Tips on Keeping Your Home COOL

Puzzling out how to keep your house as cool as possible during these hot summer months? Trying to remember the conventional wisdom but not quite sure how it goes? Those window fans, for example, should they be placed to draw air in or out? Upwind or downwind of the dwelling? And what about windows, shades, and awnings? Are windows on the North side of the house better left closed or open during the day? Are awnings better than shades?

1. Reduce the cooling load by employing cost-effective conservation measures. Provide effective shade for east and west windows. When possible, delay heat-generating activities such as dishwashing until evening on hot days.

2. Over most of the cooling season, keep the house closed tight during the day. Don’t let in unwanted heat and humidity. Ventilate at night either naturally or with fans.

3. You can help get rid of unwanted heat through ventilation if the temperature of the incoming air is 77 F or lower. (This strategy works most effectively at night and on cooler days.) Window fans for ventilation are a good option if used properly. They should be located on the downwind side of the house facing out. A window should be open in each room. Interior doors must remain open to allow air flow.

4. Use ceiling fans to increase comfort levels at higher thermostat settings. The standard human comfort range for light clothing in the summer is between 72 F and 78 F. To extend the comfort range to 82 F, you need a breeze of about 2.5 ft/sec or 1.7 mph. A sow-turning ceiling-mounted paddle fan can easily provide this air flow.

5. In hot climates, plant shade trees around the house. Don’t plant trees on the South if you want to benefit from passive solar heating in the winter.

6. If you have an older central air conditioner, consider replacing the outdoor compressor with a modern, high-efficiency unit. Make sure that it is properly matched to the indoor unit.

7. If buying a new air conditioner, be sure that it is properly sized. Get assistance from an energy auditor or air conditioning contractor.

8. Buy a high-efficiency air conditioner: for room air conditioners, the energy efficiency ratio (EER) rating should be above 10; for central air conditioners, look for a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) rating above 12.

9. In hot, humid climates, make sure that the air conditioner you buy will adequately get rid of high humidity. Models with variable or multi-speed blowers are generally best. Try to keep moisture sources out of the house.

10. Try not to use a dehumidifier at the same time your air conditioner is operating. The dehumidifier will increase the cooling load and force the air conditioner to work harder.

11. Seal all air conditioner ducts, and insulate ducts that run through unheated basements, crawl spaces, and attics.

12. Keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees F or higher if using ceiling fans. Don’t air-condition unused rooms.

13. Maintain your air conditioners properly to maximize efficiency.

Warm Weather Window Solutions

14. Install white window shades or mini-blinds. Mini-blinds can reduce solar heat gain by 40-50 percent.

15. Close south and west-facing curtains during the day for any window that gets direct sunlight. Keep these windows closed, too.

16. Install awnings on south-facing windows, where there’s insufficient roof overhang to provide shade.

17. Hang tightly woven screens or bamboo shades outside the window during the summer to stop 60 to 80 percent of the sun’s heat from getting to the windows.

18. Apply low-e films.

19. Consider exotic infills in your windows, a new technology that fills the space between panes with krypton or argon, gasses that have lower conductivity than air, and which boost R-values.

Tips for your A/C

19. Provide shade for your room A/C, or the outside half of your central A/C if at all possible. This will increase the unit’s efficiency by 5 percent to 10 percent.

20. Clean your A/C’s air filter every month during cooling season. Normal dust build-up can reduce air flow by 1 percent per week.

22. Turn off your A/C when you leave for more than an hour.

23. Several studies have found that most central air conditioning systems are oversized by 50 percent or more.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/keep-house-cool-23-tips.html#ixzz1Nx0DYJKZ

Donate to help Joplin tornado victims and other flood and storm victims

The central United States has been hit by back-to-back disasters with a devastating tornado in Joplin, Mo., other tornadoes across the south and Midwest and flooding from the Mississippi River. Affected communities face an enormous task of cleaning up and rebuilding. Habitat for Humanity affiliates throughout the region will be assessing the damage to low-income housing in their communities. Your donation today can assist these efforts.

Visit Habitat's donation page here.

Matching Gifts - Find out how!

