Tip of the Day: How to cope with the latest nasty winter weather
The current snowicane/snurricane—aka Snowpocalypse Redux—has produced exceptionally wet, heavy snow, increasing the risk of injury and heart attack for people trying to dig out from this latest winter 2009-2010 storm. Follow these tips to avoid hurting yourself when shoveling.
Here's some more advice to help you stay warm and safe and out of the ER during any serious winter weather:
Snow blowers
Our maintenance checklist can keep your blower in peak condition and our safety advice will prevent accidents. See our free buyer's guide to snow blowers if you're in the market for a new model.
Space heaters
Follow these safety tips when using a space heater
for supplementary or backup heating. Our past tests showed that some
lower-priced space heaters were just as effective as aggressively
marketed models like the EdenPure Gen 3 Model 1000 space heater and the Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow Electric Fireplace, also called the Amish heater. The video (above) explains why no space heater on its own can cut your heating bills.
Backup generators
Should you need to use your backup generator, follow these safety precautions. If you got caught in a power outage and plan to buy a generators, check out our free buyer's guide before you shop.
Chain saws
A chain saw can make short work of fallen trees and branches. See our free buyer's guide to gas-powered and electric chain saws. Before you cut, watch our video with advice on making safe, effective cuts.
Essential information: Our Storm & Emergency Guide has more advice that can help you cope with weather emergencies.
Cash for Clunkers for Appliances Buyer’s Guide: Dishwashers
If you need a new dishwasher and are planning to take advantage of the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, also called cash for clunkers for appliances or cash for appliances, here's what you need to know:
States offering rebates for dishwashers: Rebates for dishwashers are available in 33 of 56 states and territories. Find out whether dishwashers are eligible for a rebate where you live and use our interactive map to link to the appliance clunkers Web site in your state.
Rebate amounts: As with every appliance that's part of the cash for clunkers program, rebates vary by state. In Michigan, for example, residents will get $25 to $50 on a new dishwasher; in Missouri, $75; and in Nevada, $100.
Repair-or-replace advice: If your dishwasher is more than seven years old, a new, efficient model could save you roughly $50 each year on your electric and water bills. It probably doesn't pay to repair a dishwasher that's more than 5 years old, according to our exclusive repair-or-replace data (available to subscribers).
Buying advice: Most dishwashers fit a 24-inch-wide space under a kitchen countertop and attach to the existing hot-water pipe, drain, and electrical line, so you shouldn't have to worry about size and connections. But pay attention to price. Less expensive models usually clean dishes as well pricier models, but they might be louder and have fewer features. As for filter type, self-cleaning filters are more convenient than manual filters, but their built-in grinders can be noisy. See our free buyer's guide for more details.
Models to consider: The following Energy Star-qualified models (listed in alphabetical order) stood out in our tests and should be eligible for a rebate in your state. (Some states are requiring that machines exceed even Energy Star criteria.) Check out our ratings of dishwashers and brand-reliability data for these appliances (available to subscribers).
Bosch SHE33M0[2]UC, Kenmore (Sears) 1374[2], Kenmore (Sears) 1389[2], Whirlpool DU1055XTV[Q], Whirlpool Gold GU2300XTV[Q]
—Daniel DiClerico
Essential information: Stay on top of the rebate news on our cash for clunkers for appliances hub and don't shop for a new dishwasher without reading about the best places to buy appliances.
Bloom Box gets buzz going with promise of cheaper, cleaner energy
Last night's 60 Minutes featured a report on the Bloom Box, a compact system of fuel cells from Bloom Energy that could bring cleaner, lower-cost power to homeowners and industry.
Inventor K.R. Sridhar (his hands are shown holding four cubes that he claims can produce enough electricity to power the average American home) detailed how individual disks in the fuel cell combine oxygen and energy to produce a chemical reaction. Traditional fuel cells use expensive and difficult-to-handle hydrogen as a fuel, but, says Sridhar, the Bloom Box can use fossil fuels, waste gas from landfills, or solar energy to power the reaction.
Companies such as Google, Walmart, eBay, and FedEx are already using larger stacks of the blocks at their facilities in California, where state and federal tax credits for alternative-energy systems defray their steep cost. Srindar believes that greater production could drop the price of a Bloom Box big enough to power the average U.S. home to under $3,000.
—Gian Trotta
Essential information: Our Energy Saving & Green Living guide includes information on alternative-energy systems like the Honeywell Wind Turbine WT6500, Dow Solar Solutions Powerhouse Solar Shingles, and solar water heaters. Discuss the Bloom Box and other green ideas on our energy saving at home and heating, cooling, and air forums.
Voucher: Various fashion vouchers
Did you know that it’s London fashion week? Well to celebrate here’s a list of some currently active voucher codes that will get you money off at many of the UKs favourite clothes retailers.
For 15% off at New Look use code VCSPRING15 – Expires Feb 26th
For 20% off at Dorothy Perkins use code DPVC20. Valid [...]
