Fall Home Maintenance Tips

As the temperature drops and the season changes from summer to fall, homeowners have a new batch of chores and challenges to face. Here are a few things you can do now to get ready for winter. 

• It is a great time to tidy up the yard and clean out your gutters before winter comes. Put your raked leaves and other yard waste in a compost bin and keep these materials out of landfills.

• Be prepared. Find out if maintenance is required to keep your heating system operating efficiently and schedule a service call before the busy season starts. Our licensed technicians would be happy to service your furnace. Click here to learn more on our website and contact us today. 

• Keep out drafts by sealing leaky windows. You can use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months.

• Fall is the best time to clean the chimney and get vent systems checked. Pipes must be properly connected and there should be no signs of rust or damage.

• If you have a window air conditioner unit, it is time to remove it for the winter. If the AC must stay in place, seal it with caulking or tape and cover with an airtight insulated jacket.

• Winterize your home by caulking and weather-stripping all doors and windows. Check caulking around windows and do touch ups to reduce drafts and conserve energy. If you have questions about how to do this properly, check back here next week for our next post on how to install weather-stripping and caulking.

Happy fall to all of our customers and readers! Enjoy this beautiful season!

Back to School Shopping

Over 5 million Canadian children are getting ready to go back to school. This year, you can reduce the impact your back-to-school shopping has on the environment by making a few smart choices.

REUSE
Reusing items is the best way to minimize the impact of your day-to-day life. Send your kids to school with a reusable lunchbox and a water bottle. 

REDUCE
The best way to save energy and money is to not buy anything. Reduce the amount of new items you're buying this year. Take an inventory of the school supplies you already have on hand from last year and make sure not to waste money on new items that you don't need.

RECYCLE
We all know it's important to recycle paper and plastic items but you can also help drive demand for recycled goods by purchasing items that contain a high level of post-consumer materials. It's easy to find great eco friendly goods- check out Ecojot a Canadian company whose journals are made from 100% recycled post-consumer waste. As a bonus, Ecojot also donates a schoolbook to a child in need for the sale of each jumbo journal. Now that's some back-to-school shopping you can feel good about! 

Have a Better Barbecue

Summer and barbecues go hand in hand. But, did you know that your backyard barbecue can cause harmful carbon emissions? Especially when it is used improperly or with outdated equipment.  Below, find our top tips for having an eco-friendly barbecue.  

Find a fresh fuel
New fuels can reduce your harmful emissions and maybe even make your food cook better. For charcoal grills, look for organic or natural lump brands. Liquid petroleum gas is an even better alternative as it emits one hundred times less CO₂ than the average charcoal briquette. Avoid lighter fluids and self-lighting charcoals, as these fuels release chemicals into the atmosphere.  

Cut your cooking time
Reduce the amount of time you are burning fuel. Don’t preheat too long. Most grills only take five or ten minutes to warm up. Keep track of time and conserve your fuel and energy.

Clean your grill regularly
A clean grill means less smoke and less pollution. Use an all-natural grill cleaner green to scrub down your grill when the party is over.

Don't do disposable 
We all know it's tempting but don't create waste by using disposable dishes. Use reusable cutlery and washable cloths instead of napkins. If you must use paper plates, look for biodegradable or  recycled eco-friendly options.

Follow these tips and have a great summer! Happy Grilling!

6 Eco-Friendly Things to do this Weekend

This coming weekend is the August long weekend in Ontario! We here at National Home Services want you and your family to make the most out of your holiday. That being said, it should also be cost effective and environmentally friendly! That is why we have put together a list of 6 fun and eco friendly activities for you and your family.

1. Go Camping
Pack up your stuff, hop in the car and head out to one of Ontario’s beautiful campgrounds. Some options are the Cedar Park Resort in Hampton, or Ponderosa Camp Ground in Mount Albert. Don’t forget the bug spray, and, more importantly, the marshmallows.

2. Visit a Provincial Park
Take a chance this weekend to visit a provincial park. They are the perfect place to take in the sights and sounds of nature.

3. Family Bike Ride
Whether you are taking on The Ontario Bicycling Route, or just taking a lap of the neighborhood with friends and family, biking is an eco friendly way to enjoy the beauty of summer and get some exercise.

