The dangers of roofing are also unappreciated. Like deep sea fisherman, oil rig workers, and coal miners, roofers do a crucial job for a society which neglects to recognize the dangers involved. Here are a few of the major hazards people expose themselves to every day just to keep our buildings’ insides, well… inside.

Heights

This is, of course, the biggest hazard roofers face on the job. When you’re roofing, you’re by definition on top of a building. And it’s dangerous at the top. Between 2003 and 2013, 3,500 roofers fell to their deaths, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Companies do their best to minimize risks, but there is simply no way to ensure perfect safety at great heights. Even a simple repair job on the shed out back isn’t foolproof; like shallow water, slight heights can be deceptively dangerous. Ropes and harnesses can malfunction, ladders can give way, and damaged or poorly built buildings can give way. Other rooftop hazards can make the workspace especially deadly; a worker could fall through a skylight, for instance. These risks and more make roofing a job for a courageous minority.

Weather

Roofers work outdoors (above-doors?). This creates all kinds of risks. From sudden thunderstorms, to strong winds (which, remember, are even stronger at high heights), to temperature, rooftop construction poses a multitude of problems for workers. Strong winds increase the risk of falling, as well as the risk of being hit by swirling debris. Temperature are either extreme can be brutal on the human body: too cold and you’re in danger of hypothermia, too hot and you could get heat stroke. Heat stroke while hundreds of feet in the air is not a pretty idea; it can create weakness and strange behavior, endangering not just the sufferer but his or her entire crew, too.

Electricity

The International Labor Organization (ILO)  lists electrical wires as a top risk to roofers. This is another danger inherent to the profession. The same precaution which keeps electricity away from the everyday civilian—high up in the sky—puts that same electricity directly in the paths of roofers. One false move and a worker can suffer extreme wounds and even death. And emergency crews will have a very hard time trying to get a electrically-burned person down safely from a high building, further increasing the danger.

Other Hazards (Chemicals, Burns)

Roofers work with lots of the under-the-hood elements of our buildings. This puts them at risk of exposure to several severe substances, like asbestos, insulation, tar, and chemical solvents, according to the ILO.  Additionally, building emergency evacuation plans usually do not take roofers into account. If you’re up there and the building starts on fire, watch out—it’s a long way from the top to stop, drop, and roll.

Spring and summer make up the busy season when it comes to moving. Multiple surveys peg the months between May and September as the busiest, most costly time to move, according to U.S. News and World Report. While finding an open room amongst this chaos is less of a challenge, you and your family may find that the sheer volume of moves occurring during the summer months to be more than a little overwhelming. Thankfully, this busy season can be circumvented completely if homeowners are willing to move during the fall and winter months.

In addition to cost-savings, there are numerous advantages to an offseason move. With fall in full swing and winter around the corner, homeowners that avoided a relocation over the summer are now in a prime position to move with considerably less hassle over the next few months.

Take advantage of cooler weather
High outdoor temperatures, one of the major downsides to moving during the summer, can be completely avoided by starting your move a bit later into the year. A nicer climate makes it easier to pack and run errands throughout the day. Dealing with the logistics of moving while sweating profusely is never fun and the heat of midday is likely to tire you out before you can make considerable progress on your home move. This sweltering cycle turns what should be weekend projects into month long endeavors. Start your move in the middle of September for a cooler, more comfortable experience.

Make sure to dress accordingly: It's easy to forget to layer up when moving is so often associated with the summer months. Movers.com recommended that families start with comfortable jeans, long-sleeve shirts and close-toed shoes. Add a windbreaker or hoodie jacket if the wind picks up during the middle of your packing efforts. Staying warm is important since your fingers begin to lose dexterity as they grow too cold.

Clear leaves and debris before starting your move
One of the unique difficulties of moving during the fall is the numerous types of weather phenomena that might slow down your moving process. The presence of fallen leaves and other plant debris, for example, is among the leading autumn issues to plan around when strategizing your move. Allowing this compost fodder to build-up not only increases risks for falling and tripping, but also can harm the curb appeal of your household and make it more difficult to sell your home to a buyer in a convenient timeframe.

This potential problem can be addressed by organizing yard cleanup efforts around the same weekends when moving or showing off the home to potential buyers is a major priority. There are even more questions for concern as precipitation begins to rise. Wet leaves are even more dangerous during moves and more likely to track inside your new home as you unload your belongings.

