- During a recent power outage, it occurred to us that not everyone out there is ready for such an event, or equipped with the items needed to lighten the sometimes stressful environment it can create.

We have put a few tips together that we hope everyone will find helpful when the lights go out.

Lighting

Candles:

(Keep candles handy; use them to decorate your home if at all possible. They look good and when the lights go out you can ease the tension room by room, lighting one decorative display at a time.)

A: If more light is needed, a piece of tinfoil carefully placed behind the candle will reflect the light into the room instantly doubling the candles lighting capacity.

B: You can also take a piece of tinfoil about 15″x 15″, and place a piece of tape (duct tape works great) on one side and tape it around the base of the candle. Make sure that it is a larger candle around 6 to 8″ tall, and as big around as the average sized soup can. This will allow it to burn longer without melting down to the base. Allowing the tape to remain cool and keep the foil attached.

This type of set up will ultimately allow you to shape the foil around the top of the candle in a bowl shape creating a cheap easy version of a lantern allowing you to focus the candles light where it is needed.

C: There are many different types of candles out there that are designed for survival situations and are meant to burn for long periods of time without issue, but for your typical power outage most display candles found in stores are sufficient. You may want to limit the amount of scented versions, because you will have many candles lit and the mixed smells could become overwhelming.

D: Finally 2 major rules to live by when candles are used:

1: Keep all lit candles stationary to prevent fires, if you need to walk around the house use a flashlight.

2: Above all before going to bed or leaving a room unattended put out all lit candles to prevent a fire. We suggest gathering everyone into a central area (Living room or dinning room) during an outage and only lighting candles in that occupied area. This might be a good time to reconnect and break out some board games.

Household rules

Bathroom courtesy:

(It may sound funny but when there is no power that usually means that the water is gone as well. In most cases you will be lucky to get 2 or 3 flushes per toilet before the reservoir tank is out of water for this we have one rule.)

1: If its yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.

Fridges & Freezers:

(When the power does go out most of us have no way of knowing exactly when it will be coming back on again. If left closed, on average you can go between 1 & 3 days without power before your current stock of chilled foods is lost to spoilage. We advise the following three rules to prevent early spoilage.)

1: If possible prepare meals that don’t involve items kept in the fridge or freezer to maintain their temperature as long as possible.

2: Avoid opening either of them unless absolutely necessary. If it happens to be winter and you have snow on the ground, setting items outside in the snow could save you from having to repurchase your freezers contents.

3: Last but not least if you do need to get something out, think ahead about what you want and get in and out quickly. Don’t make it Christmas shopping on Black Friday and let all that cold air out looking around with the door open.

Heating:

(Most heaters need electricity to work or can give off dangerous fumes when used indoors. If you have a gas stove it may not light when you turn the knob, but the gas is still there. If you turn it on you can easily light it manually with a match, we recommend the extended grilling lighters to avoid burns. Use it to keep warm or cook as usual with one rule in mind.)

1: Above all make sure when you are finished you shut off the gas. We recommend trying to relight it immediately after shutting it off to make sure no gas is still coming out.

Appliances:

(In almost every case the power will come back on, keep this in mind when going to bed or putting your little ones to sleep. You don’t want to get the good news at 3am and have your house light up like the 4th of July!)

1: Before heading to bed check the light switches, TV’s, Radio’s and Computer or all of the above to make sure they are off. If you can’t remember if it was on when you lost power just unplug it until morning and save some energy in the process.

Water

Drinking water:

(If you’re up on your storage needs you should have some set aside, but for convenience sake keep a gallon or two in your fridge. Just make sure you take them out as soon as you loose power to maintain the cold and put them into a cooler to have some cold drinking water on hand.)

Useful water:

(If you can get yourself a 55 gallon drum and attach a faucet onto the base, it can be filled with tap water or collected rain water. It may not be drinkable but can be handy to carry in by bucket in case someone breaks the (Don’t flush the toilet rule) to refill the reservoir tank on the back of the toilet.)

Kids

Babies:

(With young children these types of situations can be scary so try to plan ahead and talk to them about what to do when it happens. Try to also plan ahead to ease the situation by finding creative ways to maintain any routines they are used to.)

1: Get a few of the dome shaped push to turn on infomercial lights to substitute as a battery powered night light.

2: Use a MP3 player or Walkman with some simple portable speakers that can run off the built in earphone jack so they can still listen to their lullaby music if that is what they are used to. Any interruptions in a structured routine will result in a difficult time getting them to bed.

