Healthy Homes of Rochester

It seems there is a lot of controversy regarding Power Miser electric saving device. Since most are not familiar with the power saving Power Miser product the general public does not know if the devices work.

With that in mind we thought we would do some testing with a Power Miser. The idea was to get some monitoring equipment set up in a home to watch what was actually going on with the electric at any given moment. We did just that.

The electric monitoring equipment was installed and set up properly where we could see via web browser on a graph the actual real time kilowatts on the home.

Then the real test for the Power Miser performance was upon us. We tried to simplify our test so that it was easy to understand and plane as day. We turned the breaker at the main circuit panel for the Power Miser OFF. Then we turned on the electric dryer for exactly 1 minute. Next, we turned the breaker to the Power Miser back ON and ran the electric dryer for exactly 1 minute again.

All this was captured on our electric monitoring equipment which we took a screen print of at that time. The picture above shows exactly what we captured. To explain, the red line is volts which stays pretty much at 120. The blue line is Kilowatts. That line you can see 2 rather obvious spikes. The first spike is going to 7.2 kilowatts. This one is with the dryer on and the Power Miser OFF. The second spike goes only to 5 kilowatts. This one is with the dryer on and the Power Miser ON. Amazingly we have visual proof of the Power Miser power saver or electric saver working. The difference between the two is about a 25% change in electric consumption. It is invaluable data which helps answer the question “does it work?”. We say: “Yes it does”.

If you would like to have a Power Miser in your home go to http://www.pmcecosupply.com

Thanks for reading.

I have been one of the first to test a “state of the art”, new technology. It is called an automatically controlled Power Miser by PMC eco Supply, LLC.

This product installs in a home or small business to cut the electric consumption of the home or building. It typically saves about 10 to 25 percent. The Power Miser is best installed by an electrician. The Power Miser is made of capacitors which are computer controlled to automatically adjust to the load in the building at any given time. They actually turn off when there is nothing running in the home.

We have tested one with great results. The best part is that the Power Miser comes with software and Bluetooth ready to send the live data of the electrical system right to your computer! There is no other technology like this on the market. The retail price is $1400.00 but for saving money and monitoring your home, we think that is a great product. I would suggest contacting http://www.pmcecosupply.com and getting on the list to order one of these. The new Power Miser is on back order due to the demand. There is about a 3 week turn around to getting the product.

We love when a local Rochester, NY company has a great new innovative product.

As heard on Property Source Radio Saturday mornings 9am to 10am ESPN 950am

The Fixie Chick

Well, now that we here in the north east – upstate NY are in the thick of winter we have a big chore of keeping our sidewalks and driveways clear. Our home is on a hill therefore the driveway is sloped quite a bit. Yes we do have a plow contract in the winter for snow removal but that is not enough to keep the driveway clear. For several years I have had to use rock salt on my sidewalk and driveway. Each winter I end up spreading about 400 pounds of rock salt with at fertilizer spreader. We try to do more things to save the earth and live a little more green each year. With that in mind, I have been concerned about applying all the rock salt each year as it cannot be good to the land.

I am not sure how harmful it is outside of killing some of the grass near the driveway, however, I have found another solution that I am using now. It is called Ice Melt. I have been using this in my sidewalk and driveway for the month of December because it is more healthy for the grass and shrubs near the driveway. By my use, I can say that it is helpful in melting the ice. I do like it because it is cleaner than the rock salt. I have found the Ice Melt to be an acceptable replacement the rock salt. Below is an example of the product I am using Feel free to purchase some for your winter wonderland.

Happy Winter

Your home most likely has water pipes that carry hot water from the hot water heater to the kitchen sink, and bathrooms of your home. An easy way to save energy and money is to use foam pipe insulation to insulate the hot water lines (or pipes) in your home. To do this, go to your hot water heater and follow the pipe that carries hot water to the house. Take the foam pipe insulation and cut it to fit in the lengths that you need to cover your pipes. This is very simple to do and cost effective. Taking these steps to install foam pipe insulation in your home will help to keep the water hot in the lines by insulating the pipes.

Below is a recommended choice of pipe insulation. Or you can visit our store at:

http://www.healthyhomesofrochester.com/store.php

I have purchased a power monitor. This is a fascinating piece of equipment. It is very easy to use, has a digital read out and is wireless so it does not need any fancy connection to your panel box. I have fun trying things around my home to see how much it will cost to use any item I choose.

The monitor’s easy-to-read digital display shows your current energy usage in dollars, so you don’t have to perform tricky calculations to understand what the readings mean. The power monitor also shows you the outdoor temperature, so you can account for heat used on cold mornings, and it displays your month-to-date usage along with an estimate for your upcoming bill. This advanced feature can work with any type of billing rate, including flat rate billing, separate peak and off-peak rates, or tiered billing structures.

Track Little Changes that Become Big Savings
A convenient appliance mode feature allows you to track minute-to-minute changes in electric consumption as major appliances are turned on and off, so you can see where your money is going. This makes it easy for you to decide, for instance, which electrical appliances and accessories are really worth their cost, and which of your older appliances are costing you more money than they’re worth. You can also quickly tell how much you save by switching to compact florescent light bulbs or instituting other conservation measures in your home, and have a lot of fun doing so.

Below is the same power monitor that I have.

This is just another great recommend product by the fixie chick

Thanks for visiting our site.

I have converted to purchasing soy candles only for my home. I just feel that living healthier includes burning healthier candles. The soy candles do not give of the toxins that regular candles give off when burning. It allows me to keep the indoors of my home healthier and fresh. The soy candles are scented with various types of wonderful aromas or scents. 