Keep your eyes peeled for college students
While movers are generally on the decline as summer comes to a close, college students can be found moving in and out of new living situations frequently through the end of September. It's best to be aware of this trend, especially if you and your family are moving into or out of a neighborhood with a large concentration of college students. The extra traffic and bodies in motion can make the roads and sidewalks in these areas feel a bit congested. A bit of research online will help you determine the first day of classes for local colleges. Plan your move around these dates to avoid the throng of student movers this fall.

Avoid autumn scams with summertime solutions
Moving scams are most common during the summer, but that doesn't mean that conmen take time off during the fall. You and your family should stay wary of moving scams every month of the year. Take a few hints from Better Business Bureau into consideration as you prepare to make a safe, cost-effective move this autumn. The resource recommended that homeowners always get contracts in writing before agreeing to allow prospective movers to pack up their belongings. Keep your eyes open for red flags, such as an overly simplistic website or broken down trucks without any clear branding. Your family is always better safe than sorry when it comes to evaluating home movers.

Search for seasonal deals on cable and Internet
Another perk of moving during the fall is the opportunity to take advantage of seasonal deals put on the table by your local cable and Internet companies. It's not uncommon for providers to offer special deals to transition between the summer and holiday seasons. Likewise, move-in rates will likely be attractive to families interested in saving money after investing in a new home. Taking the time to research and compare all the providers in the area also presents extra opportunities to lower costs on cable and Internet.

One of the biggest frustrations that television lovers can experience is a drought in quality programming. Consumers are even more likely to consider dropping their cable service when their channel selection seems starved for engaging content across the board. TV watchers can fret no more: The summer slush of reruns has ended and new and returning hits are headed back to the weekly rotation on a television near you. From exciting historical dramas to new takes on beloved characters, the fall of 2015 is a prime time for television lovers to glue themselves back to the couch.

Cable providers regularly promote special rates for cable TV and Internet bundles during the fall as the weather outdoor begins to cool and consumers turn their eyes back toward indoor entertainment. You’ll find potential great deals by comparing your local cable providers and a lineup of enticing programming if you decide to get back into television this September.

Park yourself on the couch as summer comes to a close.

1. New and returning shows worth the subscription
Longtime of fans of critically acclaimed cable television won’t be canceling their subscription anytime soon. Two cultural phenomenon, the BBC’s Dr. Who and AMC’s Walking Dead, are headed into their respective 9th and 6th seasons this fall. If new adventures with the unpredictable Doctor and his engaging cast of companions aren’t enough to lure in cable viewers, the continued struggle of Rick Grimes and his son Carl against the zombie apocalypse are sure to whet the appetite of content starved TV enthusiasts.

New seasons of old favorites aren’t the only attraction cable has for TV lovers this fall, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Hockey fans are sure to get into IFC’s Benders, a new sitcom following the adventures of a group of friends who take their amatuer hockey league a little too seriously. BBC America’s The Last Kingdom, based on the popular Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell, will be sure to tide over swords and shield play addicts until the next season of Game of Thrones starts. Fans of the prolific camp horror series Evil Dead will be delighted to know that Ash Vs Evil Dead, a new Bruce Campbell project that explores the titular character’s monster-thrashing lifestyle following the events of the films, premiers on Starz.

2. Network programming guaranteed to dominate social media
While cable television has plenty of fixes for a wide variety of viewer tastes, those who love to stay in the know will have their hands full keeping up with all the hot new and returning shows scheduled to premiere on network television this fall. One uniquely ambitious and highly anticipated show headed to network television in October is the CW’s weekly musical comedy, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The fresh project stars Rachel Bloom as a career woman in love and heading into (hopefully) entertaining madness.

USA Today noted that audiences should also keep their eye out for The Grinder, a Fox sitcom that brings together fan favorites Rob Lowe and Fred Savage as a pair of brothers managing a law firm. Savage plays a practicing lawyer whose brother, a famous TV lawyer played by Lowe, joins the family business. The show premiers in late September.

