Jimi Holt

Older tank-style hot water heaters are not very efficient whether they are electric or gas.  They are typically set up to run on their own to heat the water in the tank when the water in the tank goes below a certain temperature.  The water heater does not know when you need the hot water so it heats your water whether you are in need of the hot water or not.  This is very inefficient as it happens when you are at work, sleeping, on vacation, at the grocery store, always.  The best thing you can do to eliminate these wasted dollars on utility bills is to have a new Solar Hot Water Heater installed.

Solar Hot Water Heater

Solar Hot Water Heaters are very affordable (typically $6,000 to $10,000 before rebates) especially with the current tax incentives and local utility rebates that are being offered. Costs after tax incentives and rebates can go as low as $2,000 which includes a NEW, energy efficient (Energy Star) Electric Hot Water Heater with the system.  We also offer dealer financing to our clients should you choose.  Solar hot water heaters will provide one of the quickest payoffs you can do to your home to make it more Green.  It has also been proven that homes with solar or green enhancements will sell quicker and at a higher cost per square foot than those without.  Ready to Go Green?

Should you chose to not upgrade to a solar hot water heater, there are some simple things you can do to save energy, reduce pollution and save money on your utility bill with your old water heater.  As I mentioned above, tank-style water heaters work to keep the water in the tank hot around the clock, even when hot water is not needed.  But since the tank constantly loses heat to the surrounding air, it kicks back on to heat the water again and again in case it’s needed.

Here are a few tips to increase your older tank’s efficiency:

• Lower the tank’s temperature:  continue to lower the temperature on your tank to the lowest point that your normal household usage still has enough hot water.  This will also prevent scalding.
• Install a water heater timer:  this will allow you to adjust when you water heater is turned on and off.  It allows you to have the tank turn on when you typically use the hot water and turn off when you do not.  Timers are easy to install and relatively inexpensive ($40-160).  Programmable models are even available so you can fully customize time-frames.
• Wrap your tank: you can wrap your hot water tank in a hot water tank blanket.  They can be purchased at many hardware stores.
• Fix all leaky faucets.
• Insulate the room the tank is located in.
• Opt for off-peak metering: if this is available in your area, and place such appliances as the hot water heater, dishwasher and washing machine on it.
• Turn it off when you’re out of town: For electric heaters without a switch, you can turn it off at the breaker box. For gas heaters, follow the instructions printed on the heater. (Usually you can just turn the thermostat, NOT the gas knob, to OFF — unless you feel you’re competent to re-light the heater when you return.)

When it’s time for replacement, give us a call for a free quote on a solar hot water system.  We will also recycle your old water heater.  Feel free to contact us should you have any questions.

Jim Holt

jamesholt@cox.net

A well-placed concrete patio design can become a striking part of the landscape. Concrete patio designs are the most efficient yet still fascinating. Because of its hardiness, it can withstand extreme forces of nature and can be treasured by homeowners for many more years. Currently, concrete is very useful since most outdoor works especially in our backyards can be utilized with the use of concrete which is easily accessible in the market. To preserve it, it simply needs regular cleaning. With the accessibility of numerous styles and procedures, concrete at present can be drafted in a variety of ways to generate gorgeous pattern.

There are lots of trendy patterns that you can select appropriate for your own approach like having a soft finish, concrete scoring, staining, imprinting or using a stamped concrete.

Smooth Finish
You can select for a shiny finish by softening it with sandblast or some acid etching. A combinationof both generates a gorgeous patio floor.

Imprinting
Another way to generate a customize look is through imprinting. Bricks, tiles, stones or even wood are some of the usual imprinting picks. The most lasting ways to add shade to your concrete is to add color to the mixture before pouring it. You have lots of color choices but subtle and natural color will look best in concrete decorative patio. Light to medium gray, beige and soft peach are wonderful color picks. A color of your choice added to the mixture will make the concrete mixture smudge free, permanent and ever lasting.

Staining
Concrete staining is an added technique to make your concrete or wood surface look pristine, pleasing and providing an aged look similar to a natural stone. Staining shields your concrete from the harshness of nature. Coats of stain should be periodically applied otherwise rain, sunlight and other natural elements will lighten its shade.

Scoring
Creating a design of squares is another beautiful concrete patio outline. This is achieved by concrete scoring. Squares can be formed in numerous shapes and sizes. Commenceyour concrete outline by using 18 to 24 inches of square patterns. To prevent the concrete from breaking, the construction joints are combined collectively into the scoring pattern. This design process blends well in large lengthof landscape like patios and swimming pool decks.

Stamped Concrete
One morealternative for a concrete decorative patio is to use stamped concrete. Almost all find this attractive because designs are easily available. It involves pouring slab concrete to your patio and stressing designs and texture before it is dried out.

These days most people utilize concrete to improve their property, what is ideal about this material is that unique shapes, color and texture can be manufactured. This is very flexible and simple to keep up if treatment is accurately applied. A brilliant concrete patio design truly looks great and adds a great deal of value to every homeowner’s property. This outline provides character to your home and is much more pleasurable to add. Again, the limit of your concrete patio designs is only your creativity.

Social Media Website icons

By now you are aware of the buzz surrounding Social Media Marketing (SMM) and realize there is a great opportunity to market yourself and your business online.  There are numerous options for you to get your information on major search engines by paying for online advertising and hiring SMM “experts” to assist with marketing your company, products and services.  However, with a little effort on your part, you can get listed at the top of major search engine websites for free.

First let’s see how you stack up.  Try searching your name, your company name, and your product or service on several of the major search engines (i.e. google, yahoo, msn, etc.).  If you are not listed several times on the first page of each of these websites then you have come to the right place.

I need to tell you that I am not a social media marketing guru.  I am a small business owner, probably like yourself, that has learned and implemented some simple techniques to accomplish search engine result success.   Feel free to try by also searching for my name (Jimi Holt) and my company name (Erus Builders) on the same search engine websites.  Several months ago you would not have found any information on me or my company by conducting the same searches.  I am self taught and have learned from some of the best online marketing experts.  You can have fast results if you put forth the time and effort to make it happen.  Remember that your online presence is critical to the future success of your business so the time required should be looked at as an investment in your future income stream.  Also take note of the links (websites) that were listed under the search results when you did the search for my name and my company.  These are the same websites that you need to visit to set up your personal and company profiles (for free) to achieve similar results (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter,  YouTube, Squidoo, Google, MSN, Yahoo, Plaxo, EzineArticles, MySpace, StumbleUpon).  This will also drive traffic from these popular websites to your personal website, blog or business websites so make sure you have them listed as links on the websites I have listed above.

Good luck with your online marketing efforts and remember to have fun with it.  Feel free to contact me with questions but you will find that the websites are easy to set up and are very user friendly.  Visit our websites to the right to get ideas on how to set up your pages.  So, get your information out there, make sure it is good content, update it often, and let me know how it works for you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article post.

Jimi Holt

Erus Builders