Many companies offer matching gift programs to encourage employees to contribute to charitable organizations. Many employers will match tax-deductible charitable contributions made by their employees, retirees and employees’ spouses. Some provide matching funds to support employee volunteer hours.

Donate online, by phone or mail! Then, follow the steps below to have your company match your gift.

1. To find out if your company will match gifts to Habitat for Humanity, please enter your employer's name on the Habitat for Humanity International website.    

1. If your company is eligible, download or request a matching gift form from your employer. Complete the form your company has in place for matching gifts.

   Employer Identification Number (EIN) (i.e. Federal Tax Identification Number):  22-2598-353
   Organization Name: Paterson Habitat for Humanity
   Organization Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2585, Paterson, NJ 07509
   Phone: (973) 595-6868
   Fax: (973) 595-0974
   E-mail Address: office@patersonhabitat.org
   Web Site: www.patersonhabitat.org
   Organization Type: Civic, Health and Human Service, Shelter

2. E-mail or mail your completed matching gift form to:

   Attn: Matching Gift
   Paterson Habitat for Humanity
   PO Box 2585
   Paterson, NJ 07509
   Email: office@patersonhabitat.org
   

Thank you for your support!
Your employer's match will help build even more houses and change even more lives.

Habitat mobilizes more volunteers in Japan

Habitat for Humanity Japan is set to recruit more volunteers from within the country this weekend to work in earthquake-hit Iwate Prefecture. The second and third teams of volunteers are expected to travel to badly affected Ofunato city in June. More details on habitatjp.org. 

During Japan’s ‘Golden Week’ national holidays more than two weeks ago, 12 Habitat volunteers from university campuses across Japan traveled to Ofunato to help clear debris and repair houses. They pulled out wet floor insulation and tatami mats (traditional Japanese flooring) and cleared mud from houses, among other works. Ofunato, in northern Iwate Prefecture, about 500 km. north of Tokyo, was one of the three areas most affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami on 11th March. Subsequent teams of Habitat volunteers from within Japan are also expected to work in Ofunato in June. Isako Matsuoka, 20, was among the first team of Habitat volunteers. She wrote in a volunteer diary: “I now feel that I have a tie to Ofunato and the home-owners I have worked alongside. I think the message that I will pass on is that the situation is not helpless and we can do something for the people affected.” Read more of her diary. 

One local resident who only wanted to be known by his family name Hosoya, related how he escaped death by going out to sea together with his neighbor, a fisherman. “After the tsunami I had no money, house, or anything to eat. But people unknown to me sent food and clothes. They wanted to help us. Do not forget that you are living in a world with others that care and wanted to support you.” He added: “I never imagined that I would smile again, or feel love again.” Habitat for Humanity will be helping survivors in both Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures alongside partners, like United States-based non-profit organization All Hands Volunteers. 

More family stories, volunteer diaries, an aid worker’s account and photos on Habitat’s Facebook. Click here for more information on Habitat’s response in Japan. 

Story from Habitat for Humanity International - www.habitat.org 

Diary of a Women Builder

I have been involved with the Women Build project since 2008 and witnessed so many wonderful, energetic and generous women who come out to build with such pride for the work they are doing.

We are all in awe of the final finished product ― a beautiful house for a deserving family that will turn it into their own home.

On May 4, 2011, a rather rainy and dismal Wednesday morning, I took a step back and watched as, one by one, 25 dedicated women came to report for duty.

Among these women was Julie “The Accidental Housewife” Edelman. She was the National spokesperson for the Women Build project of 2010 and spearheaded the building of our fifth WB project. She is back to again to “spread the glove” for the sixth Paterson Habitat Women Build house.

As fate would have it, Pam McBride, who designed, helped finance and build our first two Women Build houses, was here, too. These two women had never met before, but had been in touch as it just so happened that Pam won “An evening with Julie” at our Twenty-fifth Anniversary Gala auction. They quickly became fast friends and were excited at the prospect of their night out.

As I continued to observe the ladies throughout the day—never complaining but every once in a while shouting something like “there goes my nail” amidst a roar of laughter, or a couple of ladies taking a little break, hard hat and gloves in hand comparing calluses with pride—I would think to myself, “Who would have ever thought that these ladies with little time on their hands would be so selfless, committed and eager to return to see the job through?”