No rundown of 2015’s fall line-up would be complete without mentioning The Muppets, premiering on ABC in September. Entertainment Tonight said that the new mockumentary follows comedic greats like Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear as they manage the behind-the-scenes chaos that always comes with running a successful variety show. The epic breakup between Kermit and Piggy has been covered extensively by social media, and this nostalgia-packed series will continue the Muppets tradition of featuring A-list celebrities on a weekly basis. This perfect storm of of big-name guest star appearances and shameless nostalgia is sure to be a hit come September 22.

3. Sports fans can catch all the action with a new package
Sports fans without a cable package will find themselves simultaneously up a creek without a paddle this season as they try to keep up with college sports, NHL, NBA and NFL action all season long. Between access to ESPN and an extensive list of extra viewing options made possible by cable providers, continuing cable is likely to be a no brainer for sports fans headed into the fall of 2015.

Whether you’re waiting to watch the Golden State Warriors defend their 2014 championship or interested in following what has already proven to be a drama-filled season of football, a call to your cable provider this fall is likely in order. This is just a short selection of television shows premiering or renewed for the fall season. TV lovers will find that the list of reasons to keep or upgrade their cable package this year is quite extensive.

There’s no question that every home should have a smoke alarm. Approximately 2,500 people are killed each year in residential fires, and another 500 die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Installing smoke and CO alarms throughout your home is the first step toward protecting yourself and your family.

Smoke alarms first entered homes in the 1960s, but they were large, cumbersome and contained a proprietary, hard-to-replace battery. The first nine-volt battery-powered unit hit the market a decade later and quickly became the standard, but then that incessant chirping signifying a low battery caused numerous smoke detectors to meet the business end of a broom. The battery problem was more recently solved by the ability to wire smoke alarms into a home’s existing wiring, preventing the dreaded 2 a.m. chirp. Hardwiring also provided the ability to create a “connected” system, allowing one alarm to alert its brethren when activated.

Today, utilizing your home’s high speed internet connect and the addition of Wi-Fi to our smoke alarms means that you don’t even need wires to connect these vitally important gadgets anymore. Plus, you don’t have to be in the home to hear the alarm—the Wi-Fi connection allows “smart” smoke alarms to send an alert to your smartphone wherever you are.

Here is a rundown of some of the newest, smartest smoke alarms currently on the market to help you find the best fit for your home:

Kidde Wireless Smoke and CO Alarm, $49

The battery-operated Kidde 2in1 Wireless Combination Smoke, Fire and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm employs wireless-interconnect technology—if one alarm sounds, all interconnected units will sound. Additionally, when connected to a home automation system, such as the Wink App, it can be configured to send you a message on your smartphone when any alarm is activated. The device is also equipped with a voice warning that will identify the type of threat, and alert you by saying “Fire! Fire!” or “Warning! Carbon monoxide.”

Nest Protect, $99

Smart home pioneer Nest followed up its groundbreaking learning thermostat with the Nest Protect. Available in both hard-wired and battery-operated units, this industrial-grade smoke sensor can be silenced from your phone (no more frantically waving a dishrag at the ceiling!), tests itself automatically, and lasts up to 10 years. It will send you an alert on your smartphone that identifies exactly where the problem is and what is wrong, whether it’s a fire or CO leak. It also doubles as a nightlight, turning on a path light when you walk under it—a handy extra safety tool during emergencies.

The “smarts” in the system also work with Nest’s thermostat. If you have both installed, the Protect can tell your thermostat to turn off when it senses a CO leak or fire. Nest also makes a Wi-Fi camera, Nest Cam, which will automatically record a clip if your Nest Protect senses smoke or CO so you can go back and see what happened. The Nest cam can be viewed remotely, allowing you to keep an eye on what’s going on at home when you’re away.

BRK First Alert Interconnected Smoke and CO Alarm, $31

This combination smoke and CO alarm features voice and location capabilities and is designed to be positioned in up to 11 pre-programmed home locations. This room specification allows the built-in voice alarm to not only tell you if the danger is smoke or carbon monoxide, but also what part of the home is in danger. This device keeps its smarts to itself and doesn’t connect to the internet, but when paired with up to 18 hard-wired alarms, all the alarms will announce the location if fire or smoke is detected.

