The term “solar home” can apply to homes specifically designed to incorporate solar technologies, as well as to homes retrofitted for solar power. As the concern over the environmental effects of fossil fuels used in automobiles and for power production has grown, the interest in methods of using solar energy to reduce power consumption in the home has also grown.

Solar Panels. Solar panels are one of the most widely employed types of solar technology applicable to homes. Easily recognized by the bluish-tinted panels, solar systems can employ several types of solar cell. The most efficient, and consequently most costly, type of residential solar panels are monocrystalline cell panels, made from silicon wafers cut from a single silicon crystal, reports Free Sun Power.

Water Heaters. Solar power systems are available designed specifically to provide your home with hot water. They typically require conventional backup systems, but the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that they cut your water-heating bill anywhere from 50 to 80 percent. How much you save and how quickly depends on how much water you use and the size of your home.

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Planning the right way and making yourself aware of the required techniques will help you fetch a better price or give your home an elegant look.

Decide what you want
Before you start renovating your home, decide what you want. Plan a sketch and the layout of the renovation by including all the points in order. If you’re renovating your entire home, you have to mention a list of all the things which should be replaced and repaired. Avoid changing plans in between the renovation process as this will cost you extra expenses and stress.

Walk-in pantry instead of kitchen cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are expensive. Half of them are up high on the wall where they’re hard to reach, and the wall space they take up could be better used for windows. A pantry takes up less space, stores a lot more, is much easier to use, and costs less to build.

Comfortable shower instead of big bathtub
My firm does a lot of work in late-’70s/early-’80s neighborhoods that are loaded with huge tubs. We’re taking them all out, one at a time, and replacing them with comfortably sized showers (not the racquetball court-sized ones you see in home shows) that people actually use every day.

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Today’s flat screen TV’s and monitors must be cleaned differently than the old CRT monitors. The CRT monitors had a glass screen and could be cleaned the same way you would clean any other piece of glass.  Flat screens (Plasma, LCD, LED) are much more sensitive and can be easily scratched or damaged so they require some special care when cleaning. Before attempting to clean any TV screen or monitor you should always check the owners manual for instructions or special care.

Turn off the TV and disconnect the power. Make sure the screen is cool. This is more important with plasma TVs, as they throw a bit more heat than LCD TVs.

Dampen a lint-free cloth with clean water (do not use strong chemical cleaners such as alcohol, ammonia-based cleaners, or window cleaners) and wring it out until it is moist and will not drip. Chamois, microfiber, or 100 percent cotton are best. Do not use a napkin, paper towel, or tissue paper, as wood-source materials may scratch the screen. Gently wipe from the center of the screen in circles outward reaching the frame; be sure to clean the corners. Do not rub, scrub, or apply too much pressure. Wipe the case if desired. Use a dry, lint-free cloth to wipe away any moisture on the screen or the case, again using a circular motion on the screen.

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Living room reflects your personality as well as your taste. A comfortable place to sit and relax-whether watching television, curling up with a book or chatting with friends and family.

The solution might be a contemporary modular seating system or an eclectic selection of old and new pieces, or anything in between. The organization of your living space also sets the tone of your whole home.

Sketch your room on a piece of graph paper.  A good conversion to use is a 1/4 inch on paper to every 12 inches in your living room. Add in everything that will affect your furniture arrangement, such as windows, doors, closets and electrical outlets.

Always choose a large object for the focal point. It may be some thing like a fireplace, large bookcase etc. If you choose sofa as the focal point, then hang a special painting above it. Put the rest of the furniture and the lighting to highlight the focal point.

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While choosing flooring for kid’s room, you must know the flooring materials that are anti-slip and having more friction. Kids room flooring should be comfortable, easy to clean and allergy proof that will offer safety to your dear kid. You can blend two floors in one room to give your kids a warm surface. Try rubber or bamboo flooring with area rugs so that your kids will get a soft and safe floor surface for doing their different playing activities or other activities. You have to choose the right flooring for the kid’s room so that it can not harm your little and sweet kid.

Painted Wood
Hardwood floors that aren’t in the best shape can get a makeover with a coat of paint. Sanding the floor first, followed by a coat of primer, allows the paint to stick. Decide if you want to paint the floor one solid color or paint a pattern onto the floor. Once the paint has dried for a few days, you’ll want to add three to four coats of a water-based polyurethane. This protects the paint so it doesn’t get scratched or wear out.

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Practitioners of feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placement, consider the kitchen the heart of the home. It is in this room that residents prepare home-cooked meals that nourish their family. It is also often a location of family gathering. It is essential to infuse the kitchen and the food stored in it with positive chi, a natural energy that runs through everything. Follow a few feng shui kitchen decorating tips to create a kitchen with healthy chi and invite happiness, good heath and wealth into your home and life.

Tips for feng shui kitchen
1. Keep good ventilation and space in the kitchen.
2.  Cooking, washing and fridge should be in triangle formation
3. More examples of balancing, if you have too little wood element you can put some plants on the window area
4. Keep clutter clear. Containerize to eliminate a cluttering feeling.
5. Keep task area bright to keep out dreariness. You can install bright lights to give you a spacious feeling

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The bedroom is one of the most lived-in spaces in a home. This heavy usage can cause your bedroom to become a haven for clutter relating to your everyday life, such as extra clothes, shoes, books and toys. Organizing the bedroom and making it clutter-free requires proper storage devices so that every item has a place. Once you have the proper storage, commit to keeping each item in its place when you are not using it.

Use drawers. Using many drawers can give you ample space for much stuff to keep. This can keep your things away from dust and this can also help you organize them. Take note of where you have placed your things. Organize them by arranging your belongings in a manner that those related and connected to each other are placed alongside each one. This can save you time from looking for it.

Create a work space. You can add a work space inside your bedroom by placing a long slim table where you can do some of your work. See to it that there are drawers in it where you can place all the items for working. This way, you can avoid clutter and you can immediately locate your stuff that you use for working.

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Do you want to able to walk into your bedroom, shut the door to the world and everything else and leave it behind? Your bedroom should be your little escape from the rest of the world, a place where you can relax and unwind.

Get out the bin bags. When having a major spring clean, start by getting a number of bin bags. One for general rubbish, one for recycling and one for the charity shop. This will leave you crystal-clear on where everything is going. You will also witness the amount you had and how much ‘stuff’ you don’t need.

Placement. A major cause of clutter is not having the proper place to store your items. To help maintain a clutter-free room, use the space you have wisely. Use plastic storage containers that you can stack in your closet to store items that are not used regularly. You can use bookshelves to not only store books but DVDs and CDs as well. Organize the items on the bookshelves by size. Long, shorter containers are available that will fit neatly under your bed, giving you another area of storage. Cheap wall shelves will provide more storage options for knickknacks and picture frames.

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