Younger children:

(The older the child the less help or comforting they will need but it is still smart to give them tools to adapt to the new circumstances.)

1: Give everyone their own flashlight, it will make them feel safe and come in handy if they need to use the bathroom. Don’t be surprised if the batteries are dead the next day, even big kids can be scared of the dark.

2: Keep a few glow sticks in the freezer; you can usually find cheap little sets at the dollar store. They can help to comfort them and save on flashlight batteries as well as turn a potentially scary night into a fun and cool night playing with glow sticks. Depending on the child’s age use good judgment or buy ones with a thick shell so they don’t break or crack and leak the fluorescent liquid, you never know if its toxic or not but if it glows it cant be that good.

Final Thoughts

Power outages can be scary but, when properly prepared and planned for can make for a night of peace and quiet. Free from the loud crazy TV, Video game, Radio and rumbling background appliance filled world we are all so used to.

It can give you a chance to sit down, read a book or take the opportunity to play an old fashion board game. Grow as a family and really begin reconnecting to those strangers we all so often take for granted (Our family).

Here’s a checklist of features to look out for and questions to ask to determine the green quality of your next home.

Eco Home Tip 1 – Location Location Location – pick a location that’s convenient and easy to get to. Close to shops, amenities and public transport will reduce the amount of emissions that come from getting around. Inquire about the council’s recycling program.

Eco Home Tip 2 – Orient yourself with the right orientation – if a house is to have good eco principles, it will designed with the right orientation. This means that the living areas will face due north, to make the most of the winter sun while allowing the hotter summer sun to pass overhead. Sleeping rooms, meanwhile, will be oriented towards to the South to capture cool summer breezes.

Eco Home tip 3 – Cosy is not a four letter word – consider how the space is used as much as the size of it. Oversized houses utilises more resources in both construction and maintenance, while smaller dwellings are cleverly conceived can feel quite spacious.

Eco Home Tip 4 – Inquire about insulation – ask about the insulation. Higher R values means the house will better protected against extreme weather elements. See if the windows are double glazed. While you’re at it, ask about other green home features such as solar panels and solar hot water. Make your message loud and clear!

Eco Home Tip #11 Good green help – there are a few Australian green realtors, such as ecoproperty, who specialise in green listings. Check the Green Pages green directory for real estate agents who will help you find the perfect green home.

The important thing is to ask before you buy. Even if the real estate agent can’t tell you upfront, it’s important to let the market know that buyers and renters are looking for this bit of information. While no single home will have all of the sustainable features listed, at least you can get a clear picture of what the potential home has to offer.

The easiest way to find out more about the available options on the market is by going online and visiting websites and resource centers specializing in countertops. You can also use dedicated search tools to help you get estimates or quotes from multiple suppliers near you. With a number of options in hand, selecting the right one for your house will be a lot easier to do.

There are over 3,000 different color shades and accents to choose from, so take all the time you need and find granite countertops that will match the overall design of your kitchen perfectly. Review catalogues of different suppliers before deciding the right color and texture suitable for your kitchen or bathroom.

Granite is a low-maintenance countertop material, but you still need to clean it regularly using pH-balanced cleaning agents. When buying granite countertops, consider getting high quality granite cleaners as well; not only will you be able to get recommendations directly from the supplier, you can also save on the cleaners by up to 50%.

Three main types of granite countertops available on the market are granite slabs, modular granite, and granite tiles. Slabs are considered the most expensive option, but you get better results when the installation is done properly. Granite tiles, on the other hand, are very affordable. Modular granite bridges the gap between granite slabs and tiles, offering all the benefits and seamlessness at an affordable price. Simply choose the best option according to your purchase budget.

With these tips in mind, choosing the right granite countertops for your kitchen and bathroom will be very easy to do. Review as many options as possible and find the perfect granite counter tops to use before you know it.

1. Make a floor plan — either by drawing on graph paper or using a site like icovia.com to make sure you buy furniture and rugs that work with the size of your room. It’s easy to mis-judge the actual size of furniture in a showroom, where the spaces are much larger than in your home — ceiling height included! Measure all dimensions, including the height of windowsills to make sure furniture doesn’t block windows and to ensure all furniture pieces work together in your space in terms of proportion and scale. Leave a minimum of 1′ 6″ knee space between coffee tables and chairs or sofas, and a minimum of 3′ walking space elsewhere. Don’t forget to leave room for doors to open without hitting into furniture and lamps. or impeding traffic flow through the room.

