Category: Quality Patios Dublin

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This unique contemporary pendant by home lighting will compliment any bedroom or living room. Enhance your room design with this great indoor lighting.

Lighting, Outdoor Lighting, Home & Garden Lighting.

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This guide aims to inform you on different aspects of lighting to help you buy the right combination of lighting for your home. Each one of us has individualistic taste that reflects our lifestyle and preferences. When it comes to lighting, few of us pay attention to details, whereas a thoughtful approach can help you bring to life your very own home in ways that add drama and ambience to any space just the way you imagine .right out of the home d cor books.

Start with a realistic list of the lighting fixtures you need. With lighting, you need to look beyond the trend, for you don t want to buy a fashionable lamp only to change it one year down the line. Work on the list with emphasis on,
– Interior lighting: Living room, Bathroom, Study room, Bed rooms
– Outdoor Lighting: Home & Garden Lighting

Before you decide how much you want to spend. A good lighting plan will,

Highlight and illuminate
Improve on poorly lit areas
Bestow a room with desired ambiance
Personalize and enhance safety and security

Once you have rescheduled your list and prioritized areas, you would exactly know where you stand. Maybe you are looking for complete lighting make-over or installations. Or perhaps, you would like to do it in stages, starting with the high-priority list. Here are some of the known lighting solutions, segregated for your convenience,

Ceiling : Ceiling lights and lights above can add a great deal of charm and elegance to a room.

Ceiling fixtures: Ceiling fixtures are not just decorative; they can be used to highlight important areas in the kitchen, bathroom to the ceiling. You can find ceiling light fixtures in different shapes and sizes to fill the platter.

Pendant lights: Unlike fixed ceiling lights, pendants are hanging lights suspended from the ceiling. You can create the most interesting impressions with pendant lighting.

Low lights: Fixed directly in the ceiling, recessed lights can be used as spotlights in all rooms.

Track lighting: Track lighting consists of a light or series of lights mounted to a metal track. Just move, swivel, or rotate a light to suit your immediate lighting needs.

Wall Lamps : For highlights and accents, wall lights come in handy to add softer shades to a room d cor. They can be practically used anywhere, from living area to bathroom. Indirect lighting decorates a wall space, and when used intelligently can offer the most intriguing combination of art and d cor themes. When used in bathroom, you can highlight the areas you wish, like above a mirror, and opt for a shade to minimize the glare. There are great modern and combination wall lights available for a variety of interior settings like,

Wall-mounted fixtures: Wall sconces can be fixed to walls. Used to highlight paintings, art work and other d cor areas, they illuminate the surface of a wall and add a touch of sophistication..

Swing-arm lamps: For study and work, swing-arm lamps offer utility and function.

Table Lamps : Table lamps, desk lamps or task lamps serve well in the study room. Used to highlight specific work areas, you get a wide variety right from architects lamps, task light, bankers lamp, dimmable and adjustable desk lamps that can swivel and swing and can be used for a variety of functions.

Floor Lamps : While buying floor lamps, you may want to ask a few questions,

1)What is the purpose of the lamp (aesthetic, functional or highlighting
specific areas or a combination of all)

2)What is the styling theme at your home? Does the lamp compliment the theme?

3)What is the ideal material: Glass, steel, paper, wood, bamboo, bronze?

Types of Floor Lamps :

a) Console Floor Lamp: It is a classic design with a single pole and a glass or cloth globe.
b) Tree lamp: Used to highlight different areas, a tree floor lamp has a central pole and have three or more branches.
c) Arc Lamps: Aesthetic and modern, it can just stand as a statement or be used to highlight specific areas .
d) Torchiere/Torch Lamps: Designed to highlight and focus on light upwards, this light offers a great ambience.

Outdoor Lamps : Outdoor lighting is equally crucial to highlight important zones for safety and security as well as to provide right amount of illumination for outdoor life. Here are some important types of lights,

Path lamps: important to highlight walking path that leads to home, the lighting is used to line up a path.

Light lamps: Useful in patio and outdoor areas, you can hang them on the wall next to the front door, or in an open entrance, or outside the house on walls that lead to the garden.