4. Go for a Hike
For some of the best trails Ontario has to offer, make your way to the Algonquin Provincial Park Trails where you can see 45 species of mammals, 138 breeding birds and a variety of plants, trees and fungi.

5. Visit the Farmers Market
Head out to the local farmers' market and purchase some organic products to support local vendors and, of course, the environment.

6. Spend Time in your Backyard
Organize a barbeque with family and friends. Soak up the sun with great food and refreshments while the kids play in the yard. Check HERE for our tips on green gardening. 

Green Gardening

Reducing the amount of water needed in your garden is a great habit because it can save money on your water bill and it helps reduce your carbon footprint. Here are some tips on how to practice garden water conservation and still have a gorgeous yard.

Choose native plants.

Native plants are adjusted to your area’s normal rainfall, soil conditions and climate. Once they have been established, they require little or no watering. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources offers a guide with plenty of suggestions for Southern Ontario residents.  Click here to access the guide.

Mulch it up!Mulching around plants is a great way to reduce water loss. (Plus it looks great!) Mulch also cuts down on water-stealing weeds. Natural mulches include compost, bark chips, and pine needles. Save money by spreading your grass clippings and ground-up leaves on flower and vegetable gardens. These organic mulches gradually break down and add nutrients to the soil.

Choose your grass carefully. A green lawn can drink up to 70,000 litres of water each year! You can keep your grass and manage your water use by planting drought-resistant varieties of grass like bermuda and buffalo grass which require 20% less water than some other common lawn grasses.

Mow less often.
Isn't this a great tip? You can mow the lawn less often! It’s a good idea to keep your grass long to shade the roots and slow evaporation. When you do mow, raise the height of your mower blade to 3 inches.

Follow these tips and you could have it all- a beautiful lawn, a lower water bill and a smaller environmental footprint. 

Air Conditioning Explained

It's the time of year when many people are feeling grateful for central air conditioning. It is great to have a cool retreat when it is hot outside, but how does air conditioner actually work? Today, we'll explore how a typical central air system in a residential home cools the air.

1. The typical central air conditioning system is a split system, with an outdoor component, the compressor bearing unit, and an indoor component, the coil which is usually installed on top of the furnace. 
2. The outdoor compressor pumps refrigerant through the system which gathers heat and humidity from inside the house. 
3. This warm air is blown over the cool indoor coils, cooling the air and transferring the heat to the coils. 
4. The cooled air is pumped back through the home and the heat that has transferred to the coil is pumped outside. 

Did you know...

• In addition to keeping your home cool, this method of air conditioning also removed excess moisture from the air and reduces the humidity in your home? 
• Your air conditioner actually cleans the air in your home? As the air is pulled through the return air ducts, it goes through a filter, which removes dust, lint and microscopic pollutants. 

Have a Cool Summer

Summer is here! National Home Services has released two new No Worries Protection Plans to help keep our customers cool and comfortable.  

Your family relies on your air conditioning. Are you prepared if it breaks down? A protection plan is  the easiest way to get peace of mind and protection from the inconvenience and expense of emergency repairs. The new No Worries Cooling Protection Plan offers unlimited service calls for your air conditioner. For even more coverage, the No Worries Cooling Plus Protection Plan includes annual air conditioner maintenance. We are thrilled with the value these new products offer to our customers. To learn more, click here. 

Air conditioners are awesome! Here are 5 fun air conditioner facts to prove it.

1. The first air conditioner wasn’t designed for comfort. The first modern air conditioner was invented in 1902 for a publishing company in Brooklyn to keep the temperature and humidity low so their paper didn’t expand and contract.

2. We have summer blockbuster movies because of AC. Movie theaters were among the first places most people encountered artificially cooled air. Moviemakers released their big pictures during the summer because people sought out the air-conditioned buildings to escape the heat.

3. Your kids should be especially grateful for AC. Although summer vacation started out as a way to escape the heat, schools kept up the practice after gaining air conditioning.

4. Even the government would shut down during parts of the summer. Before central air conditioning, the government took a summer vacation along with school.

5. Before air conditioning, the Northeast was the nation’s economic powerhouse. Population explosions in places like Arizona, Nevada, Florida, and Texas can be directly attributed to the introduction of air-conditioning.

Have fun and be cool this summer!