hot, hot (cheap) heat

The cold is coming-is your house ready?

AH, FALL. Leaves falling, pumpkins ripening, birds flocking southward to their winter homes. And there you are: shivering in your basement, kneeling by the furnace, trying to light the pilot, & softly growing more morose with the realization that you'll be paying triple-digit heating bills for the next six months. Worse, you might even be paying thousands a year for splotchy forced-air heat that leaves some rooms cold, others roasting, and everyone with runny, dust-filled noses, if you live in Cincinnati,OH allergy central!
But don't fret. chilly children, there are as many ways to efficiently & thoroughly heat your home as there are to fry an egg. That is, there are a few-and it all depends on what type of heating system you have, how much work you want to do, & how much you are willing to spend up front to save down the road. As The Jam famously sang, "What you give is what you get." So let's get gittin'.

But first, a word. One of the biggest heat depleters is leakage. I don't want to get all Dad on you, but the cheapest & quickest way to stay warm & save money is to cover your windows with heavy-duty plastic & check for air leaks around outlets, vents & doors.(See more tips at www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/)And now, on to the business at hand.

Activent: Forced-Air Fixins(Easy) Most houses in the U.S. have forced air heating. It's easy to check: Does hot air blow through wall vents or floor registers in your home? Then you have forced-air heating. Unfortunately for you, forced-air heating can be the most inefficient, money-sucking, environmentally damaging heat source outside of burning coal. Apart from that, it often blows dust & allergens through its vents, contributing to sneezy misery throughout the winter months. Forced air also 'blows' because of that little thing called a thermostat. The thermostat monitors the temperature of the room in which it is placed, & it turns the heat on & off to maintain the temp. in that room. The only problem is that a house is generally made up of many rooms, & all of those rooms are different: Some big, some small, some have lots of windows(that easily release heat)some don't. This makes keeping a consistent temp throughout the house impossible-and wastes heat in rooms you aren't even using.

So what to do? Upgrading to another heating source can be prohibitively expensive, & for renters it isn't even an option. One idea is to install a neat little gizmo called Activent(theactivent.com)in the rooms most used in the cold season to save up to five percent in heating costs per room. Here is how it works: Activent is a wireless thermostat & automatic vent combo. You install it within the existing heating duct(which takes about five minutes)then put the wireless thermostat somewhere close to where you usually hang out. The thermostat monitors the temperature in the room, automatically opening & closing the Activent as needed, and is programmable to shut off when you know a room won't be in use, It works for A/C as well.. In a house with four Activents installed, savings are estimated to be about $370 a year, dependng on fuel costs in your area,(each Activent unit costs about $75)In other words, you'll stay warmer for cheaper!

Radical Radiant Heat. Radiant heat can be up to 95% cheaper to install & about 30-50% less expensive to run than forced-air systems. That's huge. But why is it always about money with you people!?! What about warmth, comfort, & enjoying the company of loved ones? For this, we offer radiant's true benefit: This in-floor system is arguably the highest-quality, cleanest, & coziest heat source available. I can attest to this. It is warming my feet & my lazy dog's stomach right now. Basically, radiant heat systems work by heating a circuit of tubes under the floor. These tubes are heated by either hot water or electricity. Electric systems are usually best for small spaces, while hydronic(hot water)are best for larger spaces. The best option is to use both: electric for kitchens & bathrooms & hydronic for large rooms through out the rest of the house.

For new construction, it's a no-brainer: just have hydronic or electrical systems installed as you do your construction. Remember that the quality of floors will determine the efficiency of your radiant system: Thin floors warm quickly but cost more to keep warm; thick floors like concrete stay warmer longer & are way more efficient but take hours to heat. For existing construction, it's more complicated. Installing radiant systems means ripping up your existing floor or scrambling under your basement adhering heating tubes to the underside of your floorboards, which I can tell you is a royal pain. But within a few years, radiant heat pays back big-time. Soon you'' be feeling as warm and cozy as sipping Hennessey next to a crackling fire!

SMILE at someone TODAY, you have NO idea how much that helps people :) And also.. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=155279697830829&ref=nf

Did you Forget?

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=155279697830829&ref=nf Sept 29 LQQK forward to seeing you all. If you can't make it Please go to www.fmaware.org and click on Donate tab. Let's help with $ in the amount of $5 or $10 to find answers for Women w/Fibromyalgia.

Thank You!