Take a tour of our new Home Remodeling & Improvement Guide
We’ve just unveiled a new Home Remodeling and Improvement Guide with one purpose in mind: To help you get the easiest-to-use and most complete listing of the products and projects that can improve your home’s safety, livability and value.
Working from the top down, the “In the Spotlight” Section collects six of the strongest seasonal recurring features, such as videos of the hottest products from the International Builders’ Show and our just- updated ratings of interior paints and flooring. To let you better undertake (and understand) both basic and more challenging projects, we’ll be posting Tips of the Day, Weekend Projects, Buzzwords and longer 10 Questions for… interviews with remodeling experts.
Directly underneath the “In the Spotlight” box is an interactive home tour (detail pictured above) that lets you view all our product ratings and project plans for a every room in the house. Below that, you’ll find our latest videos, which provide quick and vivid summaries of our product testing.
More interaction is on tap via our Community box, which links to our forums on kitchen and bathroom remodeling, paints and stains, and a very active discussion of heating, cooling, and air conditioning products.
Essential information: Our Kitchen-Planning and Energy Saving & Green Living guides provide a similarly empowering summary of our features on those topics.
Video preview: New bathroom scales can track your progress
With spring just around the corner, it’s a good time to weigh the effectiveness of any New Year’s resolution you may have made to lose weight. The video at right details some low-cost, accurate (and in one case, even solar-powered) bathroom scales that can track as well as measure your progress.
“Based on what that number is on the scale, I can determine what I’m going to be [doing] later on that week as far as exercising and eating,” personal trainer Allen Aranzamendez states in the video. Some of the scales tested may stiffen your resolve by remembering and displaying your last five weigh-ins, and another model can remember the latest readings for two people. (For consistency it’s also important to weigh yourself at the same time of day, such as first thing in the morning. That’s because your weight can fluctuate throughout the day, depending on what you eat or drink.)
Speaking of consistency, our testing reveals some scales that were as much as 7 to 11 pounds off the mark. View the video to learn more about our findings and learn which bathroom scale was tops in our tests.
Essential information: Our free buyers’ guides to bathroom scales and treadmills and elliptical trainers include full ratings that are available to subscribers.
Cash for clunkers for appliances boosts sales in New York
The nationwide cash for clunkers for appliances program appears to have scored a notable success in New York State, which on Feb. 12 began offering rebates ranging from $50 to $105 on individual Energy Star refrigerators, freezers and washing machines (a $555 rebate is available for refrigerators, clothes washers, and dishwashers purchased together). Indiana, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and the U.S. Virgin Islands all kicked off their programs this month, perhaps to coincide with the annual Presidents Day sales.
"We've done this month's business in four days," one local appliance retailer told CBS6-TV in Albany, N.Y. "I could probably use an extra four or five salesmen; there is money and (consumers) are willing to spend it," is how another appliance retailer described the level of interest to the Albany Times-Union.
Storeowners had similar success stories in other parts on New York State. "I'd say foot traffic was up by 35 percent; we saw more people coming in looking to upgrade to more energy-efficient appliances even though their old ones were still working," says Christopher Olivieri, a manager at
Malkin's Appliances in Baldwin, N.Y. "They said their incentive was to get appliances that would save money over the long haul, and we did see lot of people who otherwise would not be in the market for a new appliance."
But a few thorny issues did arise amid the generally rosy picture. Olivieri said many customers repeated rumors that the New York program (which will run through February 21) would run out of money before their rebate forms were processed. And in three cases, paperwork-shy refrigerator buyers passed up the state rebate in favor of a $75 rebate from the Long Island Power Authority that can be filed for online (the two rebates cannot be combined).
To counter these perceptions, the New York State Energy-Efficient Appliance Rebate Program’s Web page has a real-time tracker showing the amount of money left in the program; as of Tuesday morning, $12,409,410.00 remained of the $16.8 million allocated by the federal government for the program. Appliance buyers can also file for the rebate online and track its status.
And while not all retailers are offering to recycle the appliances (which is required to obtain the maximum rebate amounts), some municipalities such as New York City, will pick up refrigerators and freezers and issue confirmation numbers that entitle consumers to the full rebates. NYSERDA also notes that consumers can deliver the appliances themselves to a local recycling center and obtain a signature on a printable form to get the full rebate.
But Olivieri also noted a less-than-harmonious holiday coincidence. "We had a good beginning to the weekend, but traffic fell off a bit on Sunday, as it was Valentine's Day and people seemed to have other things to do than shop for appliances,” he says.
Essential information: See our reviews of appliance retailers, washing machines, refrigerators, and freezers (ratings of all are available to subscribers), and use our interactive map to keep up with the cash for clunkers for appliances program in your state. If you’re trying to keep an old appliance alive until your state's start date, see ApplianceRepair.com's model-specific advice.
Forum Friday: Winter weather boosts interest in snow blowers and heating
Given last week's record snowfalls that blanketed sections of the eastern U.S., it's no wonder that snow removal and heating have become even hotter topics on our forums.