Floodlights: You can highlight any favorite area like sitting area in the garden, or a great looking plant for outdoor theme.

String lights: String lights are festive lights but can bring a new dimension even if you light them on a tree or a path during outdoor parties or to highlight trees and shrubs.

Lanterns: Offering an interesting contrast to modern d cor, you can light up lanterns to highlight the yard, lobby, backyard, entryway, or driveway.

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Kitchen lighting is a form of home lighting specifically for the functional purpose of a kitchen. In the kitchen several requirements need to be met and these must be aided by precise lighting. Thus kitchen lighting is mostly task lighting and ambient lighting and less of decorative lighting. Good kitchen lighting, from an aesthetic and functional standpoint, incorporates both ambient and task lighting.

kitchen lighting,cabinet lighting,lights,lighting,kitchen lights,

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Kitchen lighting

Kitchen lighting is a form of home lighting specifically for the functional purpose of a kitchen. In the kitchen several requirements need to be met and these must be aided by precise lighting. Thus kitchen lighting is mostly task lighting and ambient lighting and less of decorative lighting. Good kitchen lighting, from an aesthetic and functional standpoint, incorporates both ambient and task lighting.

From the perspective of a professional lighting designer, the kitchen is one of the more interesting and versatile projects one can tackle. Filled with numerous nooks and crannies, cabinets and appliances, shelves and other specialized areas such as islands, kitchens can present more lighting challenges than any other room in your home.

Start with the task areas. These are best lit with bright, shadowless light. Fluorescent tubes are particularly well suited for this. You want to get the fixture close to the task area so as to get maximum light concentrated on the area you wish to work. In kitchens this would be counters, sinks, and tables. Spot lights and directional lights also provide task lighting in kitchens. For pantries or other closets, small Under Cabinet Lights provide good illumination. They can be mounted inside the closet above the door header to provide glare free lighting on the closet contents.

Ambient light is the general, overall light that fills in shadows, reduces contrast, and lights vertical surfaces to give the space a brighter feel. Fluorescent tubes are well suited to the job of providing ambient light. They provide broad, even illumination and their efficiency makes it possible to fill the space with light without turning it into an oven. Incandescent down lights are more dramatic and give a brilliant white light but require several fixtures to avoid shadows in a kitchen.
Direct lighting is achieved by using conventional recessed lights, surface lights or light fixtures that are on a pendant or chain. These types of lights work well to provide bright lighting for work surfaces and general purpose lighting in the kitchen area. Rope lighting and small recessed lights are budget friendly.

Add a layer of accent lighting. You may be lighting artwork, architectural details, collectibles, or a food presentation area.

Kitchen occupancy sensors can be used in place of expensive complicated 3-way switches in kitchens with multiple entrances. If the sensors can “see” all the entrances from their mounting location, they will turn on the lights automatically whenever anyone enters the room from any direction.

The importance of kitchen lighting is often overlooked. The traditional kitchen has been replaced by a modern one where people interact in quietude over the counter. Thus kitchen lighting is evolving with the needs of modern households.

Cabinet lighting: make your cabinet attractive as never before:
When it comes to interior, cabinet d cor is a matter of high attention as beautiful cabinets make the place more attractive specially kitchen. Normal type of lighting has a problem of shadows and reflections and it hampers the quality of light. There are under cabinet and cabinet lightings having different types of uses and specialties. Cabinet lighting has a variety of old and new-fashioned lights with a great variety. Polished with brass and silver the lights look more attractive and they make the cabinets look brighter. These days there are a lot of lights having a great finishing touch with a variety of colors. There is a great lighting including ambience lights and halogen lights that are used for enhancing the quality of cabinet brightness.

Types of cabinet lighting:
The types of lights depend upon brightness, consumption of voltage, color and temperature. There are some adjustable lights that can be moved in a full circular motion. Some people have a problem of heat from the lighting so for them lights with an effect of florescence can be of a great use. Like the halogens radiate heat and create a problem for the people who cannot sustain heat these are a convenient option. There are some lights that have a brightness adjustment effect and they are very useful in each time of the day. Another good point is efficiency of energy and flickering free technology that can cut down maintenance cost. The life of lamps is more due to usage of xenon and hence they are worth of their price.

