Keeping Your Home Safe

   Use My Guy here to talk about home security, in today's connected culture we are all concerned about cyber security and identity theft, but what about good old home security?  Unfortunately even those of us living in “safe” suburban neighborhoods have to deal with kids vandalizing property and playing often harmful pranks.  Just recently there was a string of pranks played on the residents of an age restricted community.  Teenagers were going around and shutting off the main breaker to the houses and completely shutting off their power.  To someone with limited mobility lack of power can cause serious problems and in many cases they are paying an electricians service fee which can cost upwards of $100.00 just to have someone flip the main breaker back to the on position.

   So what can you do about it?  There are many great options that are very affordable and do not require a monthly subscription to a security company.  Security doors and lights are two of the best options you can have and with Use My Guy Services we make it easy and affordable to not only secure your home but also add value and style.  Security door installations can often cost upwards of 1000.00 dollars but with Use My Guy Services you can have one installed for as little as $125.00 (does not include cost of door).  Not only can we install the door we will also pick it up from the company that you choose to purchase it from.  

Utilitech Flood Light

   Installing motion sensing lights is another great way to secure your home, nothing is more startling to an intruder than being blinded by a high powered light.  Not only will it send home invaders on their way, it also gives you safety and comfort as it lights the way to your home.  Security lights offer an effective and inexpensive way to give you peace of mind.  There are many different types of security lighting for every budget and taste.
When installing security lighting it is important to ensure that the lights are placed well out of reach of potential invaders.  This will make it so that they are not easily disabled, although it will be more difficult to change the lights if they go out the added security will be worth it and with LED lights often lasting up to 20 years this should be the least of your worries.

Ruger Security Lock

   Locks are also available for breaker boxes which will make shutting of the power significantly more difficult to do.  If you have a loved one in a community and their breaker box is exposed then I highly recommend that you ensure that there is a lock on the breaker box and that whoever lives in the residence has easy access to the key and that the key is well marked.  This way if an electrician does need access to the breakers there is no problem accessing them.

Luckily we now live in a connected era and with smart home systems we can monitor the activity in our homes from break-ins to the kids getting home from school.  Here are a few of the top smart home systems.  Most of these systems come with either cloud connectivity for an additional monthly charge or the ability to store surveillance footage on an exterior hard drive. With these systems moms can tell their kids that they have eyes in the back of their heads and it will be very, very true.

    Nest, probably the most popular smart home system on the market today is also one of the most advanced.  The camera features 1080p resolution, excellent night vision thanks to 8 infrared led's, a two way mic and advanced motion sensing which means that it will not give off false alerts like many less expensive units.  The Nest cloud plan also starts at just 10.00 a month which makes it very affordable to get the extra options that cloud computing has to offer.
Nest also goes beyond security and also has a smart thermostat that can pair with it and learns within a week what your temperature preferences are.  It also uses your phone to know when you are out of the house and can save energy by adjusting the temperature accordingly.  Nest also has a unique feature with its thermostat which tells you how much energy you have saved from adjusting the temperature when you are asleep or gone for the day.

    Netatmo Welcome. This is a great system because you do not have to pay for a monthly subscription to a cloud based service.  All computing is done in unit and it comes with an 8 gig memory card that can be upgraded to a 32 gig card if you would like.  Netatmo also shoots 1080p video and as an added advantage has built in facial recognition software.  This software tags your family members and friends and alerts you when it sees a face that it does not recognize.  Like the Nest, Netatmo has a companion app that lets you see what Netatmo sees and will also send alerts when it hears an alarm go off.  The Netatmo is reasonably priced at 199.00 and has no further fees or subscriptions.
         

    These are just a few of the many ways to add security, beauty and value to your home without breaking the bank and with Use My Guy Services you can rest easy knowing that you are getting the best value in the valley.  Our work is always guaranteed, we are family owned and operated since 2011, have an A+ rating with the BBB and we just won the Super Service Award for 2015 from Angie’s List which means that we have already been tried and tested from hundreds of satisfied customers across the valley.  We are also part of the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce and the Pinal County Chamber of Commerce which means that we help to support other local businesses as well.  Remember that when you buy local you are supporting your local economy and ensuring that your hard earned dollars stay in state and in city.  Call (602)316-9187 to
speak with one of our friendly agents today and schedule an estimate.  Just a few minutes can save you a lifetime of worry.
USE MY GUY SERVICES.  Were we turn your honey do list into a honey done list.