We are truly blessed. I am blessed and humbled to see the kindness and generosity of these people every day. I can’t wait for them to meet the future homeowners.  Read more Women Build Diaries.

Written by: Gina Damiano, Resource Development Manager.

Habitat for Humanity ranks No. 6 among largest homebuilders in the U.S.

Habitat for Humanity’s work to provide affordable housing in Paterson has helped Habitat for Humanity International rank as the sixth largest homebuilder on Builder magazine’s top 100 list.  With 6,032 closings in 2010, this is the second time Habitat for Humanity has placed in the top 10. 

“Our placement on the Builder 100 list is a testament to what can be accomplished when people work together,” said Larry Gluth, senior vice president of U.S. and Canada for Habitat for Humanity International. “So many families in the United States and around the world face an incredible need for affordable housing, and this need only increases during challenging economic times. Habitat works every day to help these families, and we are grateful for the generosity of our donors, volunteers and advocates who have joined our efforts to help families obtain safe, decent and affordable homes and to strengthen communities.” 

The Builder 100 list is an annual compilation of the largest homebuilders in the country. In 2009, Habitat for Humanity ranked eighth on the list with 5,294 closings, marking the first time the organization made it to the top 10.   

Habitat volunteers tackle Waldwick home to house four families

The Record - May 5, 2011
BY ALLISON PRIES
Full Article Here

Volunteers toiled inside and out at a Wyckoff Avenue condominium Thursday that will soon be home to four local families.
                                                                

A half dozen men and women used pick axes and shovels to dislodge stones from the dirt in front of a converted 1790s Dutch colonial. Inside the four units, tiles and laminate flooring were laid and walls were getting a second coat of paint.

The renovation is being done by Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County and will result in homeownership for families who now live in cramped apartments in Mahwah, Ramsey, Waldwick and Hackensack.

Extra hands were on site Thursday to help bring the project closer to its expected August completion. About two dozen people from Franklin Lakes-based BD, a medical technology company, and Habitat’s Cars for Homes program pitched in with a full day’s work.

Several representatives from Cars for Homes, a component of Habitat for Humanity International, were in Waldwick as the third stop on their “Jersey Road Trip.” The week-long event brought Habitat employees and volunteers from across the country to work at project sites in Summit and West Orange.

Friday they will help weatherize a 20-year-old Habitat home on Main Street in Paterson by siding, insulating and patching the home’s drywall.

“I love to come out and do the physical work,” said Marcia Rundle, who runs the Cars for Homes program from her house in Montana. “It’s great meeting the families and volunteers.”

Four North Jersey Habitat affiliates – Bergen County, Paterson, Newark and Morris County – won a challenge grant from Cars for Homes, which sells donated cars or scraps them to raise money that is used for building projects. Cars for Homes will match the money raised through cars donated in honor of the four affiliates between November 2010 and June 30, 2011, up to $100,000.

“These affiliates are awesome,” Rundle said. “Each one had a project that had something to do with restoring, recycling or making a building green.”   Read the rest of the article here

Donate to help the victims of deadly tornadoes and storms in Southern U.S.

On the evening of April 27, 2011, violent storms and tornadoes tore through seven southern states. More than 300 people were killed as neighborhoods were flattened and entire communities were destroyed.

Alabama was the hardest-hit and suffered massive destruction of property when a mile-wide tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa. Fatalities were also reported in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia.

As these communities face the daunting tasks of clean up and rebuilding, Habitat for Humanity is assessing the damage to low-income housing.

Please donate today to assist local Habitat affiliates as they plan their response efforts across the affected region.  Visit this page.

NJ Fourth Highest Rental Cost

A new report finds New Jersey renters continue to find themselves overwhelmed and underpaid.

The report finds Jersey rentals on average are the fourth-most expensive in the nation, requiring an average household wage of just over 51-thousand dollars annually for a modest, two-bedroom unit. According to the report, the Housing Wage for New Jersey is $24.54 making the state the fourth most expensive in the nation, excluding Washington, DC. The Housing Wage is the hourly wage a family must earn - working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year - to be able to afford the rent and utilities for a safe and modest home in the private housing market. New Jersey's Housing Wage has increased 56% since 2000.

Read full article HERE.  Millennium Radio NJ