Usage of cabinet lighting:
Most of the cabinet lighting is used fro display of things or to provide a sufficient amount of light for normal working. Most of them are used in the office for desktops, at hospitals, studying rooms or library, bathroom closets, bedroom shelves, nooks and corners along hallways and stairways, living rooms, family rooms and anywhere else where a little brightness is required. For the kitchen installation one thing should be kept in mind that it should be in front or near the cabinet. It will be beneficial for providing the exact amount of required light with an added elegance of brightness to the kitchen cabinet. Hence by the usage of these tips you can enhance your cabinets.

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* What are the different types of lighting?

The different types of lights are incandescent, tungsten-halogen, compact fluorescent lamps, tubular fluorescent fixtures, and HID (high-density discharge).

Incandescent lights have a relatively short life. They can only withstand between 1000 and 3000 hours of continuous use. They are also the least efficient source of regular lights.

Tungsten-halogen are lights that belong to cateogyr of incandescent lamps. They have be…

lighting,lights,lighting fixtures,lamps,lightbulbs,light bulbs,halogen,flourescent,incandescent

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* What are the different types of lighting?

The different types of lights are incandescent, tungsten-halogen, compact fluorescent lamps, tubular fluorescent fixtures, and HID (high-density discharge).

Incandescent lights have a relatively short life. They can only withstand between 1000 and 3000 hours of continuous use. They are also the least efficient source of regular lights.

Tungsten-halogen are lights that belong to cateogyr of incandescent lamps. They have become gradually popular in recent years. They generate a white light with more intense standards.

Dense florescent lights are a kind of fluorescent light but generate color more similar to some incandescent lamps. They combine the standard features of other lights.

Tubular fluorescent lights are in tubular shape. They have a smaller diameter but are more efficient compared to other lights. They have a magnetic ballast that the lightning features depend upon.

HID is a type of light that has a high output of light. Its components are mercury, metal halide, vapor and high pressure of sodium lighting.

* What are the different kinds of fixtures?

An extensive diversity of fixtures is available for different purposes. In general, fixtures are practical, versatile, presentable, and durable to make the interior design colorful.

The three main groups of fixtures are end piece fixtures, ceiling lights fixtures, and landscape fixtures.

End piece fixtures have a design to work with solid standard cable wire.

Ceiling light fixtures are handled with modified cable with larger diameter and capacitors.

Landscape fixtures are used for giving colors and additional attraction for the background of landscape.

* What is a fluorescent light?

A fluorescent light produces energy from the atom. It is composed of many small particle pockets that expand to cause momentum. The basic unit of lights in flourescent is light photons.

Atoms discharge light photons when the electrons heat up. The electrons travel around certain orbit to increase the net charge and produce energy levels. After that light is produced from the nucleus.

* What is incandescent light?

Incandescent lights produce light by a shimmering filament. The filament is heated by white-hot electric current. Incandescence is the light-giving method. A glass container or lamp encloses the bulb.

It normally has a vacuum with a low-pressure to produce oxidation of filament with a high temperature.

* What is halogen?

Halogen can provide brilliant illumination by the use of electric current to heat the filament of metal and tungsten until it burns. Halogen has a filament inside a container or envelope.

A halogen lamp works much the same way as an incandescent lamp. On the other hand, the chemical reactions between halogen lamps are proficient and brighter than incandescent lamps.

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There’s good news for homeowners concerned about rising energy costs. You can save hundreds of dollars in taxes, and even more in lower power bills, by taking steps to reduce the amount of energy you use at home.

Light Your Home Without Lightening Your Wallet

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There’s good news for homeowners concerned about rising energy costs. You can save hundreds of dollars in taxes, and even more in lower power bills, by taking steps to reduce the amount of energy you use at home.

The Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005 provides federal income tax credits for installing equipment upgrades, including qualifying energy-efficient exterior doors, windows and skylights. According to David Westbrook, a Charlotte, North Carolina, CPA and CFP™ (Certified Financial Planner), the regulations are quite specific but researching and purchasing qualifying products can be worth the effort for the tax breaks, not to mention ongoing energy bill savings.

