The award was presented during the annual ceremonies at the Hyatt Deerfield.   Charlie Scott, Director of Operations for SLIDERS, accepted the award, commenting “We would not have achieved the success our business has realized over the years without the contributions of our fellow Chamber members.”

Click here for more info.

Director Eric Zitron presents the award to David Ariano of Ravinia Plumbing

North Shore Home Services Association, a non-profit benevolent organization of respected business leaders, presented their “2010 Business of the Year” award to Ravinia Plumbing.

NSHSA provides no-cost residential services to area families-in-need.

The award was presented at the Hyatt Deerfield to David Ariano of Ravinia Plumbing for their outstanding customer relations, benevolence and long history of service to the community.

Click here for more on the story.

The North Shore Home Services Association is going to make the life of a 5 year old girl a whole lot better by building a wheelchair ramp for her home.  This young girl is going to see her home transformed from a normal stoop to a much easier way for her to get in and out of her house.

The cement footings have already been poured and the ground has been prepared for work which begins next week by countless members of the NSHSA who are all volunteering their time and materials to make this happen.

At our last meeting, we discussed a variety of points to make this project roll smoothly.

One interesting point was the ADA has specified the exact measurements for a public ramp; the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires a specified slope for wheelchairs for business and public use. This same standard does not apply to residential construction.  The slope is stated as 1:12, which means for every foot upwards there needs to be 12 feet outward, the key point of this is the outward distance is measured perpendicular to the vertical plane. (See diagram.) This is why in public places you often see a wheelchair ramp that zig zags back and forth to ascend a taller distance.

Fig. 11, Sec: 4.8 Ramps From the ADA Standards for Accessible Design

This is part 3 of of a 3 part article.  Read part 1 here and part 2 here.

How to save money on lighting

Smaller wattage light bulbs, fluorescent lamps, timers, motion sensors and occupancy sensors can all help reduce your energy costs. In other words, if you forget to turn off the lights, these technologies will do that for you.

The newer LED (light emitting diode) light bulbs are the next generation. In its early development, greater energy savings are evident. However, it will take a while before LED bulbs are available economically to consumers.

In summary, my two daughters are married now and have moved out of the house. We’ve changed a few lights to CFL’s and installed a couple of motion and occupancy sensors to control other lights. Although my wife and I feel the heartache of not having our girls close by, we have saved almost enough on electricity to pay for our retirement.

Romitti exclusively serves the following North Shore communities and is family owned and operated. Call 847-831-4471 for your appointment.

Bannockburn 60015, Buffalo Grove 60089, Deerfield 60015, Fort Sheridan 60037, Glencoe 60022, Glenview 60025, Highland Park 60035, Highwood 60040, Kenilworth 60043, Lake Bluff 60044, Lake Forest 60045, Lincolnshire 60069, Northbrook 60062, Northfield 60093, Riverwoods 60015, Wilmette 60091, Winnetka 60093, Glenview 60026, Highland Park 60037, Lincolnshire Woods 60045, Northbrook 60065

Romitti Electric Corporation, www.Romitti.com, offers a Free 12-Point Home Electrical Service Visual Inspection.

This is part 2 of “Understanding Your Electric Costs” read part 1 here.

Do compact fluorescent lamps save energy?

The newer compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) are more energy efficient than the conventional incandescent type lamps. However, there are some tradeoffs to be considered. CFL lamps usually have a different color spectrum than conventional “A” type incandescent lamps. They are slower to warm up (not “instant on”), some cannot be put on dimmers and, if the temperature falls below freezing (outdoor lighting or lights in a garage or shed), they may not turn on at all.

Disposal of CFL lamps are subject to hazardous waste rules and regulations in many communities; you may need to take these to a special disposal site instead of just tossing them into your trash.

On the up side, using the same formula from part 1, you can see that CFL lamps can reduce energy costs substantially.

A 26-watt compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) is roughly equivalent in light output to a 100-watt conventional light bulb. Burning 24/7/365, that CFL lamp uses 227.14KWH, or about $27.26 per year to operate. Quite a difference.

Now obviously your lights aren’t on for 24 hours a day, unless of course you have teenagers living at home. But you can see that it does add up.

Funniest joke about electricity

Question: How much does it cost to operate a light bulb?

Answer: That depends on how many teenagers live in the house!

What is a kilowatt hour?

Basically electricity is billed in 1,000 watt-hour increments, or kilowatt-hours, or KWH. For example, a 1-watt light bulb burning for 1 hour equals 1 watt-hour or 1WH (1 watt times 1 hour).