2. Decide on a color scheme by either choosing an inspiration piece — art, a rug, or an accessory you love — or, alternatively, start with a piece of furniture you really like in a store and fit everything else around that. A great tool for trying out color schemes and styles of furniture as well as flooring and paint colors is olioboard.com You can make “style boards” using items on the site, or import your own photos of items to put into the boards. You can also hire a designer or home stager to do a color consult for you. They will bring in various paint decks and can work with existing or new furniture, drapes, and carpets to coordinate the whole color scheme, taking into consideration both artificial and natural light in your home.

3. Choose fabric and quality level based on your budget, the wear/abuse expected, amount of sunlight that could potentially fade fabrics, the climate, how often you like to re-do your space when styles change or how quickly you get bored, and the type of household you have — if you have children and pets, you should look for more durable fabrics that hide stains and repel pet fur. Also consider whether you live in a warm-weather or colder climate (cottons, silk, linens suit warmer climates, whereas velvets, suedes, heavy cottons tend to suit colder climates better).

4. Even if you prefer a monochromatic color scheme, be sure to create light and dark contrast between furniture and rugs/ floors/bookshelves/furniture and accessories and art in order to prevent monotony in the room. Also add a variety of textures. Consider fabrics, drapes, pillows and decorative accessories. Browse sites like Houzz.com for looks you like and ideas on pieces you would like to buy.

These days the new and modern underfloor heating systems require electricity. It is made in such a fashion that with the use of electricity it can warm atmosphere place. Electric heating elements, hydronic piping can be used in the floor to make the set up and installation. Hydronic systems are used to cool as well as heat a room. Once these electric piping are installed then concrete mass or tiles are placed above them to provide safety.
These electric systems are installed for your proper usage as a heat radiating substance in many ways. Cables, pre-formed cable mats, bronze mesh, and carbon films are used to employ heat in the systems. These electric systems are also used in carpet heaters, portable under area rug heaters, under laminate floor heaters, under tile heating, under wood floor heating, and floor warming systems, including under shower floor and seat heating.

Now a concern can be raised as to what possibly could be the power consumption of such systems. Generally, these under floor heating systems are not based on voltage. They use wattage as the unit of power consumption on the output produced by the heating substance. These under floor heating. systems are very efficient and are known for their high performance. When these systems are combined with non-combustible and renewable resources, they can be the best sustainable eco friendly floor heating system. The safety part of these systems is such that there is no chance for any one to get electric shock or accidental fire in such areas of a house. It is one of the best systems used for heating a room.Underfloor heating is a special form of centralized heating. With the three basic physics of conduction, radiation and convection a system is made to work, which heats the particular place where it is installed. underfloor heating is also known as radiant heating, as it uses radiation as the prime resulting factor for thermal comfort. In this type of heating mainly 50% of the air is heated to give a perfect warm and cold feeling. If we go back into history, we find traces that prove the existence and use of this type of heating. The Aleutian Island of Alaska and Asia has traces of archeological digs that prove the use of under floor heating using stones, leaves, fire and smoke.

These days the new and modern underfloor heating systems require electricity. It is made in such a fashion that with the use of electricity it can warm atmosphere place. Electric heating elements, hydronic piping can be used in the floor to make the set up and installation. Hydronic systems are used to cool as well as heat a room. Once these electric piping are installed then concrete mass or tiles are placed above them to provide safety.
These electric systems are installed for your proper usage as a heat radiating substance in many ways. Cables, pre-formed cable mats, bronze mesh, and carbon films are used to employ heat in the systems. These electric systems are also used in carpet heaters, portable under area rug heaters, under laminate floor heaters, under tile heating, under wood floor heating, and floor warming systems, including under shower floor and seat heating.

Now a concern can be raised as to what possibly could be the power consumption of such systems. Generally, these under floor heating systems are not based on voltage. They use wattage as the unit of power consumption on the output produced by the heating substance. These under floor heating. systems are very efficient and are known for their high performance. When these systems are combined with non-combustible and renewable resources, they can be the best sustainable eco friendly floor heating system. The safety part of these systems is such that there is no chance for any one to get electric shock or accidental fire in such areas of a house. It is one of the best systems used for heating a room.