“Residential tax credits, which are dollar-for-dollar reductions in your federal income tax, can be realized for heat pumps, central air conditioners, water heaters, furnaces or boilers and even insulation improvements such as sealing ducts,” Westbrook says. “Exterior doors, windows and skylights also qualify,” he says. He advises homeowners to do their homework prior to making purchases or improvements to be sure that specific government guidelines are met and the expenditures qualify. “A good starting point is http://www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm.”

Joe Patrick, senior product manager with VELUX America, agrees that qualifying energy-efficient skylights, either replacements or new installations, can help to reduce power bills by bringing more balanced natural light and ventilation into homes.

“And there is a model and price range for every home,” Patrick says. “Available skylights include electric or manual venting; fixed with or without a ventilation flap; and fixed for replacing faded plastic bubble skylights with clear, energy-efficient glass. There are also models specially designed to meet code for use in hurricane-prone and other high-wind areas, as well as models with electrochromic glass that can be lightened or darkened by remote control and that don’t restrict the view to the sky,” he says.

In addition to skylights, roof windows are available for in-reach applications requiring egress, such as in finished attics, and VELUX Sun Tunnel™ skylights can be used when a view to the outside is not needed, as with closets, laundry rooms, pantries, hallways and second baths.

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If you want a brighter, cheerier holiday home display, try LED Christmas lights. It’s a fact that LED lights are brighter.

Rust is another factor in your choosing non-replaceable LED Christmas lights rather than the standard string of Christmas bulb lights. Copper wiring in standard cords can rust. If any moisture gets into the bulb environment whether actual water or just condensation it will begin to rust. This rusting takes place very quickly. In a few months, you’ll ha…

lead christmas lights, lighting, christmas, decorations, fairylights

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If you want a brighter, cheerier holiday home display, try LED Christmas lights. It’s a fact that LED lights are brighter.

Rust is another factor in your choosing non-replaceable LED Christmas lights rather than the standard string of Christmas bulb lights. Copper wiring in standard cords can rust. If any moisture gets into the bulb environment whether actual water or just condensation it will begin to rust. This rusting takes place very quickly. In a few months, you’ll have a Christmas light bulb that falls right out of its light socket. A non-replaceable led Christmas light, however, is totally watertight. You just can’t get any moisture into it. The result is that it never rusts.

LED Christmas lights use only a fraction of the lighting energy as standard bulbs. Rather than 350 watts for a standard set of 70 Christmas lights at five watts each, LED Christmas lights use less than four watts total for all 70. This represents at least a 90 percent savings in electricity. If, for example, you were to use five strings of LED Christmas lights each with 70 lights and you left the lights on 8 hours a day for 7 days a week, and the rate you pay for your electricity is the national average of 8 cents, you’ll save $33 a month by using LED Christmas lights.

While you may pay more for LED Christmas lights than the standard holiday bulbs, they’ll more than pay for themselves the first holiday season.

They come in such pretty holiday colors and styles, too. One vendor offers three choices of each. The styles are strawberry, razzberry and mini-ice, while the color choices are multi-colored, winter white, blue sapphire, ruby, green, orange and gold.

LED Christmas lights are made of epoxy plastic which is solid, flameproof and unbreakable. They don’t get hot like traditional Christmas bulbs, so they’re safe indoors or outdoors, and you won’t have to worry about your dry tree branches. The patent on these LED Christmas lights has prepared them for your standard electric outlet. You can even exchange them or interchange them with your traditional Christmas lights.

LED Christmas lights are made from miniscule sized chips that are solid state and like those in computers. The chips convert electricity into light but don’t need any filament or bulb to accomplish this. The lack of filament is what keeps them burning and keeps them cool.

The unusual shape of LED Christmas lights makes them beautiful, giving off a shimmer when lighted. If you view your LED Christmas lights from two different angles you’ll get two different decorative views.