Soy candles are a natural alternative to the regular scented candles.  The soy candles that I purchase are located at the link I have provided below.  In addition, the candles are very affordable.  That is something to get excited about.

Another great Product by the Fixie Chick

Since we are all about going green, why not grow your own green? Yes, wheatgrass. I have been growing wheatgrass for about a year and half. It did not hit me until now that I should blog about my personal experience with the benefits of wheatgrass.

We are all collectively trying to go green now to save our planet, save energy and to save money. Well, what about growing your own wheatgrass to save your life? I don’t want to imply that I have proof that it will save a life but let me explain what happened in the past year:

I had been harvesting my own wheatgrass and juicing it almost daily for a few months. Remember, I did all the research on wheatgrass to find that it was wonderful for the body to take in . I learned about all the potential health benefits that it could provide so I decided to grow a small crop of wheatgrass and harvest it every few days then juice the wheatgrass. So, after a few months of doing so, a friend informed me that he had an accelerated form of cancer. The doctors told him he did not have long to live, maybe a year. I suggested for the heck of it to try drinking juiced wheatgrass daily. This friend said he had nothing to loose by doing so and tried it. He then made it his routine to stop by my house every few days for the next 8 months or so. During this time my friend was undergoing some serious radiation at the hospital frequently. He was struggling with it and did not look good.

I swear, after about 8 or 9 months the cancer was gone! I am telling you the truth as I sit here and write this. My friend does not have a bit of cancer at all now. I am not paid to promote anything here, this is just my personal experience. Did it have to do with the wheatgrass? Was it simply a miracle? Or did the radiation treatments cure him within a year? Who knows, but I have my own beliefs on it. I would suggest if you would like to try your own green thumb out and grow some wheatgrass here is a starter kit I would recommend which is very reasonable and has everything to get you started.
I am including a wheatgrass juicer link below to make it convenient for you.
Thank you – DIY Fixie Chick

Here in upstate New York our summers are more humid than some other places such as Arizona or Nevada. Therefore I would not have considered one of these great misters before now. I was under the impression that we needed a dry climate to use one of these misters properly. However on a recent trip to Atlanta, I found that many public places use the misters there too. Atlanta’s climate is very humid also, and these misters work just great. That is why I decided to purchase one of them for my deck. Not to mention it has been very hot here in upstate NY this summer.

The mister was very simple to install, all I had to do is connect it to my garden hose after I strung it up along a pergola above my deck and patio. The instructions state to place 8 to 10 feet off the ground or patio. This is why I chose my pergola to attach the mister too. The kit came with fittings to attach it to any wood structure.  No extra plumbing or anything, just a garden hose. It took me 30 minutes to have installed and ready to mist the air.

 What a great product to aid in cooling off part of my deck and patio! It just sprays a fine mist in the air which dissipates as it falls to the ground. Yes I do get some puddling of water on the deck but I don’t mind when it is 95 degrees out and full sun. Overall, it is a great inexpensive new DIY product for me to tackle and enjoy. In addition, the mist is so fine that the mister uses very little water at all.   Here is the one that I now enjoy.

Another Home Product by the Fixie Chick

Here is a slick new gadget that I purchased and wanted to recommend to you. It very simply uses infrared sensors to measure surface temperatures and gives you a digital read out of the temperature. This device is designed to help homeowners track down power-draining drafts in the home for obvious energy savings. The leak detector comes with a 5 step guide to fixing basic energy leaks, offering guidance on everything from caulking to weatherproofing windows and doors. I have fun using the tool as it comes in handy around my house to find where the cold air is coming in during the winter. It can also be used in the summer months to see where you are losing cool air-conditioned air. I purchased this thermal leak detector from Amazon.com where I purchase most of the items around my home. In addition, this item is listed as a bestseller on Amazon.com
Here is a link below where you can get yours:

What’s Green with the Fixie Chick

by Brenna Hartmann

We have all been learning about the need for energy independence and how solar energy plays an important roll in the sustainable and renewable energy market.

I once read an article about the country Germany, and how most residential buildings are solar powered.  Not only do these homeowners incur ZERO electricity costs, but they actually get paid by the utility for energy they  “over-produce” and sell. I thought that was pretty smart and I wanted to find out how I could pay zero dollars for electricity AND make money on excess energy the sun can produce and I can sell! 

That led me to have a certified renewable energy company come out to my home to perform what is called a “Solar Site Analysis”.

The whole process took about two hours. The first step was to set up a small device known as the “solar pathfinder” on the south side of my home.  This would be the most logical place to install a solar device on my home. A “solar pathfinder” is basically a high-tech sundial that the auditor carefully positioned outside my home.  The auditor then photographed the data presented on the pathfinder.  As I understand it, the pathfinder measures the shade in this particular area of my property. The shade will determine the ‘loss’ of solar power at different times of the day and months of the year.

Next, the photograph was digitally inserted into the auditors computer program, the data was processed and calculated, and turned into a “solar site analysis report”.

Once the report was completed, the auditor sent the report data  to a NYSERDA (New York State Energy And Research Development) program that is able to calculate a “solar electric system costs and savings” report.

This report features estimated annual results along with a net system cost.  Additionally, it calculates state and federal government incentives. Ultimately, the final printed report shows all of the above plus the total cost for the solar system and the estimated return on investment.

To learn how you can have your own Solar Site Analysis Performed and what government incentives are available, contact  NYSERDA (New York State Energy And Research Development) 1-866-NYSERDA.