is right for your home. All homes and families are different, so there will be different ways of keeping each other safe. There are companies that you can hire to come in and evaluate your home to make sure you don’t have any holes in your safety armor.  

4 Tips to Keep Your Community Beautiful This Summer

Everyone wants a beautiful looking community.  With this comes the responsibility and everyone working together to achieve this goal. A clean and tidy outdoor environment benefits everyone in the community.
 
Here are 4 tips every community resident can do to be a part of the community beautification effort this summer:

1. Littering

Everyone in the community can do their part to eliminate littering.  Whether on the street, sidewalks, common amenity areas and in our own yard. Everybody can pick up any litter that is seen.  

2. Recreational Items

All residents can work together to put bicycles, toys and other items in the garage or stored neatly in their place. This will keep each home from looking cluttered.

3. Lawn and Garden

All community residents can work together and make sure water hoses, sprinklers, lawn tools and other similar items are put away safely in the garage in thier storage space. This is also crucial from community safety.

A clean and beautiful community benefits all residents.  Having a sense of pride in your community plays a vital role in enjoying where you live.  

How to Handle Extreme Heat During The Peak of Summer

Every HOA is different and so are their covenants, conditions and restrictions. Some HOA regulations require homeowners to keep foliage alive and the color of the lawn to stay green through sufficient watering.

According to Virginia Tech's A Landscaping  Guide for  Homeowners  Associations (http://www.manassascity.org/DocumentCenter/View/3981):

Most plants need about one inch of water on a weekly basis. Normally, cool season grasses go dormant in the summer and only need water in cases of extreme drought.

Most of the time spent on lawn maintenance is spent mowing. Mowing correctly is one of the easiest things that can be done to help keep turf happy. Because mowing causes physical injury to grass, it is important that no more than 1/3rd of the total leaf height is cut at any one time. This allows the grass sufficient leaf area to photosynthesize the energy it needs to heal. When grass is very high due to wet weather, it needs to be cut in stages, taking 1/3rd off at a time and waiting until the clippings left on the ground disappear between cuttings. 

We suggest the following tips and tricks in order to maintain a healthy, intact lawn during the extreme heat of the summer. http://yardcare.toro.com/maintain/how-to-maintain-the-grass-in-extreme-heat/