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Among the most versatile and cool lights, the light-emitting diode or LED lights are new, tough, and seem to last forever. You can find them in mini-flashlights, in jewelry, penlights, and dozens of small applications. Larger bulbs are quite expensive because they are such a new technology, but the small bulbs give a significant amount of light, and in larger displays can light an area quite brightly.

LED lights seem to last forever. Regular incandescent bulbs only last ab…

led lights, light, light bulbs

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Among the most versatile and cool lights, the light-emitting diode or LED lights are new, tough, and seem to last forever. You can find them in mini-flashlights, in jewelry, penlights, and dozens of small applications. Larger bulbs are quite expensive because they are such a new technology, but the small bulbs give a significant amount of light, and in larger displays can light an area quite brightly.

LED lights seem to last forever. Regular incandescent bulbs only last about a thousand hours, and fluorescent about 10,000 hours. LEDs last for up to 100,000 hours. That s more than eleven years, with continual use! LEDs also use about a tenth the electricity of an incandescent bulb because they produce almost no heat. The red LED bulbs are as much as 90% efficient. Compare that with a standard incandescent light bulb, in which only about three percent of the energy used is transformed into light, while the remaining 97% becomes heat.

LED lights have been used more and more over the last few years, in decorations, in small flashlights and night lights, even in novelty ice cubes and license-plate holders. The most popular use for LED lights is illumination for specific things how neat would it be to have LED lights in your fish tank? LED earrings and body jewelry are common at raves.

But it s also becoming more common for LED lights, with their clear, long-lasting illumination, to be used in special fixtures for lighting rather than decoration. For instance, LEDs make great travel and book lights, with their low power requirements and tiny size. LED lights used in outdoor spotlight-type illumination last so long, it makes sense to put them up in the hardest to reach spots. LEDs in light bars are being used in ATM machines and other places where bright, stable light is necessary in public areas. If you use a prismatic diffuser or other method for scattering light, an array of LED lights provides excellent indirect lighting for medium or large areas.

Still, the most common use for LED lights is in decoration. And why not? These pinpoints of light can be used in your hair, in tongue studs, on clothing. Magnetized LED lights will stick literally anywhere on your clothing. And many LED lights aren t limited to only one color but instead change strobe or change colors, depending on how they re designed.

When looking for decorative lighting or for stable, long-lasting light, LED lights should be on your list of options to investigate. The cool factor is unbeatable, the energy efficiency incredible, and the light that results from these little lights is anywhere from usable to excellent. As time passes, look for LED lights to be used more and more frequently in applications from kitchen lighting, to dance and rave light shows. Still, the best use found so far for tiny LED lights is the pinpoint light you need to find keyholes in the dark. The keychain LED flashlight is unbeatable.

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Our busy lifestyles don’t always allow us to get all of the daily chores done. A 40 hour work week can take its toll on us, and by the time the weekend arrives, the last thing we want to deal with is mopping the floor. Residential cleaning services can put your home on their list of chores. These companies offer maids that literally come in and clean things up to get you back in that spotless environment. Let’s face it, no one wants to come home to a mess. Residential cl…

residential cleaning service, maids,cleaning service

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Our busy lifestyles don’t always allow us to get all of the daily chores done. A 40 hour work week can take its toll on us, and by the time the weekend arrives, the last thing we want to deal with is mopping the floor. Residential cleaning services can put your home on their list of chores. These companies offer maids that literally come in and clean things up to get you back in that spotless environment. Let’s face it, no one wants to come home to a mess. Residential cleaning services can help you with this dilemma.

My first notion was to flip through the phone book, in search of residential cleaning services. I thought if I could get someone to come out to the house and do a professional job, then maybe the ridiculous smell would be banished forever. Soon enough we located a residential cleaning service, and they were prompt about taking care of our problem. When they were finished, the carpet looked as good as new.

What is the definition of clean? I know what I consider clean. However, my spouse doesn’t always agree. Cleaning our homes can be a tiring and tedious process. It never seems like it’s actually done. You clean the bathroom, but the next day there is already hair in the sink and scum in the toilet bowl. We all know the routine. An alternative option available to those who cannot get around to those daily regimes of scrubbing and vacuuming, is residential cleaning services. These services actually come to your home and clean it for you.