Fifteen Ways to Lower Your Utility Bills Year Round by Combining Good Energy Saving Habits with Simple Energy Saving Solutions. Part 3 of 3.

Fifteen Ways to Lower Your Utility Bills Year Round by Combining Good Energy Saving Habits with Simple Energy Saving Solutions.  Part 3 of 3.

Hi everybody Use My Guy here with the third and final part of my series about saving money on your utilities by building better habits.  Included is the third and most important step to changing your habits for the better.  Don't forget to check out part 1 and 2 for more tips and tricks for saving on your utilities.  Cheers!!

Step 3) Replace the Bad Habits with Good Habits.  

    The final step is also the most important one.  A study done by the Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at the University of Massachusetts regarding new year’s resolutions showed that after the first month of the resolution only 60 percent of people are still following those resolutions and by month 6 only 30 percent are still working towards completing those goals.

    This tells us that breaking and forming habits can be a very difficult process.  The best way to stave off the old habit is to form a new, beneficial habit to take its place.  For instance if you leave the water running while you brush your teeth put a piece of colored tape on your faucet handle to remind you to turn it off while brushing.  Then reward yourself with something as simple as a positive affirmation about yourself when you do the right thing.  This will not only help you to get into the habit of turning off the water but it will also help your self-esteem and that’s a win-win situation.

11)  Install timed or motion activated faucets.

    These faucets aren’t just for your bathroom anymore, they can go everywhere from the kitchen sink to the garage washbasin.  Motion activated faucets not only save you money by ensuring that water is not being run if it’s not being used, they also help to keep germs from spreading by ensuring that dirty hands don’t have to touch the handle.  Now to show you how the savings happen.

    Federal Plumbing Standards dictate that kitchen faucets use no more than 2.5 gallons per minute and bathroom faucets use no more than 2.2 gallons per minute.  This means that when you leave your faucet running while you brush your teeth or wash your hands you are using at least 2.2-2.5 gallons with standard faucets.  That’s where Water Sense Faucets come in.  These are faucets that are certified by the EPA to use no more than 1.5 gallons per minute.  This means that every time you use a Water Sense Faucet you will be saving .7 gallons per minute. 

    So let’s do the math.  Let’s say that the average person washes their hands 15 times a day for thirty seconds.  That’s 7.5 minutes a day spent washing hands.  With a standard faucet you will be using about 16.5 gallons a day just to wash your hands.  That’s just one person, multiply that by the average family of four and suddenly it’s up to 66 gallons a day.  Just from washing your hands and that’s not to mention rinsing dishes, brushing your teeth or washing your face, think about the endless water saving possibilities from just this one upgrade.  If you upgrade to a Water Sense Faucet and it is also a motion activated faucet you will save even more water every time you use it.

    Let’s do the math again with the Water Sense numbers.  If you spend 7.5 minutes a day washing your hands and you use a Water Sense faucet that uses 1.5 gallons per minute you will only be using 11.25 gallons a day.  Multiply that by a family of four and you will be using 45 gallons a day instead of 66, that’s a savings of 21 gallons a day and 7,665 gallons a year.

12)  Solar powered outdoor lighting.

    Everyone loves a tastefully lit backyard but outdoor lighting can be expensive to maintain and if you don’t have a low voltage system than you are likely using more electricity than you need to.  The numbers for saving on your bills in this scenario are not as impressive as some of the other ideas I’ve shown you recently.  However putting in solar powered lighting for your back yard will increase the ease of access for your backyard by ensuring that all the lights come on at night without you having to turn them on and then later off, if you remember to that is. 