First Alert ZSmoke, $49.99

This First Alert Z-Wave combination photoelectric smoke and carbon monoxide alarm can be tied into most Z-Wave-enabled home automation systems, such as Nexia Home Intelligence LINK, allowing it to trigger events such as shutting off the house fan if smoke is detected, sending an alert to your smartphone or flashing the lights in the house when smoke is detected—helpful for attracting the attention of neighbors or hard-of-hearing residents. Interconnection with other smart home devices, like a home alarm system or door locks, could enable the alarm to trigger the outdoor siren and unlock the front door for speedier access when help arrives.

RemoteLync by Kidde, $99.99

If you already have a house full of top-of-the-line smoke and CO detectors that you don’t fancy replacing but you like the idea of being notified when they go off and you aren’t home, then Kidde’s RemoteLync is a great solution. It plugs into a single outlet, listens for a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, and uses the home’s Wi-Fi to remotely alert you. It can communicate with most alarms manufactured after 1999, plugs into a standard 120V outlet and doesn’t require a smart home hub or any other adapter. Simply download the RemoteLync app (android or iPhone), connect it to your home Wi-Fi and you’re set.

The advent of the smart home has offered today’s homeowner’s many fun and cool conveniences, but the remarkable ability of these smart smoke alarms to protect our homes and our loved ones is perhaps the coolest feature of all.

Author: Jennifer Tuohy writes about Fire Safety technology for The Home Depot. She provides info on the latest fire protection products and how they can keep you safe. To see a selection of smart smoke alarms that Jennifer talks about in this article, visit homedepot.com.

Internet access is an integral part of the college experience. In fact, a Pew Research Center survey found that over 99 percent of undergraduate and graduate students regularly utilize broadband Internet service. From downloading important text files to streaming online videos for class, there are endless ways for students to take advantage of the Internet in order to advance their learning. However, it’s important that students are able to surf the Web at speeds that are appropriate for their needs and the specifics of the assignments. An unreliable or inconsistent connection can have extensive negative consequences on the life of a student.

That’s why students living off campus should take a closer look at the types of connection speeds offered by their local Internet and cable providers. Comparing costs will help you save on your monthly costs, but that’s not the only factor you should consider when evaluating Internet service. Get educated when it comes to the types of Internet connection speeds available, identify what you’ll need to facilitate your favorite online activities and give your bandwidth a head start this semester.

Simple downloads at low prices
If the extent of your daily Internet needs are limited to email, web browsing, and watching standard video, then you may be able to save a bit of money by opting for a connection speed somewhere between 4-6 Mbps. This Internet option will likely only appeal to students taking a major that requires minimal online research or information gathering, as opening multiple tabs and switching quickly between multiple forms of media can become more difficult when your Internet connection is struggling to keep up.

Meet your need for speed on a reasonable budget
Aiming to stream crystal clear video or play multiplayer online game over your Internet connection? You’ll need Internet speeds a quicker than the baseline, ranging from 10-15 Mbps. With this connection, a single user could run multiple applications on their computer at once. As a result, this is also the perfect speed for students who must regularly perform multimedia projects and intensive assignments on a weekly basis for class.

This connection is vulnerable, however, to being split up and slowed down when multiple machines are accessing your network at the same time. This point is particularly relevant for students living with two or more roommates. Insufficient bandwidth could make it impossible for each member of the home to take full advantage of the household connection simultaneously.

Faster connections for a house full of roommates
You’ve got to change your thinking with regard to your Internet connection if you live in a household of media users. Otherwise you’ll find that the music downloads, online gaming connections and streaming speeds of the entire house will suffer. That’s why it makes sense to pitch in for a higher tier of Internet service if each member of the house wants a high-speed connection all to themselves.

The Federal Communications Commission selected 25 Mbps as the new baseline for broadband service, upping the number from 4 Mbps to scale along with the increasing amounts of data being transferred by Internet users on a daily basis, according to PC Magazine. This serves as a decent baseline for college students sharing the same Internet connection as well. You may even consider bumping up your speed even higher if data-heavy activities and size of your household demand even more bandwidth.

College is a lot less fun with slow Internet.

Use landlines for a more consistent connection
In some cases, the best way to get the most out of your Internet speed in college is to go old school and connect your computer directly to a cabled connection. While wireless technology is more advanced and convenient than ever, the speeds available over a hardwired connection are often much more consistent and faster than those achievable over a wireless modem. That’s why it pays to invest in a bit of extra cable in order to extend the connection directly from an Internet jack to your PC or laptop. When you simply need the fastest download speeds possible, landlines are the way to go.

