10 Easy Ways to Save Money & Energy in Your Home

About 2.5 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good news is that many of these incidents can be prevented by using simple child-safety devices on the market today. Any safety device you buy should be sturdy enough to prevent injury to your child, yet easy for you to use. It's important to follow installation instructions carefully.  www.HomeBossInspection.com www.FranchiseHomeBoss.com   In addition, if you have older children in the house, be sure they re-secure safety devices. Remember, too, that no device is completely childproof; determined youngsters have been known to disable them. You can childproof your home for a fraction of what it would cost to have a professional do it. And safety devices are easy to find. You can buy them at hardware stores, baby equipment shops, supermarkets, drug stores, home and linen stores, and through online and mail-order catalogues.    InterNACHI inspectors, too, should kn...

Image courtesy of  Pixabay http://dadknowsdiy.com   Taking care of your house can seem like a never ending to-do list.  Here is a handy guide for tending your most important preventative maintenance tasks before cooler weather hits. Prevent frozen pipes.   According to  Redfin , there are several steps you can take to prevent the water lines in your home from freezing and bursting.   ●  Prepare.  Cut blocks of foam insulation to block foundation vents that lead to crawl spaces.  Know where your water shut-off valve is in case a line bursts.   ●  Adjust your thermostat.   If you are expecting an extreme cold snap, set aside concerns for your heating bill and turn up the temperature in your home.  Keeping your pipes from freezing prevents costly repairs.   ●  Add insulation.  You can add insulation to unheated areas that house water lines.  Pay attention to areas such as craw...

www.HomeBossInspection.com The National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code (NFPA 2013 72) has set standards to transition away from smoke alarms powered by removable 9-volt batteries and encourage the adoption of new technologies.  The most recent version of the code requires smoke alarms to be hard-wired, interconnected, and backed up with a 10-year sealed battery.  It also reinforces requirements for the placement around the home of smoke alarms, namely: in all bedrooms and sleeping quarters or on walls or ceilings just outside of bedrooms and sleeping quarters; at least one device on each floor of a home, including the basement; and wherever flammable substances are stored, such as the garage. While there’s general recognition at state and local levels that mandating smoke alarm upgrades to the current standard—which requires installation by a licensed electrician—would be onerous for owners of older homes and, therefore, unenforceable, many states throughout t...

www.HomeBossInspection.com Lightning is the "visible discharge of static electricity within a cloud, between clouds or between the earth and a cloud," as defined by Underwriters Laboratories. Lightning is unpredictable and a serious threat to buildings and their occupants virtually everywhere.   Facts about lightning: Benjamin Franklin invented the first lightning rod in 1752 –- a kite outfitted with a metal key -- while waiting impatiently for the completion of a church on top of which he would mount a lightning rod.  Lightning comes  up  from the  earth  –- as well as down from the cloud -- from high vertical features such as chimneys and trees.  A typical lightning bolt carries 50,000 amps, tens of millions of volts, and can reach  50,000 °  F . “Superbolts” may be 100 times more powerful than typical bolts, and travel much farther, too; one such superbolt went from Waco to Dallas, Texas, after having traveled abo...