A common 100-watt light bulb (typical “A” type lamp) burning for 10 hours = 1,000 watt-hours or 1KWH (100 watts X 10 hours).

Therefore, a 100-watt light bulb burning for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year = 873,600 WH or 873.6KWH

The cost for electricity, at my house anyway, for metering, distribution, environmental, transmission, instrument funding and about a half dozen other line items listed on my bill that I don’t understand (but I’m sure I need) is about 12¢ for every kilowatt hour.

At 12¢/KWH x 873.6KWH of usage, that light bulb costs about $104.84 per year to operate.

Logistically the seller has a few options to store items when they follow our advice to “Stage for Success”!
1) Rent a Mini Warehouse or a POD:
Advantages:

• Many facilities are available
• A seller can usually find one that is close to their residence
• They are typically reasonably priced

Disadvantages:

• The seller has to invest their time and labor for the physical move
• Risk of injury to the seller and or individuals that assist with the move
• Risk of damage to the sellers home.  Walls, floors, etc…
• The seller needs to rent a truck as well as provide pads and protection
• No insurance coverage
• Possible damage to those nice furniture pieces and your home
• POD’s don’t provide a good “image” and aren’t compatible with many city locations.

2.) Use of Graebel.  A Professional Moving Company:
Advantages

• The seller’s items will be placed in containerized storage
• Furniture will be handled by trained and certified professionals
• Professional movers are skilled to get more into less space which saves money
• The seller can invest their time in other areas to prepare their home for sale
• The seller will not have to worry about the risk of injury to their family or friends
• Accessible to city and high rise locations
• Transported in enclosed vans
• Graebel will be responsible in the unlikely event of loss or damage to the goods and or home
• The home/apartment will be professionally protected
• Monthly cost typically lower than mini warehouse or POD’s

Disadvantages:

• Only to those that don’t experience the difference!

At Graebel we provide a home staging support service where we pick up items in advance of the home listing.  We provide the transferee with a complete inventory and condition of the items.  We take extra care in protecting the home, floors, banisters, elevators against possible damage.  All items are stored in containers which can be eventually delivered to the new home.  There is a reason that Graebel is the preferred mover to Corporate America.  Experience the Graebel difference today!

For a more detailed cost comparison, e mail bivory@graebel.com or call 800.373.6401
Provided by Ben Ivory
VP/General Manager of the Buffalo Grove, IL location for Graebel Relocation Services Worldwide.

Rated A + by the Better Business Bureau
Proud Member of the North Shore Home Services Association

Do It Yourself!

Look for these hazardous conditions in your home or office, garage, basement or attic. Sometimes a simple visual inspection can reveal a lot.

If you find any of these hazards you should call a qualified electrician to make repairs.

1. Frequently blown fuses or circuits
2. Lights that flicker or dim
3. Exposed wiring or electrical boxes
4. No GFCI outlets next to sinks and tubs
5. Broken switches or outlets
6. Bulbs mismatched to fixtures
7. Uncovered outdoor receptacles
8. 3-prong adapters in 2-prong outlets
9. Frayed appliance or lamp cords
10. Overloaded outlets

Romitti exclusively serves the following North Shore communities and is family owned and operated. Call 847-831-4471 for your appointment.

Bannockburn 60015, Buffalo Grove 60089, Deerfield 60015, Fort Sheridan 60037, Glencoe 60022, Glenview 60025, Highland Park 60035, Highwood 60040, Kenilworth 60043, Lake Bluff 60044, Lake Forest 60045, Lincolnshire 60069, Northbrook 60062, Northfield 60093, Riverwoods 60015, Wilmette 60091, Winnetka 60093, Glenview 60026, Highland Park 60037, Lincolnshire Woods 60045, Northbrook 60065

Romitti Electric Corporation, www.Romitti.com, offers a Free 12-Point Home Electrical Service Visual Inspection.

Ugly Backyard Transformed in One Weekend

Ultra-Handy and Sliders were selected by the producers of “Yard Crashers”, a DIY Network TV series, to assist in the transformation of a scruffy suburban backyard into a $100.000+ landscaping and remodeling wonderland.

Shortly after the production crew arrived with cameras and lights from California the 30+ workers began the conversion, which lasted from early Friday morning to early Saturday evening.

The screened-in porch was the project for our Association members.

The 9′ x 9′ porch sides were screened with ScreenEZE (a unique snap-in-place screening system).   The front of the porch was fitted with a PANORAMA remote control operated overhead retractable screen by Stoett Industries in Defiance, OH.

This episode is scheduled to be aired in the Spring.