Fix sources of slowdown
Once you’ve found the right Internet speed and optimized your hook ups, the best way to maximize your Internet speeds in college is to address the most common causes of slowdown. For example, the solution to your speed problems may be as simple as moving the router to a new location. Find a centralized spot that’s equidistant from every bedroom for best results. You should also check to see if your connection is being negatively impacted by a nearby cordless phone or microwave oven. Consumer Reports noted that if you have a dual-band router, switching your connection to 5 GHz is an easy solution to this problem.

Since their debut in the 1980s, digital thermostats have made it easier for homeowners to make their houses more comfortable by controlling indoor temperatures. The ability to program a heating and cooling schedule, still a relatively recent feature in the net timeline of home thermostat technology, is nevertheless a substantial breakthrough in the industry. Users can improve the efficiency of their homes significantly and reap the rewards of reduced energy consumption by setting their HVAC systems to turn on and off with respect to when the household will be occupied. Programming the heating and cooling systems to run at comfortable temperatures while the home is empty and switch to a livable climate just before occupants arrive is considerably more efficient than the alternatives.

This feature alone makes a programmable thermostat a worthy investment, but consumer technology has advanced considerably since the ’80s and programmable thermostats are now capable of doing so much more. Using your home’s high speed internet connection, today’s high-performance “Smart” thermostats are also capable of analyzing outdoor humidity, tracking indoor energy and other features designed to simplify your life. Whether your goal is to make your heating and cooling bills a little cheaper or you’re interested in one of the many cool perks the latest generation of programmable thermostats has to offer, the following options are likely to meet your needs and more.

Nest Learning Thermostat, 3rd Gen. – BUY NOW!

Honeywell Wifi Smart Thermostat – BUY NOW!

ecobee3 Smarter Wi-Fi Thermostat – BUY NOW!

1. Nest Learning Thermostat: Third Generation
When it comes to looking for a thermostat to auto-adjust temperatures based on a weekly schedule or the location of family members in the home, consumers have trusted the Nest brand since 2011, when the company launched the first iteration of its smart thermostat. The third version has seen cosmetic and functionality updates galore, and any consumer interested in upgrading their thermostat should at least take a look at what the latest Nest technology can do. Thanks to an intuitive Wi-Fi app, the Nest Learning Thermostat is more accessible than ever before.

On the design side of the coin, the new Nest boasts a larger screen and more streamlined contours. Visually, the device’s far-field sensor, which makes it easier for users to view time and temperature from a distance, is one of the third-generation Nest’s most impressive features. In terms of functionality, the newest Nest features include the ability to interact with users from longer distances, a feature that supplements the more visible screen. The Nest also monitors furnace activity for signs of overheating and is capable of forwarding performance problems to homeowners via text or email. These features make the Nest one of the smartest thermostats on the market.

2. Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
Competing directly with the Nest in terms of design and name recognition is no small order, but Honeywell has responded admirably with the latest version of its smart thermostat, focusing on users who appreciate hard data and utility over comfortable aesthetics. Honeywell’s visuals are hardly barebones – the metallic finish, sharp edges and bright screen recall the bridge of a glamorous sci-fi starship. On the other hand, the installation instructions perform considerably less hand-holding than those that come with the Nest and make Honeywell’s device more suited for an experienced DIYer.

Beyond these design differences, functionality between the two devices is more or less identical. Both are capable of managing indoor temperatures based on a daily heating or cooling cycle, feature an intuitive touch screen, deliver options and controls on-the-go via mobile app and continue to work as traditional thermostats when an Internet connection is unavailable. The decision between these two products comes down largely to your experiencing with basic electrical wiring and your personal preference in terms of stylish home electronics.

3. Ecobee3 Thermostat: Apple HomeKit Enabled
Not a fan of Nest or Honeywell’s offerings? The latest version of the Ecobee3 Thermostat offers a choice alternative for homeowners who aren’t attracted to the flashy and futuristic vibes projected by the two popular smart thermostats. The Ecobee3 takes a minimalist approach in terms of design and layout without coming up short in terms of performance and features. In addition, the Ecobee3 comes packed with a remote wireless sensor that measures the temperature in another room in the house. This feature allows you to correct the climate in any room of your home without having to make constant adjustments to your thermostat.

