18. September 2008 by Burbank Real Estate.

1. Caulk gaps and cracks
2. Switch to Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)
3. Install a low-flow showerhead
4. Go for double paned or triple paned windows
5. Insulate your home
6. Turn off or unplug products that are not currently in use
7. Purchase ENERGY STAR appliances
8. Install solar panels
9. Use drought resistant landscaping
10. Tank-less water heaters
11. High efficiency gas furnaces and air conditioning systems
12. Install motion sensor lights
13. Install solar tubes

These are just a few ideas to help you improve your home’s energy efficiency, for more energy saving tips, check out Burbank Water and Power.

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30. July 2008 by Burbank Real Estate.

Ever wonder what grasscycling is?

I didn’t, but I did find out recently that golf courses, school districts, parks, commercial landscapers and city landscape crews are doing it!

All it entails is leaving grass clippings on your lawn.  It’s really the best way to use your clippings as grass clippings contain nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, which are the same nutrients that fertilizers provide.  This approach helps to build your topsoil, reduces water demand and reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers!

When doing this it’s recommended:

• That you use a mulching blade on your mower
• Mow your grass high
• Cut when dry
• Water after cutting

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25. July 2008 by Burbank Real Estate.

We’re not only having to conserve our water as we’re having a tough time with our water supplies, but we also need to conserve on our energy usage. Reasons to conserve are many……from helping our environment to saving a few dollars……whatever your reasons, keep it up!

Here are some conservation tips:

• Set your air conditioning to 76 degrees

• Run fans instead of central air

• Turn off lights in any of your unoccupied rooms and don’t turn on lights close to your thermostat.

• Unplug any charging devices that are not currently in use…..if you really want to take this concept further you can unplug any electronic item in the house that’s not in use.

• Use low flow showerheads

• Use low flow faucet aerators

• Plant drought tolerant varieties in your garden

• Use high efficiency toilets

• Try to be efficient with your sprinklers……I know this one is challenging. I’m constantly trying to monitor how much time my sprinklers are on as well as using mulch/bark to keep the moisture in the ground.

Don’t forget that Burbank Water and Power will pay $100 bounty for old refrigerators!

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3. August 2007 by Burbank Real Estate.

City of Burbank Water and Power has a really great tool, the Home Energy Analyzer, that can help you analyze your home’s annual energy consumption and give you suggestions as to how you can improve your home’s efficiency.

I would recommend that you have at least a few months of your previous gas and power bills handy as part of the process includes entering what you paid for these items for the last year. If you don’t have this information, don’t despair! It’s worth taking the assessment anyway.

It will take you approximately 5-10 minutes or so to answer all the questions, but once you do you will end up with great information about your energy usage and how it compares to the average home.

The best part of this is that it is FREE, helps our planet and will probably help you save money in the long run!

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