The Handyguys discuss ways to save money during this upcoming winter season.

Part 2 of 2 on energy saving tips. Our first order of business is to respond to Phil’s followup question about replacing his rotted out garage doors.  Phil wanted to know if it is really worth buying insulated doors when the rest of his garage is not insulated. Handyguys Brian & Paul discuss pros and cons in the podcast.

Then the Handyguys talk about how to dispose of a broken CFL (compact fluorescent light).  We discussed this last week but a listener sent us a great link to an EPA site that summarizes how you should clean up after one of these mercury containing bulbs break.  Your first response is to remove kids and pets from the area and open the windows.  Thankfully, no hazmat team is required!  For details on cleaning up, check outhttp://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm.

Now on to energy saving tips..

In part 1 of our program, we focused on saving electricity.  But half of the typical homeowners energy consumption is taken up by heating and cooling costs.

With the winter arriving soon, these costs could rise to $3300 for the average oil heating home owner and $1600 for natural gas customers.  What can be done to save some money on heating your home?  Don’t despair… prepare!

Insulation

Consider adding insulation to critical areas such as your attic and elsewhere. Listen to the podcast for more details.

Thermostat

Set Back thermostats can save you significant energy. Setback thermostats automatically adjust the temperature at different times of the day. The more you can turn back the heat the more money you can save. How much will you save? Listen to this podcast for the answer!

Alternative methods of heat

Wood heat can save you a lot of money but most of us do not have efficient fireplaces or wood stoves to heat our houses.  In fact, many older fireplaces could be dangerous and might need to be sealed off or repaired. Consult a chimney inspector if you are unsure. So, what can you do if you have an old, inefficient, fireplace? Consider a sealed insert. The Handyguys discuss.

Lastly – The Handyguys will be recording from the floor of The Philadelphia Fall Home Show On September 26th. Come find our table at 7:30PM on Friday and say hi!

The Handyguys Discuss upcoming fall show ideas

The Handyguys have a short show for you this week. We are taking this opportunity to discuss some of our show ideas and to solicit feedback from our listeners for show ideas.

Some up-coming topics:

• Head to Head tool Challenge, Circular saw
• The Home Inspection process and and interview with ASHI
• How to save money on your energy bills
• Devices to save electricity and/or monitor electricity
• Ways to cut down on heating bills
• Insulation
• Weatherization
• Other Head to Head tool Challenges

We want your feedback!  Do you need a recommendation on a tool? Do you want us to put a particular tool through its paces before you buy it? Is there a new gadget on the market and you want to know if its worth the money?

We will continue to answer DIY questions privately and possibly on the air. Feel free to let us know if you think our shows are too long, too short, too boring, too funny, too much detail, not enough detail, etc.

We will be giving away an original Handyguys Podcast shop apron to the first four legitimate show ideas we get. Feel free to call in your show idea to (615) 676-0877, to email us at us@handyguyspodcast.com, comment on this posting or use our contact form. Do we have enough ways for listeners to reach us? I think so.

To comment on this, or any post, just go to the bottom of the show post and click comments. You can see others comments and add your own. That’s a great way for you to participate in the discussion.

If you want the shop apron make sure you include your email address so we can contact you to get your ship to address.

Thanks to all our loyal listeners and sponsors that make this show possible.