8 Problem solvers of the Month!

*Teatime-Friendly Mug: this refined ceramic cup has a clever zipper-inspired groove to help the string on your bag of Earl Grey stay put. To Buy: $40 for 2 mugs & 2 coasters, mollaspace.com

*No-Hand Stand: slide your iPhone into the Movie-Peg's groove, then prop it up on a steady surface for smudge-free viewing. Comes in six film-inspired colors.(Pretty in Pink, Blue Velvet) To Buy: $8, movie-peg.com(An iPad version, $13 is also available)

*All-In-One Makeup Stick: Hogwarts, eat your heart out. This truly magical wand features a coordinating eyeliner, highlighter, and eye shadow that fit together in a pen-size tube. There's also a three-in-one version for lips. To Buy: $17, wanderlovebeauty.com

*Muffin-Pan Sponge: if you find yourself blurting out expletives as you try to remove baked-on spills after cupcake duty, this uniquely shaped Casabella sponge will help clean up the tin-and your language, young lady. To Buy: $3, kingarthurflour.com

*Collapsible Wheel Barrow: turns out, you can reinvent the wheel(barrow)--just check out this ground-loading model. Its low center of gravity reduces strain on your back to make hauling big piles a gentle fall breeze. To Buy: $65, uncommongoods.com

And have you heard about...?

*Dropbox.com: tired of emailing files to yourself so you can access them from another location? Try this online backup site, where you can store up to 2 gigabytes for free. Install the software on two computers & the site will keep them in sync. Works interchangeably with a Mac, a PC, or a mobile phone.

*Renttherunway.com: if you don't want to spend $$$ on a dress you'll wear once, maybe twice, sign up (for free) at this clothing-rental site. Generally, rentng a piece from a designer like Herve' Le'ger, Catherine Malandrino, or Tibi costs about 10% of the retail price, which means you can score a $1590 cocktail dress for $150-and that includes shipping both ways & dry cleaning.(To ensure a perfect fit, you can pick two sizes.)

*Jasmere.com: this group-buying site is similar to Groupon.com but focuses on discounted products from specialty retailers as opposed to community-centric deals. Once a slae on, say, art prints, beauty products, or sweet treats goes live, buyers have 24 hours to commit to purchasing. The more people who order, the higher the discount. When time is up, your credit card is charged the lowest price.

SMILE! & buy someone's breakfast, lunch or Starbucks today :)

Hotmail - erockavella@hotmail.com - Windows Live

Hotmail - erockavella@hotmail.com - Windows Live

Timely Trivia - Cathy Conversation Starters!

70% the probability that a tree in a certain picturesque New England forest contains ANTHOCYANIN, the pigment that makes leaves turn red or brown in autumn. The onset of cool weather combined with bright sunlight stimulates the production of anthocyanin, allowing the warm tone to emerge. To find out the peak leaf-viewing days in your area, head to weather.com and search "fall foliage".

$1,243.60 the average amount those bidding on a car went up on their offers when sitting on soft chairs, according to a recent study by researchers at MIT, Harvard and Yale. Those who sit in hard chairs were shrewder, offering only $896.50 more. The researchers concluded that our sense of touch can influence our decisions in ways we may not be aware of. So the next time you find yourself in the hot seat, make sure it's a hard one.

16 billion the approximate number of quarts of popcorn that Americans scarf down each year. Trade in the predictable butter for unexpected ingredient combinations, like paprika & brown sugar or garlic-infused oil and pecorino, during this National Popcorn Poppin' Month.

16,242 how many baseball fans attended the 1st-ever World Series game, on October 1, 1903, which pitted the Pittsburgh Pirates against the eventual champions, the Boston Americans. Fast-forward to last year's series, when more than 50,000 fans packed Yankee Stadium, not to mention the 19.4million watching on TV. Strike up a conversation with that bit of trivia once the Fall Classic begins on the 27th. Just don't do it when the bases are loaded!

25lbs how much Halloween candy a reusable ChicoBag can hold. (That's like 781 Kit Kat Snack Size bars!) The earth-friendly tote company is teaming up with the nonprofit Green Halloween(greenhalloween.org)for it's annual Trick-or-Treat bag contest. Kids ages 13 and under can email their own "eek-o-inspired" designs to Halloween@chicobag.com by November 5. The winning creation will show up on next year's carriers. For more details on the contest or to purchase this year's design, go to chicobag.com

Decade 500 the number of newsworthy photos in Decade(Phaidon,$40)out this month. Reflect on the good (the launch of YouTube), the not-so-bad (Y2K), and the scandalous (wardrobe malfunction!) moments of the last 10 years with these visual blasts from the past.

Be Safe this Halloween & Please Donate Sept 29 for Women w/Fibromyalgia www.fmaware.org click Donate tab. $5 or $10 dollars much appreciated! :) Thanks

room for Pie..

Double Pumpkin Pie with Oak Crust

Prep: 30 mins Bake: 50 mins
Cool: 2 hours Oven: 450*F / 350*F

1 recipe Oat Pastry
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 9-ounce jar pumpkin butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4 cup fat-free milk

Pumpkin-Choclate Cheesecake Pie

Prep: 30 mins Bake: 64 mins
Chill: 30 mins Oven: 450*F / 375*F

1 recipe Deep Dish Pie Pastry
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate or miniature chocolate pieces
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup half-and-half or light cream
Chopped chocolate (optional)

Ginger-Pumpkin Meringue Pie

Prep: 30 mins Bake: 69 mins
Cool: 2 hours Oven: 375*F / 350*F

1 recipe Gingersnap-Graham Crust
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cups maple syrup
1 recipe Brown Sugar Meringue