The Ecobee3 also shines in its seamless connectivity with commonly used smart home systems like SmartThings, Control4 and Vera. In addition to widespread compatibility, it’s a breeze to network the Ecobee3 as part of a “If This, Then That” sequence and integrate the device with the rest of the Internet of Things appliances scattered throughout your home. This smart thermostat is also one of the first brands to feature Apple HomeKit integration, allowing to make adjustments to their temperature via their iPhone and Siri voice control. Akin to the Honeywell device, installing the Ecobee3 can be a bit complicated. Regardless, this fault alone is no reason to discount the Ecobee3 from consideration.

Nest Learning Thermostat, 3rd Gen. – BUY NOW!

Honeywell Wifi Smart Thermostat – BUY NOW!

ecobee3 Smarter Wi-Fi Thermostat – BUY NOW!

Ultimately, the decision in which home thermostat to purchase comes down to preferences as a consumer and as a homeowner. All three of these devices sell for a similar price, retailing for just over $240. You’ll likely be able to find some online deals on these popular items with the holiday season fast approaching, and selecting your smart thermostat based on price alone won’t put you at much of a disadvantage considering all three feature such similar functionality. Otherwise, it just comes down to how well each device meshes with your current home decor.

Saving energy is likely a priority for your household, and there are plenty of strategies that you and your family can follow to minimize monthly consumption of electricity. Make sure not to forget to consider electrical safety when making your home more efficient, as maintenance lapses in this regard are responsible for over 50,000 home fires and hundreds of electrocutions each year, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation.

Fortunately, there is plenty of overlap between electrical safety solutions and efficiency fixes. It’s easier to identify those opportunities by envisioning safety and energy efficiency at a single project. If you and your family start plugging away at electrical maintenance now, your home could be considerably more efficient in the coming new year. The following tips are a great place to start when plotting out a set of weekend projects that help keep your power bills under control while also protecting your family from the dangers of haphazard wiring.

Update aging electrical appliances
With age comes fraying wires, worn components and overheating issues. All of these factors can increase risk factors for electrocutions and fires occurring in the home. Likewise, the same signs indicate that an appliance is running significantly less efficiently than designed. These issues become even more magnified when appliances fall into disrepair or do not receive routine maintenance over an extended period of time. Thankfully, both issues can be addressed with the same solutions.

First, remember that scheduling timely repairs and service will go a long way toward ensuring your appliances run efficiently and without risk of an accident.  Second, if you’re interested in limiting energy waste even further, then consider upgrading your appliance completely with a new, Energy Star-rated model. In addition helping you save money on your monthly bill, you can feel confident that a new appliance will operate safely for several years. This peace of mind and relative safety may be well worth the cost of your next appliance upgrade.

Consolidate massive webs of extension cords
If your family room is a mess of wires that runs under, over and behind pieces of furniture, then there are probably steps that can be taken to make your home more energy friendly and less likely to host an electrical fire. The quickest way to improve electrical safety in a room with several crisscrossing wires is to consolidate your setup, according to the Public Broadcasting Service. Swapping out multiple extension cords for a single power strip, for example, will make it less likely for family members to trip while also ensuring that your outlets do not get overloaded and become a drain on energy efficiency.

When purchasing power strips, be sure to invest in one with a surge protector to further limit chances of a house fire. By using this safety principle to manage the number of active outlets in your home, your family will naturally begin to use appliances – and electricity – less frequently. It also pays to be aware of energy vampires, which are appliances that continue to drain electricity even when they are turned off. Corralling these appliances to their own surge protector makes it easy to cut off these low-key energy wasters at the source.

Investigate wiring issues when lights begin to flicker
While flickering lights may seem to be, at worst, a little ominous, the phenomenon should also alert family members to the possibility of electrical issues occurring in the home. Popular Mechanics noted that loose wire splices, worn light fixtures and other deterioration of electrical systems are responsible for the inconsistent flow of power that is responsible for wiring splice or a light fixture that’s worn out and needs to be replaced. In addition to an interrupted power flow, flickering lights indicate that the home’s wiring setup may be in need of rapid repair. Researching solutions as soon as the issue begins will help protect your household and family from combustible consequences of wiring failure in the future.

