Winterize -- You've officially retired your shorts and T-shirts for winter, making room in the closet for cords and sweaters. But how do you get the rest of the house ready for the long, cold season ahead? The Home Depot offers the following suggestions to heat up your home and help the environment at the same time:
Install a programmable thermostat and stop wasting energy (and money) by heating the house when you're away.
Install weatherstripping to minimize heat loss through doors and windows.
Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
A long, hot shower on a winter morning is a luxury. Try to keep it under 10 minutes, and install a low-flow shower head to minimize water waste.
Install a ceiling fan in vaulted areas to push down hot air as it rises.
Shovel away winter worries
DON'T freak out as the flakes start to fall. Instead, take control of old man winter with these cool snow tools from Garant:
The Sleigh Shovel is ergonomically designed and allows for easy snow removal by scooping and sliding, with no need to lift and hurl snow in the traditional manner. It comes in three different sizes.
The Twinter is a snow broom that does double duty sweeping snow off outdoor steps and around doors and balconies, and also brushing the white stuff off cars. The gadget comes with a removable ice scraper.
For those who just want a regular shovel, Garant delivers with a range featuring VersaGrip handles. This allows multiple hand positions, the idea being to facilitate better shovelling posture and avoid back pain.
Garant's winter snow removal products are available at hardware stores such as Home Hardware and RONA. Go to garant.com.
U.S. for the birds, snowbirds, that is
THE percentage of North Americans, led by Canadians, buying U.S. homes is up almost 10 per cent this year from 2007, says a study.
A survey by the U.S.-based National Association of Realtors says 32.7 per cent of homes bought in the U.S. went to Canadians and Mexicans --- up from 23.4 per cent in 2007.
Doubtless, the rising value of the Canadian dollar, and the declining fortunes of American real estate, were two of the key reasons.
The North American contingent replaced Europe -- which declined to 31 per cent this year -- as the most active buying region.
-- Canwest News Service
