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Archive for October, 2008

Modern Efficient Homes

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

What would be in store for homes in the future? Modern home design is saying that less is more. We begin to see more solid colors over elaborate patterns. Modern home design also says that we should try to get more for less. This is the principle of efficiency. It goes hand in hand with conservation. We need to be consuming less and less resources while trying to gain the most value out of the products we use. Even floor space or wall space is considered a resource which is why we now see modern storage designs that make use of multifunctional furniture.

Some of us have the luxury of space. We may be living outside the city in a large house. But that does not excuse us from being responsible consumers. A typical home mainly consumes electricity and gas for its numerous functions. There are many ways a home can be designed so that it consumes less of these utilities. But to be able to provide the same functionality, a home still needs to consume energy. All we have to do is get the needed energy from somewhere else. We need free or renewable sources of energy.

A home needs to have light, especially during the night. But if your home still needs electric powered lighting during a bright sunny day, then it is not using the freely available sunlight efficiently. Windows, doors, walls and roofs all need to work together to let sunlight into as much area as possible.

A home has to provide shelter from heat or cold depending on the season. Poor insulation design will not be able to keep the heat out during hot summer months and will not be able to keep the heat in during cold winter. During summer, poor ventilation will prevent the cooling wind to come into the home and push out unwanted hot air. Either of these will put a strain in the heating or cooling system and will result in more power consumption.

Instead of using the sun just for lighting, or the wind just for cooling, these sources of energy can be harnessed directly using solar power cells or wind turbines. These technologies convert solar and wind energy into electricity which can be used for whatever purpose and can be stored in electric batteries to provide power all the time.

Lastly, a modern home also provides hot water. Instead of using electric or gas powered water heaters, there are solar water heaters available for this.

Appreciate Your Home

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Do you feel like complaining about your 40-inch LCD television not being big enough? Are you unhappy because your bathroom does not have a Jacuzzi? Or maybe you are thinking the air conditioning unit makes too much noise. Go ahead and name some more things about your home that could be better. Better yet, you can watch television programs about celebrity homes, or read about all the latest in home improvement. It is not difficult to feel like a lowly peasant when you see all the things that your home does not have.

It seems that we no longer appreciate our homes as much as we should. Sometimes we see our homes as just a place to sleep and eat and store our belongings. The next door neighbor always has something better in their home. If this is how you feel than you need a fresh perspective.

Modern day living is actually a very comfortable experience when you compare it to how people live even as recent as a few decades ago. If you look farther back than that then they might as well have been living in the Stone Age. We all like the stories of great Kings in their magnificent castles and the knights in shining armor during the medieval times. But if you take another look at these castles, you will notice that the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world during the not so ancient past do not have even a fraction of the conveniences that we commoners have today.

Let us look at our own homes again. The basic utilities that we enjoy now would appear like sorcery to those distinguished nobles. Things like water from our faucet, electric lighting that go on and off with a flick of a switch, and gas powered heating. Who needs a royal jester for entertainment when you can just sit back and watch your favorite shows on television?

So the next time you feel like complaining about your home, just be thankful of all the things that you have at home, even if that is exactly what everybody else has. So how do the great Kings protect their castles? They build thick walls and deep moats around them. That is how valuable they think their homes are. So if you think your home is worth protecting, then make sure you have good locks and get home insurance now.