Sparks fly and energy is wasted when wiring begins to fail.

Prepare for weather to limit dangers and risks to the home
Weather damage is unpredictable, but you can prepare for the worst by making sure your home is always in good repair. Even small fixes around the home can make a big difference when bad weather makes electrical safety and efficiency more difficult. For instance, forgetting to clean dry leaves from a gutter or yard could serve as kindling if strong storm winds damage nearby electrical wires. Likewise, damaged wiring can pose an even greater risk to your home if the maintenance issue is compounded by indoor flooding. The best way to prevent a small wiring issue from turning into a huge problem is to dedicate some time to scheduled home improvement and maintenance.

Get in touch with a local contractor to in your area to perform efficiency checkups on your home’s wiring. Working with a professional will make it easier to both identify problem areas and help you brainstorm new strategies to save energy. Ultimately, the daily habits of you and your family will have the biggest impact on your total electric bill. Changing a few of these routines could not only improve efficiency across the home, but also ensure that your family remains protected from electrical accidents.

Nothing is more frustrating than dealing with a lagging computer or slow Internet connection. Whether you’re trying to listen to your favorite music files or stream the latest blockbuster, dealing with a slowed computer is a maddening experience. What causes lapses in performance in home computers? Sources of slowdown are widespread and depend heavily on the user’s online and offline activity. Additionally, hardware configuration can aid and hinder the performance of your machine.

Struggling with computer performance is especially frustrating when you and your family invest in high-speed Internet access. On the bright side, there are low-cost methods for diagnosing and dealing with online and offline performance problems. Deploy a few of the following strategies to address the sources of slow boot up, choppy performance and lagging high-speed Internet.

Establish a speed baselines for your high-speed Internet service
The first step in addressing your home’s waning Internet performance is to determine the speed of your connection. There are plenty of online speed tests available that can help you determine your download and upload speeds. Once you’ve established your current speed, compare this value against the number your cable and Internet provider promises in your contract. If speeds are significantly lower throughout the day, then there’s a good chance that you’ve got a local, solvable problem impacting your connection. As a precaution, you may want to communicate the speed difference with your cable provider in order to determine if similar problems are affecting users in your neighborhood.

Identify your home’s bandwidth hogs
Homes have grown considerably more connected as a result of the Internet of Things leaving a lasting imprint on the market for consumer goods. As a result, you’ll have to keep a closer eye on the number and type of devices connected to your router. If your bandwidth is split between multiple computers, the family room, and a dozen smart devices, then each member of the family is probably going to experience some slowdown.

You can get a better look at what’s connected to your Internet connection by opening your router’s management interface. Locate the DHCP Client table, which should give you a detailed readout of all the machines currently connected to your Internet and how much activity they are demanding from your router. This information will make it easier to determine how many devices your network can support before Internet speeds begin to suffer.

Adjust router settings and position to maximize your connection
If your high-speed Internet connection is free of bandwidth hogs, there may be some configurations issues unique to the router that are causing the problem. Kim Komando recommended reviewing the router’s DNS settings and editing them with alternative DNS available online. If all else fails, try moving the router closer to devices that utilize the most bandwidth. Reducing the distance may be the secret to boosting your connection.

Start uninstalling unfamiliar and unused programs
If performance problems are more closely related to your computer than your router, then you’ll have to take a slightly different approach to solving the problems. Start by opening your computer’s control panel and opening the uninstall screen. Scroll through the application list and look for strange or unfamiliar programs, especially ones putting excessive demands on your computer’s CPU.

Once your extraneous applications have been removed, you should consider opening up the system configuration window and disabling some of your PC’s startup programs as well. These applications are set to activate automatically anytime your computer is turned off and can lengthen the time it takes for your device to boot up to full speed.

Keep malware out of your PC to keep your Internet up to speed.

Give your hard drive a vigorous sweep
Sometimes problems on your hard drive are the direct result of infections that begin on the Internet. That’s why PC Magazine emphasized that all computer users should adopt some sort of third-party malware sweeper loaded onto their computer. Such a program acts as your first line of defense against nefarious pieces of code and tricky trojan programs.

Several useful sweeper programs are available as online freeware, but be wary of pretenders and software developers without credentials. Make sure that any piece of malware prevention software you download is well vetted, and make sure to download the program from the developer’s dedicated homepage.

