Posts Tagged ‘Cool Products for Your Home’
Edison’s Light Bulb is Phased Out.
Thomas Edison’s light bulb, invented in 1879, will not be sold in the U.S. after January 1, 2012.
As part of the Clean Energy Bill, signed in 2007, most wattages of incandescent light bulbs, will go the way of leaded gas and oil based paint. Australia started the light bulb ban in 2007. Europe followed in September, this year.
Even though Americans hate forced change, there are some reasons this change makes sense. According to Energy Star, “a qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months. It uses 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.”
Futhermore, Noah Horowitz, with the Natural Resources Defense Council stated “it would eliminate the need to build 30 new coal power plants and save as much electricity as used by all the homes in Texas.”
Astounding Energy Savings, No More Coal Plants and Free Money, too, what’s not to love?? Well, a couple of things…
First of all, fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. Remember the dangers of mercury? If a bulb breaks, the mercury scatters around the room or hides in the carpet and toys. And, don’t throw the new bulbs into the trash. To dispose of these bulbs, if they don’t break first, they need to be handled like hazardous waste, ie: paint, chemicals, batteries, etc. Home Depot, True Value, IKEA and other retailers will recycle them, but you need to carefully pack them up and drive them to the store.
Secondly, fluorescents can’t be used with a dimmer switch. My personal favorite trick for creating ambiance. And, I’ve already tried CFL’s and found they don’t produce enough light, or maybe the right hue of light, for easy reading and other close up tasks. And, probably most concerning, they also aren’t a great light for those of us who look for bulbs that cast flattering, soft light ):
Change is coming. Adjust or stock up before January 2012. Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net your FREE homes for sale and lease website. Have a great weekend and happy home selling and buying.
Virtually Stage Your Home to Sell
Marketing a vacant home can be difficult challenge, because empty rooms are hard to size up and they don’t stand out in a buyer’s mind. This leaves every vacant home looking like the one next door, with the only difference in a buyer’s mind being, which home has the lowest price.
This problem may have been solved by Krisztina Bell, a smart Atlanta Realtor, who invented and patented a software program that will “virtually” stage any vacant property for around $250. Her company has been heralded by the Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronical and other publications as the answer to giving the effect of a professionally staged home at a fraction of the cost.
With 90 percent of home buyers doing their shopping online, and thousands of vacant homes on the market, Ms Bell’s idea is smart and timely. Her technique transforms listing photo’s of vacant homes into homes with professionally designed interiors, using a library of attractive furnishings, accessories and artwork. The resulting “after” photo’s are realistic, authentic and hard to distinguish from a home that has been actually staged with furnishings.
To view the Photo Gallery of some impressive Before and After Pictures, please visit her website VirtuallyStagingProperties.com, by clicking this link. You will be amazed. And, if you have a vacant home to sell, you should seriously consider this inexpensive option and make your home pop.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale and rent website. If you virtually stage your home, be sure to upload the slideshow to InfoTube.net. Thousands of buyer’s search our site daily for new information on properties.