In the past I took advantage of residential cleaning services. I needed their professional services due to my lack of cleaning abilities. My wife had a cat that unfortunately wasn’t fixed. This caused a horrible stench that I wish upon no one. With the unbearable affliction of urine stains all over our carpets, we had to find help fast.

If you are searching for decent residential cleaning services, it is prudent to start online. There are a number of company websites, which offer a variety of cleaning services to your convenience. Not everyone has time to take care of their home cleaning on a regular basis, but no one wants a filthy home. Fortunately there are residential cleaning services ready to tackle your home cleaning chores.

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If you have trouble with your electricity supplier, you may be interested in the story of my journey toward building a solar power lighting system.

lighting

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From the first time I saw, first hand, a solar cell making electricity, I was hooked. It was magnetic. I was going to have one, making electricity for me, one day. I didn’t get around to trying it, until about 1979. I ordered $400.00 worth of solar cells from a company in California. I made a makeshift solar panel with them, which worked for a while.

Much later, in 1993, I tracked down a company in Calgary, who sold solar panels. I bought 1 for about $500.00. It was about the size of a large beach towel. It was blue in color and was mounted inside an aluminium frame. My first attempt at making a solar power lighting system worked but wasn’t very efficient. I used a little incandescent bulb from a reading lamp hooked up to a car battery, that was charged by the solar panel. I mounted the solar panel in the most sunny window I had to put it in. At that time there weren’t compact florescent light bulbs. I liked that solar panel so much that I bought 3 more like it from the same company. Each panel made about 50 watts in direct sunlight.

A solar cell reacts with sunlight making a positive and negative charge. When you link the two charges by attaching a wire to both ends of the solar cell, charged electrons move along the wire, and an electric current flows. When the cells are joined together, to increase the voltage and amperage, you have made a solar panel. So all this makes the electricity your light uses.

Once you have the electricity, you have to store it somewhere, or use it right away. Since the whole point of a light is to use it in the dark, and solar panels only work in sunlight, you need a battery, to store the electricity until you are ready to turn the light on.

To keep the electricity in the battery while the solar panel is connected, a diode is used. A diode is an electronic device which only allows direct current to travel in one direction. If the current tries to go in the other direction, then the diode stops it. This happens when a big dark cloud moves in front of the sun. Your panel makes so little power the battery has more voltage push, than what is coming from the panel. So the voltage from the battery tries to send current out from the battery. We want the battery to charge, and not waste the electricity until we turn on the light.

To use the direct current electricity in a battery, to run an alternating current or household current compact florescent light, you need to convert the electricity from the battery, to the kind of electricity the light will use. This device is called an inverter. It makes AC electricity out of DC electricity. The inverter is connected to the battery and the power cord from the light is plugged into the inverter.

When you switch your light on, you are using the power from the sunlight captured during the day time. The advantage of using compact florescent light bulbs is that they are very energy efficient, using little electricity, and giving out the same amount of light used by a 60 watt regular light bulb. You make your own power and don’t care if the power from the electric company goes off. Your lighting system will still work.

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The Different Types of Mattresses

So, you re finally ready to toss out that saggy old mattress and buy a new one. You ve even decided what size you want and are ready to start shopping. However, do you know which of the different types of mattresses is right for you?

There are three common mattress types: innerspring, foam, and airbed. Of course, not all mattresses of a certain type are the same. Some are made with low quality materials, while others are top of the lin…

Mattresses

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The Different Types of Mattresses

So, you re finally ready to toss out that saggy old mattress and buy a new one. You ve even decided what size you want and are ready to start shopping. However, do you know which of the different types of mattresses is right for you?

There are three common mattress types: innerspring, foam, and airbed. Of course, not all mattresses of a certain type are the same. Some are made with low quality materials, while others are top of the line models.

Most people use an innerspring mattress. This mattress type has been around since people discovered that a mattress made of springs covered in some sort of padding was much more comfortable to sleep on than a mattress stuffed with straw or horsehair. When you are shopping for an innerspring mattress set, you should look for several important things: the type of padding in the mattress, the type of coils being used, and how the box spring is made.