Make some moves with the task manager
Another place to identify and deactivate problematic programs is the task manager, said PC World. Accessing the process tabs will give you a peek at every application running on your computer and the amount of demand they are currently putting on your system. Suspicious, data-heavy programs are top priorities for ending, and doing so regularly could help address slowdown of your Internet connection. At the very least, program information identified while looking at the task manager can help you decide identify which shady programs to uninstall.

It’s no news that your heating bills will see an increase come winter time. In many parts of the country, families begin to see price surges as early as autumn. What you may not know, however, is how much you and your family can save by taking the time to fully winterize the home. You can turn a big undertaking into a series of simple upgrades by starting your efforts now. A few weekends into the fall and you’re likely to already recognize a difference in the performance of your household.

According to data collected by the National Association of Realtors, improving insulation alone can reduce your heating bills by 20 percent during cooler months. Consider how much more you could save by winterizing the home from top the bottom. Making smart, cost-effective improvements will help you maximize reductions your heating bills while simultaneously earning back your investment. Deploy the following strategies to get your home ready for winter weather.

Automation can help you make even better use of programmable thermostats.

Manage the flow of heat
The flow of air in and out of your home also dictates the path that heat takes as it moves from one room to the other. Steady, efficient heat flow requires that the air moving through the home does so uninhibited. That’s why maintenance chores like replacing your home’s furnace filter are so important. Furthermore, you can control heat flow within each using your overhead fans. According to Popular Mechanics, setting fans to spin clockwise draws air into the center of the room and helps interiors to retain heat, reducing heating bills by up to 10 percent.

Check for drafts and seal off leaks
One of the biggest projects you’ll want to complete as you winterize your home is the sealing of your home’s entrances, windows and leaks. As the temperature drops, the warm air supplied to your home by the furnace naturally begins to flow to the outdoors. Sealing your home makes it more difficult for heat to escape and prevents cold drafts from making your interior spaces uncomfortable.

Start by installing weather stripping around the home’s doors and windows, where air is prone to escape through cracks around the frame. Leaks caused by damage to interior walls can be sealed up by caulk or another type of sealing material. Once you’ve sealed up the most common leak locations, inspect light fixtures, power outlets and plumbing for drafts as well.

Adjust the water heater
While most water heaters are set to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the can actually operate at 120 degrees without a perceptible change in performance. Stepping down into your basement or into the maintenance closet to adjust your furnace will just take a few minutes, but the positive impacts will last until next spring. Simply lowering the standing temperature of your water heater will help to lessen energy consumption by a noticeable margin. You can save even more energy by making a few adjustments to the family’s weekly habits. Shortening shower times, for example, will help to reduce the extra furnace fuel burned to keep water at a comfortable temperature during winter weather.

Invest in a programmable thermostat
Being able to control the temperature of your interior, even when nobody’s home, is a powerful tool. You can cut your heating bill down considerably by investing in a programmable thermostat that warms the home before you arrive but keeps the house cool while family members are at work or school. Putting plenty of care into your thermostat schedule will ensure that the transition from cool to livable temperatures goes completely unnoticed by members of your family.

This strategy ensures that you don’t waste money and fuel heating your home while no one is in it, just to make sure the interior is toasty when you finally arrive. Alternatively, process of turning the heat all the way off and turning it on again later is extremely inefficient. Homeowners are better off scheduling their AC systems to shift between two preset temperatures.

Inspect and upgrade insulation
Focus on insulation once the rest of your home has been sealed and repaired. You can go online to research how much R-value your home should have based on your region of the country. Once you have a baseline for insulation, reach out to a contractor and see if you can find out how much protection from the cold your interior walls already have. Many insulation materials can be layered over one another, and taking this approach will help you get your R-value up to par without paying for the full cost of a renovation. In cases where new insulation is inevitable, investing in high-end products like spray foam insulation will actually help to improve energy efficiency all year round.

The best way to steer clear of a moving scandal is to learn as much as you can about a company before you let them handle your valuables. Consider online reviews, Better Business Bureau, fine print on the company’s website and word of mouth before you sign a contract. A licensed moving company will be happy to show you its credentials.

Visit this blog again for more tips on home efficiency, security and safety.