There’s a lot more to the cost of a light bulb than the price tag sticker. There’s the impact on your electrical bill, the tally of replacement bulbs you’ll need to buy, and the time you have to factor in for maintenance. Sure, the light bulb in your table lamp may take just a few minutes to replace, but what about your recessed cans that are two stories away from easy access?

We published an infographic on Lighting Facts, a program of the U.S. Department of Energy, created the one below, showing the five-year-cost of 100 watt equivalent light bulbs. As you can see, the low purchase cost of an incandescent light bulb doesn’t necessarily pay off in the end:

There are some home repairs you don’t want to tackle. Here are several red flags to look for when you’re buying a home.

common plumbing problems. Water damage is the homeowner’s mortal enemy. Water causes foundation problems, rot and mold. Want to move into that mess? Probably not.

To see if your potential purchase has suffered the consequences of water damage, start outside and

When you see water damage near an electrical outlet or a light fixture, you may have stumbled onto a fire risk. But outlets aren’t the only place to look for potential electrical problems.

Look for flickering and blinking, which signals a poor connection somewhere along the circuit. Check to see if both halves of electrical outlets are functioning. Make sure bathrooms, kitchens, garages and outdoors have professional electrician should determine whether the home’s circuits or fuses provide adequate power and service. The electrician can look for burned wiring, improper connections, dead-end wiring or ungrounded switches and outlets.

Your home inspector is a font of knowledge! Have the inspector check the air quality of the home to see if any mold spores are present — if water leakage or other common plumbing problems have been an issue, mold may be, too.

The inspector can ensure that the heating and cooling systems are properly installed. The inspector can also determine how old the HVAC system is and ensure that its been maintained

Your inspector will also determine the type of pipe that supplies water to the house—old lead and galvanized steel pipes are going to need replacing.

If the house you’re considering fails these tests, it may be best to move onto the next. If you still think it’s the right house for you, despite the presence of common plumbing problems or the need for an electrical overhaul, negotiate a lower price or ask the seller to pay for needed fixes.

Questions? Thoughts? Leave a note in the Comments section orschedule service today.

Acquiring Pennington generators falls under preparedness for emergencies. With such equipment available, there is no need to worry about unexpected power outage for there is a ready alternative source of energy to run several appliances, depending on the power capacity. In purchasing such apparatus, several aspects should be considered. It offers an array of advantages and disadvantages, thus these should be weighed before considering the purchase of equipment that will best fits a household’s needs.

Also referred to as the emergency power source, it is generally known to produce clean energy, converting fuel into electricity in the process. Most use gasoline, because this is one of the cheapest fuel alternatives. However, some run with diesel or propane. Fuel is readily available almost everywhere, but some prefer storing fuels at home so that when the need arises, it can be easily loaded to the generators. Note however that fuel, especially those that are fossil based have short shelf life. Storing would entail the purchase of anti-coagulants to lengthen the storage life of fuel. Therefore it is not also advisable to keep the fuel inside the generator set for it may pose a certain degree of risk to the system, which may lead to permanent damage.

The engine of the equipment requires regular test runs. It is not recommended to allow it to stand idle for a long time. Allowing it to stand idle would lead to malfunction. Once every month, even in the absence of a power outage, Pennington generators should be run and allow to run so as to optimize its operation. This is to prevent the scenario of having a dysfunctional system when real power emergency occurs.

In running the engine, an average noise level of 60-70 decibels is produced for portable type and even higher for heavy duty types. Portable Pennington generators actually exceed the noise level produced by normal conversation by a few decibels, thus it is more advisable to choose this instead. In general, noise is a distraction that can hinder the normal flow of activities in the household. But it should be noted that power outage does not happen often and the noise is just a little sacrifice compared to the benefits that we reap from a reliable alternative energy source in times of emergency.

The dimensions of the entire package should likewise be considered. Compact versions, considered to be space savers, are more favorable because it is easier to keep and store compared to the bulky heavy duty type. However, if the heavy duty type is preferred, especially for larger Pennington households with larger electricity demand, transportability and mobility can be assured if the generator has built in wheels.

Lastly, it should be made sure that the product purchased complies with the safety and environmental standards. This way, it can be assured that only clean energy is generated and no harmful fumes that can adversely affect the health of family members are emitted.

In choosing Pennington generators, make sure that it is worth the investment by studying carefully all the aspects of the equipment.