Can lawn tractors morph into snow blowers?
One inventive reader was considering using an aftermarket plow or auger attachment to press his lawn tractor into service as a snow blower. But our resident yard-equipment expert detailed why today's lawn tractors aren't really suited for such demanding double-duty. Other readers are discussing using an ATV as a snowplow, while one of our editors has tried wielding his leaf blower against light snow. A better option would be to use our free buyers' guide to snow blowers and these discussions of key components and handling obstacles to find the best snow thrower for your needs.
EdenPure space heater improves
We've just published the results of our review of the updated EdenPure Gen 3 Model 1000 space heater. Discuss those findings or talk about several other particular space heaters in our central air, furnaces, and fireplaces thread.
Furnaces: Buying and reliability
"Which Gas Furrnace Should I Buy?" remains our all-time busiest forum topic, but recent topics on getting a quote from a contractor for a conventional or geothermal heating system and a discussion of our brand-reliability ratings for gas furnaces have also been heating up of late.
By the Numbers: Energy Department proposes tougher efficiency standards for water heaters
$15.6 billion
Savings U.S. consumers would reap over 30 years if new recently proposed residential-water-heater efficiency standards go into effect, according to U.S. Department of Energy calculations.
The Energy Department estimates that the proposed standards (PDF) would save 2.6 quads of energy over the same time (one quad is equivalent to the annual energy use of about 5 million U.S. households) and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 154 million metric tons. The hopes to finish the rule-making process by next month and have the new rule in effect in five years.
Under the proposed change, higher-capacity water heaters would be more efficient than lower-capacity models. For instance, gas-fired storage-tank water heaters with a capacity of 60 gallons or less would have an Energy Factor of at least 0.675, while those larger would have an EF of at least 0.717. Electric storage-tank water heaters with a capacity of 80 gallons or less would have an EF of 0.96, and those larger 80 gallons would have an EF of 1.088. Energy Factor, says the DOE, is an indication of a "water heater's overall energy efficiency based on the amount of hot water produced per unit of fuel consumed over a typical day." The higher the number, the more efficient the water heater.
The Alliance to Save Energy coalition wants tougher standards and suggests that mandating wider use of higher-efficiency condensing gas models like the A.O. Smith Vertex (cutaway shown), electric heat-pump water heaters like the GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater, and tankless models and solar water heaters would boost savings to $48 billion, 17 quads of energy, and 965 million metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Many advanced storage-tank, tankless, and solar water heaters have an Energy Factor above 0.82 or a thermal efficiency of at least 90 percent, which qualifies them for a 30 percent federal tax credit that covers installation costs.
But "The tax credits don't seem to be helping us get over the hump, so many in the industry feel that you have to raise standards so we get volume up on heat-pump electric and condensing-gas water heaters," says Jeff Harris vice-president for programs at the Alliance to Save Energy. "With that comes more economy of scale for, and more competition between, manufacturers." (Keep in mind that even though a high-efficiency tankless water heater will cut utility bills, the high up-front costs and potentially long payback period might not make them an ideal fit for every household.)
"DOE cannot provide additional comment on the specifics of the proposed rule," says Energy Department spokeswoman Christina Kielich, who encourages the public and interested organizations to submit their comments and opinions on the new regulations.
Essential information: You can save money on heating water by lowering the thermostat on your water heater to 120°F (read your owner's manual for details), insulating hot-water pipes, installing low-flow showerheads, and taking shorter showers. If you're in the market for a new water heater, use our free buyer's guide to water heaters and water-heater-sizing calculator, and check out the discussions in our water-heater forum. Also find out whether that equipment is eligible in your state for a rebate as part of the $300 million cash for clunkers for appliances program.
Forlorn, foreclosure-heavy housing developments a sign of the times
Yesterday's New York Times Opinionator blog ("A Gathering of Opinion From Around the Web") featured a post by Timothy Egan entitled "Slumburbia."
Egan, writing about Lathrop, California, asks, "How can a community possibly be healthy when one in eight houses are in some stage of foreclosure? How can a town attract new people when the crime rate has spiked well above the national average? How can a family dream, or even save, when unemployment hovers around 16 percent?" He goes on to suggest that there are some urban-planning lessons that can be learned by what's happening in "slumburbia."
Egan's story is a provocative read, though I'd suggest that an apt term for the places he writes about isn't slumburbia but rather slumpburbia. True, these exurban developments have turned into real-estate wastelands during the seemingly endless housing slump (chasm, abyss, pit . . ). And it's anyone guess as to when the housing mess will end.
But I'm hard pressed to see these developments nationwide turning into slums. (That would make the McMansion owners who live in some of the tonier slumburbs "slumdog millionaires.")
No matter what you call them, these boomburgs/boomburbs, where foreclosure vultures have swooped in to buy distressed properties, dot the American landscape and serve as a distressing counterpoint to what seems like a very different time.