    Using solar powered lights also drastically reduces the level of knowledge necessary for proper maintenance.  If one of the lights stops working replacing it is as simple as going to your local hardware store, buying another light and pushing it into the ground.  With wired systems moisture and sun damage can cause a variety of problems that will require an electrician with a good knowledge base to determine the problem and often the whole system will need to be replaced because of corrosion to the wires running under the ground.  So if you want beautiful, unique and easy to maintain lighting than check out the options for solar lighting, there are literally thousands of styles and one is sure to fit your budget and taste.

13)  Plant region appropriate plants and trees.

    Also known as xeriscaping, this type of landscaping is especially important for a state like Arizona where water conservation should be at the forefront of every-one’s mind.  Having a properly xeriscaped yard can save tens of thousands of gallons of water a year and it will save you time because you will not have to spend time watering your plants every-day.  Keep in mind that a 10x10 plot of grass requires 62 gallons every time it is watered to ensure that the water goes to the roots to help it grow a strong root system.  If you water every day-and you most likely do if you live in Arizona- this means that your 10x10plot of grass is using 24,090 gallons of water a year.  Here are some ideas for xeriscaping your home that will beautify your yard and also save you up to 120.00 a year.

         1)       Instead of grass how about rock.  Rock comes in many beautiful and unique colors and shapes that will turn your yard into a distinctive piece of art.

         2)      Plant trees like Palo-Verde, Desert Willow or Acacias.  These trees require little watering and provide good shade and flower beautifully when in season.

         3)      Use plants like the Arizona Rosewood and cacti instead of flowers or shrubs not native to Arizona.

         4)      If grass is a must than water it at the right time of day which is early morning for Arizona, not afternoon or evening.

14)  Use an evaporative cooler for as long as possible.

     I know this sounds like a pain but evaporati  In the early summer months an evaporative cooler uses 250Kwh and a central A/C system uses 850Kwh.  That means that an evaporative cooler uses nearly 3/4s less energy than an A/C unit does.  Evaporative coolers can be run into mid-late May throughout most of the valley which means that if you are like me and have a 400.00 utility bill the end of April then you can save over 300.00 dollars just by switching to an evaporative cooler during the early summer months.  Additionally evaporative coolers cost a fraction of the price of A/C units making them one of the most affordable ways to save money.

ve coolers are very effective in the early summer months in Arizona because of the dry heat that is so exclusive to desert regions       
like ours.

15)  Here I am going to total the amount of savings possible if you follow the ideas I have laid out for you in this 3 part series on saving on your utilities.

    Yearly Savings on Water:  Low flow toilet-20,000 gallons a year, watering at the right time of day-36,000 gallons a year, water pressure regulator-40,000 gallons a year, motion sensing faucets-7,665 gallons a year, xeriscaping your yard-24,000-36,000 gallons a year.

    That’s a total of 127,665 gallons a year you could be saving just by forming good habits and changing to water efficient fixtures.

    Yearly savings on electricity:  Programmable thermostat-60.00 yearly, ceiling fans-128.00 yearly, change air filters regularly-480.00 yearly, switch to LEDs-108.00 yearly, evaporative cooler-1050.00 yearly.

    That’s 1826.00 that could theoretically be saved a year based off of an average utility cost of 3200.00 annually.  In homes that are already energy efficient you will not see as drastic of savings as those of us in older homes or manufactured homes, however it never hurts to go through your home and see what changes could be made to make your home even more earth friendly than it already is.

    I truly hope that these tips and tricks have been helpful and will save you lots of money for years to come.  Just remember that to see any real savings you have to follow these steps every day and encourage those living with you to join you as you save money and make the world a better place one drop at a time.

    If you need a handyman to help you out with any of these things than Use My Guy Services your local family owned and operated handyman service is here to save the day.  We Have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, we have won the Super Service Award from Angie’s List for 2015 and have dozens of five star reviews on Yelp.  We treat every customer like they are part of the family which means that we guarantee all of our labor on installation so if something goes wrong we come back and make it right, every time.  

    Check us out on Facebook, and our website usemyguyservices.com for more information on our services, values and standards or call us at (602)316-9187 to schedule an appointment with one of our friendly agents today.