Mattress padding made from high density foam is the best type, since it does not compact like low density foam or polyester fiber filling. Besides compacting and becoming uncomfortable to sleep on, these cheaper padding materials are prone to mildew since they do not dry out quickly if they become damp.

Innerspring mattresses are often advertised as having a certain number of coils. Buyers mistakenly think that mattresses that have more coils are the best. However, the material the coils are made of is actually more important. Look for steel springs that have been oven tempered. Other types of springs simply don t hold up with extended use and are not as comfortable to sleep on.

Once you find a good mattress, don t forget to take a close look at the box spring. A box spring made from solid steel or wood will not provide proper support for the mattress. A good box spring is made with flexible coils that can shift to take some of your body s weight instead of leaving it all up to the mattress.

Foam mattresses, like innerspring models, should have high density foam padding. However, these mattresses have a thick latex solid core instead of using coils for support. Box springs made with wood are still a bad choice, but this mattress type wears well with either tempered coil or solid steel box springs.

Finally, airbed mattresses are made with high density foam or high quality fibers over vulcanized rubber compartments that hold air. Although you can also find air mattresses made with vinyl air compartments, you should avoid them because vinyl can stretch. You can use one of these mattresses on a coil or solid steel box spring.

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Explanation of the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) ratings for air conditioning systems. How they are calculated, what you need to know, how to know which rating is best and what to look for.

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Portable Air Conditioner Efficiency Information Page
Each air conditioner has an energy-efficiency rating that lists how many BTUs per hour are used for each watt of power it draws. For room air conditioners, this rating is the Energy Efficiency Ratio, or EER. For central air conditioners, it is the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, or SEER. These ratings are posted on an Energy Guide Label, which must be attached in a visible place on all new air conditioners. Many air conditioner manufacturers are voluntary participants in the EnergyStar labeling program. EnergyStar-labeled appliances mean that they have high EER and SEER ratings.

How is EER Calculated?
The EER of an air conditioner is its British thermal units (BTU) rating over its wattage. For example, if a 10,000-BTU air conditioner consumes 1,200 watts, its EER is 8.3 (10,000 BTU/1,200 watts). The higher the EER is, the more efficient the air conditioning unit is. However, normally a higher EER is accompanied by a higher price.

Would the Higher Portable Air Conditioner EER Rating be Worth the Extra Cost?
Let’s say that you are given a choice between two 10,000-BTU air conditioning units. One has an EER of 8.3 and consumes 1,200 watts, and the other has an EER of 10 and consumes 1,000 watts. Let’s also say that the price difference is $100. To calculate what the payback period is on the more expensive unit, you need to know:

1. About how many hours per year the unit will be operating
2. What the rate of a kilowatt-hour (kWh) is in your area

Let’s say that you plan to use the air conditioner in the summer (approximately five months a year, depending on where you live) and it will be operating about 8 hours a day. Let’s also say that the cost of a kilowatt-hour in your area is approximately $0.10. The difference in energy consumption between the two units is 200 watts, which means that every five hours the less expensive unit will consume 1 additional kWh (and therefore $0.10 more) than the more expensive unit.

Assuming that there are 30 days in a month, you find that during the summer you are operating the air conditioner:

5 mo. x 30 days/mo. x 8 hr/day = 1200 hours
[(1200 hrs x 200 watts) / (1000 watts/kW)] x $0.10/kWh = $24.00

Since the more expensive unit costs approximately $100 more, this means that it will take about four years for the more expensive unit to break even.

Buyer Beware!
Not all BTU ratings can be trusted. Just because the BTU’s are stated to be high on specific air conditioning units, it does not mean it is necessarily true. Some manufacturers will exaggerate the BTU’s on units to raise the possibility of selling the them and others will be more conservative in regards to the BTUs, which will cause the EER rating to be lower so a lower portable air conditioner EER may be misleading. It is best not to allow the EER energy rating to be your only criteria for choosing an air conditioning unit. Do the research on whatever unit you are considering for your home and you will be happier with your purchase.

If you have any further questions, please go ahead and just give us a call or see us here, portable air conditioners , at our Air Conditioner home page.