Allstar Direct Insurance & Financial http://allstardirectinsurance.posterous.com Miami Home Insurance posterous.com Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:03:00 -0700 How a Programmable Thermostat Can Save You Money http://allstardirectinsurance.posterous.com/how-a-programmable-thermostat-can-save-you-mo http://allstardirectinsurance.posterous.com/how-a-programmable-thermostat-can-save-you-mo

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There are hundreds of ways that you can customize your home to make it more energy efficient. By installing advanced tech items in your home, for example, you can achieve serious savings on your utility bills every month. Consider that the average homeowner spends about $2,200 dollars on heating and cooling every year, and yet a basic programmable thermostat can be picked up at the local hardware or home-improvement store for around $25.

Installing a programmable thermostat in your home can even save you enough money over the course of a year to pay for a good chunk of your Miami home insurance. According to the EPA and the EnergyStar program, “Homeowners can save about $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings.” If you spend a considerable amount of time away from the home during the week, these savings can be even higher.

Keep in mind, simply installing the unit won’t result in savings. You have to program it correctly to take advantage of the ability to control the interior temperature of your home when you are away. This can be most effective in households that are vacant for a good portion of the day. If you have a schedule that has you out of the home from 8 am to 5 pm every weekday, you can program your thermostat to allow the home to reach 78 to 80 degrees during the time you are away and then return it to 72 about 30 minutes before you arrive home. You still enjoy the comfort of returning to a cool house without having to run the air conditioner for 8 hours in your absence. At an average cost of about $1.20 an hour, this can save you almost $10 a day during the summer.

The same savings can be had during the winter by programming your thermostat to turn on the furnace 30 minutes before you get home from work. There is no need to heat the home when you aren’t in it. As long as you keep the home at a temperature of 60 degrees or above when you are gone, 30 minutes should be long enough to allow your home to heat up to a comfortable level. For more questions, feel free to contact an agent at Allstar Direct Insurance today.

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Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:20:00 -0700 Tips for Preventing Electrical Fires http://allstardirectinsurance.posterous.com/tips-for-preventing-electrical-fires http://allstardirectinsurance.posterous.com/tips-for-preventing-electrical-fires Believe it or not, there’s a powerful source of fire right inside your home: electricity. From old defective wiring to overloaded outlets, there are electrical fire hazards everywhere we turn.

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As a matter of fact, more than 40,000 residential fires are caused each year by faulty electrical wiring, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Tragically, defective electrical wiring systems have claimed an average of 350 lives a year for the past decade.

So, how can you ensure that your home's electrical system is fire-proof? Follow these priceless fire prevention tips from the National Electrical Safety Foundation:

  • Check your electrical cords periodically. If you find any cords that are frayed or damaged, replace them. Do not place cords under rugs or carpet.
  • Make sure that your outlets and/or extension cords are not overloaded. If you notice that your lights are dimming, your heater or kitchen appliances are not working properly or your television picture is poor, this could be a sign of an overloaded circuit. Add up the wattage of all the electrical devices plugged into each circuit and keep the total load well below the circuit’s maximum capacity.
  • Do not use high wattage bulbs in light fixtures and lamps that cannot handle them. Always choose the proper wattage bulb for each light.
  • If you have children in your home, install child-proof electrical outlets. This will ensure that a child cannot insert something into an outlet.
  • If your home is more than 40 years old, you should consider updating the entire electrical system. Because older homes often contain aluminum wiring, they are more vulnerable to electrical fires. You should replace the old wires with copper wiring, which is more resistant to electrical fires.
  • Consider installing ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) in your kitchen, bathrooms and utility rooms. A GFCI will shut down the electrical system if it detects an imbalance in electricity, which can help protect your family against electrocution.
  • Install power surge protection devices for large electrical appliances and computers. A power surge, which is a sudden rush of voltage in an electrical circuit, can damage electrical devices plugged into the circuit.
  • Avoid arc faults by installing arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI). Often caused by improper electrical connections, overheated wires or pinched wire insulation, an arc fault is a discharge of electrical currents across a gap that can lead to an electrical fire.
What to do if a fire breaks out

If an electrical fire starts at a wall outlet, pull the plug by the cord if you can get to it safely or turn off the main switch. If the fire is small, use your home CO2 fire extinguisher. NEVER douse an electrical fire with water.

If the electrical fire is large, evacuate your home immediately and call the fire department. Be sure to notify them that it is an electrical fire. They may be able to turn off the main power source, which could keep the fire from spreading.


Make sure you're covered with Miami Home Insurance from Allstar Direct Insurance today!

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