Thanks for reading.

Use My Guy

Five Ways to Lower Your Utility Bills Year Round by Combining Good Energy Saving Habits with Simple Energy Saving Solutions. Part 2 of 3

Five Ways to Lower Your Utility Bills Year Round by Combining Good Energy Saving Habits with Simple Energy Saving Solutions Part 2 of 3

Use My Guy here again with 5 more tips on saving energy and another way to kick the old habits and bring on the new ones. 

Step 2) Put it in Writing:  Janet L. Wolfe, PhD, a clinical psychologist in New York City says that logging your habits and triggers is a great way to establish a baseline and set goals for yourself.  Wolfe recommends keeping the journal for a week at least.  When you have finished logging your habits and triggers for that week stop and analyze them.  Look for specific triggers so that you can begin to avoid them.  Studies have shown that writing and using multiple senses when studying or memorizing shows a significant increase in information retention and this works on the neural level too.  Habits that have been ingrained for years or lifetimes are much harder to break and require more focus and conscious training to change.  This means that you have to work harder and smarter to beat them.  Writing a few lines a day only takes two or three minutes and when it comes to saving money a few minutes is something that we can all afford.

1)  Having a low flow toilet installed is one of the best ways to turn your bathroom into a utility saving paradise.

Most standard toilets use 3.5 gallons for every flush, at 6 flushes a day that’s 21 gallons a day per person and that is a conservative estimate on the number of times the average person goes to the bathroom.  In a household of 4 that’s 84 gallons a day, just to flush your peeps and poops.  Happily that doesn’t have to be the case.  Most low flow toilets reduce the amount of water used by about 2.3 gallons per flush.  That means that instead of using 3.5 gallons per flush these toilets use a whopping 1.2 gallons per flush.  That saves 13.8 gallons of water per day per person and once again that is based on the conservative estimate of 6 flushes a day.  So if a family of 4 uses 30,664 gallons of water a year just to go to the bathroom with standard toilets that means that with low flow toilets they can save 20,000 gallons a year every year for the life of the toilet.   Now if the average cost of a gallon of water in the Phoenix area is .003 cents per gallon than the monetary savings for a family of four will be 60 dollars a year every year for the life of the toilet.  That’s pretty cool considering that a basic low flow toilet costs about 88.00 dollars.  The money spent on the new toilet will be recouped in about a year and a half.

2)  Have a ceiling fan installed in rooms without one.   

     Getting a new ceiling fan can actually be a fun 

     experience.  With the amount of variety that is available these days just looking for a new fan can   be a joy, as the styles available often border on art and many of the fashions are pleasing to look at. 

A ceiling fan can save you up to 40% on your utility bills.  The reason being that fans increase what is called the wind chill factor.  This means that the air flow around the house is better, if you use your fans during the summer they will move the cool air around so your home is more evenly cooled.  Because of this you can turn your thermostat up so that your A/C unit does not have to work as hard.  For every degree you turn your thermostat up above 78 degrees you can save 3-5% on your utilities.  At 400.00 dollars a month you can save 32.00 dollars a month just by turning your thermostat up to 80 degrees.

3)  Install a programmable thermostat.

This is going to be a slightly more expensive fix than some of the other things I’ve talked about but it will be well worth it as an entry level programmable thermostat costs about 120.00 plus installation.  The way that a programmable thermostat saves you money is by allowing you to set the thermostat higher for times that you don’t need the A/C to work as hard such as early in the morning or times when you are out of the house at work or at the gym.  The programmable thermostat saves you money in the same way that installing a fan does.  By setting the thermostat to turn the temperature up when you are not at home or late at night you will be able to save 3-5% on your utilities for every degree you turn the thermostat up above 78 degrees.  This can lead to significant savings that you will see even in your first 2 months.  About 6.00 dollars a day if you program the thermostat to raise the temperature by 2 degrees above 78 degrees for 12 hours a day.  Also if no-one is home than there is no reason not to turn your thermostat up even higher which in turn will lead to even more significant savings. 

