Venetian Blinds – Save Energy & Adding A Little Eye Candy At Home




Have you ever thought of having a little eye candy to your windows? If you have, then venetian blinds have got to be your first choice. Venetian blinds are much more than just decorative pieces of decor. It has a lot of other uses in addition to the beauty that it imparts to your room.

You might be wondering, what these blinds are. Venetian blinds are actually slatted blinds, having a number of horizontal strips attached in rows. The slats are attached together with strips of cloth or cords. Venetian blinds are made of different materials.

They can be made of plastics, metal, wood and even bamboo. The slats can be controlled in the way you want it to be. The slats are connected with strings such that they can be controlled to either pass the light through them or block the light.

The working mechanism is very simple, they work on a universal pulley system and a pull raises the blinds removing them entirely from blocking the light.

Advantages of Venetian Blinds

Great appearance – Nothing can beat the style and charm of venetian blinds. They are the ones that provide a great ambiance to your living room. You can use traditional curtains but that is no match for the richness that venetian blinds provide.

Light regulation – We all hate the sunlight shining on your face while sleeping on a nice Sunday morning. Glares can also be an issue while watching TV. That is where the need of venetian blind arises.

If you have venetian blinds then you are the boss, you can control the amount of light you want in your room. If you want it to be bright, just open the blinds.

Having your own privacy – It is always an issue, especially if you are living in an apartment or a populated residential area. Because the last thing you want is somebody to be gazing in your windows.

More so if you are alone or have children. If you have light inside, people can easily see through your curtains. The only fix for this problem is to use a venetian blind.

Increased savings – Afternoon sun during summer days can be really hot and if you use a blind, you can easily cut down the workload of your air-conditioners. Blinds are also amazingly efficient in keeping drafts out in the winter, thereby maintaining a warm temperature in your room.

In addition to saving some money on utility bills, you are also contributing your bit to the nature by reducing your carbon footprint.

Budget friendly – There are a variety of budget friendly blinds available in the market. You don’t have to worry about the cost, even if you are on a tight budget. You will never fall short of choices because of your budget.

Venetian blinds are made of a variety of metals and are available in different colors. You can choose the one that suits the theme of your room. Venetian blinds can simply transform your ordinary looking living room into a sensational work of art.


Sunpentown SPT SH-1507 Portable Ceramic Room Heater Review




Winter has already set in and it is really becoming chilly. When I was studying in the States, I lived in St. Pete, Florida and Sunpentown SPT SH-1507 Mini-Tower Ceramic Heater proved more than useful for the extremely cold weather that I experienced over there.

When the outside temperature hovers in the 30’s and even in the 20’s, this space heater is more than a handful and saved my day. My 650 sq. foot student rental apartment is poorly insulated; however, on such cold days it kept my room warm and comfortable and I did not even switch on the central heater.

It runs on a fraction of a cost of central heater and does a far better job. I used the Sunpentown SPT heater primarily in the large room that comprises about 40% of my apartment; however, when I used it in my bedroom, which is 15 x 13 feet and comprises about 25% of my apartment, I found it to be quite comfortable.

Even when I regulated down the temperature after closing the door, this space heater kept my room warm. Though it takes about an hour to heat the entire room, it worked fabulously and I had to switch it off in the middle of the night, since me and my roommate were sweating under the heavy comforter.

In the larger room, too, the heater did an excellent job and kept it warm and comfortable throughout the unbearable cold spell. The temperature back then fluctuate between the low 50’s and high 40’s, this little heater heats up any of my rooms without problem.

The high and low settings are great features of this heater and the high setting draws only 1200W of power as compared to 1500W of power consumed by most space heaters. Being quite small in size, none of its parts heat up too much and you can move it conveniently between rooms.

The automatic shut-off features of the Sunpentown SPT will be very useful for you, if you have little kids or pets in your apartment who can accidently knock it over. The heater is very quiet; it sounds like a small fan and if your room has extraneous noise you are not going to notice even that.

Sometimes during starting up, it might sound a little rough, but within a minute or so it is going to become easy. I had purchased it last winter and till now it has given me admirable service. Sometimes I ran it 24 hours a day continuously for weeks and it never posed a problem; however, I use it carefully and refrain from using it in humid areas like a bathroom.

You should exercise caution while moving the heater from one room to another because it can break if you knock it over or bump it against a hard object. Hold the heater with one hand and turn the on/off knob with the other.

This is required since the knob requires a bit of torque to rotate and if you try to turn the knob without holding it with the other hand; you will twist the whole heater on its base, thereby damaging its oscillating feature. Use it with care and you can derive maximum benefit from this small, relatively inexpensive and easy to store heater.

I bought it through Amazon and as always, found the process as smooth as silk. Though it looked like that the manufacturer’s packaging was opened and then re-taped; however, the interior packaging was intact. It did not matter in the end and I am very pleased with the services of this heater.

If you are looking for an inexpensive and portable room heater, click on the button on the right to purchase the Sunpentown SPT SH-1507 ceramic heater from Amazon.com right now.

Replacing Windows – Things To Look For Before Replacing Them Yourself




Replacing your windows can be costly and time-consuming with window replacements being small and intricate in nature. Due to this it is necessary to evaluate the situation fully before beginning.

Firstly, you should check each window in the house carefully and take accurate stock of the condition. Note any defect you should encounter, some of the most common are;

  • Damaged weather stripping
  • Obvious pores or cracks in window panes
  • Obvious blemishes in the glazing
  • Any warpage

The majority of the above defects can be fixed easily and without the need to place the old casement. A good example of this principle can be seen in fixing loose joins. In order to fix loose joins, corner brackets are used. These brackets tend to work themselves loose over time.

Replacing these brackets would be impractical with an L-Shaped bracket, steel in design, being a better solution. This steel corner bracket would strengthen joins and save money in the long-term.

Another example can be seen in weatherstripping. This refers to a gasket situated in the window, between fixed parts and operable window components. The gaskets main function is to prevent air from leaking out.

Over time, weatherstripping does wear out, mainly due to using the window, and if the gasket isn’t replaced when it wears out, air filtration results. This is a common cause of heat loss.

Make sure you opt for top quality weatherstripping, paying a little extra now could save you hundreds later on! Pores and cracks or crevices in window panes can reduce energy efficiency.

Use some tracing paper or the smoke from an incense stick to detect the tiny irregularities and mark their location on the window casement. They should be sealed up using caulking.

Before exterior caulking can take place, all cracks and pores on the inside of the transom have to be sealed. If the external caulking is done prior to this moist air can become trapped, causing extensive wall damage. If you need to repair any damaged window glazing then you’d better be prepared for a long and drawn-out procedure. You need plenty of time for this job.

Firstly, remove the window putty using a heating rod, chisel and knife. Remember to protect your eyes and hands, wear your safety gloves and glasses. Then take out the glazing points attaching the glass to the frame of the window.

Finally, remove the window pane that is damaged or blemished. Before you install the new window glass, sand the area lightly and use a primer. Using glazing points and window pane putty fix the windowpane in place. In cases where glazing cannot be repaired, a window replacement seems best.

Warpage of a window pane can cause damage that cannot be fixed and is a real problem. The one thing you can do is take out the old window and put in a brand new one. When you’re buying your new casement, remember to consider the following:

  • U-value
  • Visual transmittance (VT)
  • Condensation resistance (CR)
  • Air leakage score (AL)
  • Solar hear gain coefficient (SHGC)

These factors each play an important role in high performance window production.