      

4)  Water at the right time of day

This is of paramount importance especially since we live in the sunny state of Arizona.  Watering at the wrong time of day will waste the water that you use and there are many maladies that can be harmful to your grass if watered improperly.

Slime Mold on Grass

  Watering in the middle of the day in summer is very wasteful because the water will quickly evaporate before soaking into the grass and can lead to soil erosion because you will have to water more to get the same results.  Soil erosion is not the only problem that could affect your yard from watering at the right time of day.  If you have a brick wall surrounding your yard or a raised porch next to your grass sprinklers can erode the wood or brick in addition to causing low spots.  I have seen many relatively new brick walls that are in terrible condition because of sprinkler overs-pray.  If all of your sprinklers are perfectly tuned and pointing in the right direction than you should not have to worry about it.  However it is a good idea to check all of your sprinkler heads to make sure that they are adjusted and aimed properly, just in case.  Erosion of your brick wall is probably a worst case scenario but this is just an example of the many problems that can arise because of improper watering.

Powdery Mildew

  The other mistake people make is watering at night.  This leads to fungi, disease and more often than not mosquito's.  The reason for this is that lawns do not have the chance to aerate properly if watered at night and the standing water becomes a breeding ground for mosquito's and mold.  Watering at night can also cause soil erosion for the exact opposite reason that watering in the middle of the day does.  The standing water causes the soil to become too soft and if there is any foot traffic on the grass the next morning  you will quickly begin to see the erosion and low spots form.  The low spots will lead to higher likelihood of mosquito's and fungus.

  The best time of day to water your lawn is in the morning.  In summer between 7:30 and 8:00am and in the winter around 9:00am.  The reason that the times vary is because when the seasons change the time that the sun comes out changes by over an hour from winter to summer and it is ideal to water when it is cool in the morning with the potential to warm up and ensure that the water evaporates and there are no pools of water to attract mosquito's and fungi.  If you water at the right time of day even in the middle of summer you will only need to water every 3 days.  Watering correctly will save you thousands of gallons every week and will lead to happier, healthier grass.

5)  Install motion sensing switches.

Motion sensing switches will not only lead to savings over time but will also greatly increase the ease of access for your home.  Think about how many times you’ve woken up in the middle of the night to soothe a crying baby or use the restroom and how many of those times you have bruised a shin or stubbed a toe.  Motion sensing switches will greatly reduce the amount of times that happens.  It is so nice to be able to get up and not have to stumble to the wall looking for the switch.  This will make your life easier and the lives of those living with you easier as well.  Motion sensing switches also ease your conscience because you never have to ask yourself if you turned off all of the lights in your house when you go on vacation or leave the house for the day.  Some switches can even be set to go on at certain time.  This is especially helpful for vacations because you can set the timer to go on at times that people would normally be home thus deterring home invaders.

Just remember, to see savings that you will notice you will have to actually incorporate these changes into your everyday life.  This means that you will need to bump your thermostat up to 80 degrees and water in the morning.  It also means that you will be helping our environment which so sorely needs our help.  Also don’t expect to see changes if you are the only one in the household that is following these practices.  Get your family or roommates involved as well.  If you can get your housemates involved then you will really begin to see the changes that you as a reader of this article would like to see.

If these ideas sound great to you, but you don’t feel comfortable installing a light switch yourself or don’t have the time, than hire a local handyman to do it for you.  Obviously we can’t help you get up in the morning to water your grass but we can install a timer for your system or fix a sprinkler head gone bad.  When looking for a handyman we understand how hard it can be to find someone you trust that’s why we here at Use My Guy Services are on the Better Business Bureau where we have an A+ rating.  We are also on Angie’s List where we have an A rating as well as having received the Super Service Award for 2015.  You can also check us out on yelp where we have dozens of 5 star reviews and Face book.  So look no further because we are your trusted source for all your handyman needs from plumbing and electrical to shelf hanging and irrigation maintenance, installation and repair.  Call us at (602)316-9187 to speak with a member of our friendly and helpful staff or check us out online for a complete list of services offered and for more information about our family and how you can be a part of it.

Thanks for reading. 

 Use My Guy.


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