Tips to Defeat the Heat

During the summer, especially in Texas, the heat can at times be unbearable. While the temperatures are so high, the air conditioner becomes a much welcome invention, making you comfortable inside of your home. The unwanted side effect of all of this is that your energy bills tend to skyrocket along with the heat, since the air conditioner is running like a bandit all day long.

Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to make sure that you keep those costs low, especially while prices on everything else are rising at the moment. A new article on Homemakers talks about 10 tips that you can use around your home in order to save money for the summer. Likewise, Plenty Magazine posted an article about 5 ways to save on energy as well.

The articles cover things ranging from sealing up the cracks in your home to insulation and even opening your windows when it rains in order to generate a breeze that freshens the air inside. To find out more, check out Plenty Magazine for 5 tips on home cooling and Homemakers for 10 power saving tips.

WhiteFence and Reach Out and Read Texas Book Fair

Saturday marked the first ever WhiteFence and Reach Out and Read Texas Book Fair at the Barnes and Noble Westheimer Crossing in Houston, Texas. I can say with great admiration and a sense of accomplishment that it was an absolutely wonderful opportunity for us to support a great cause.

Reach out and Read is an organization that encourages doctors to talk to parents about the importance of reading aloud, and to give books to children at pediatric check-ups from six months to five years of age.Reach Out and Read is a national organizations that serves 3.3 million children annually, distributing over 5.4 million books through more than 50,000 pediatricians, nurses, residents and health professionals. It's a fantastic organization that is dedicated to one of the greatest issues facing families and children in America.

We had local authors present for a good chunk of the afternoon, signing books, interacting with families and reading from their award-winning books on the Barnes and Noble story time stage. Supporters donated new and gently-used books, as well as presented vouchers with their purchases. A percentage of the proceeds of any purchase they made was donated to the Reach Out and Read Texas region.

Check back for more information on the money raised, photos and more details from the event as it filters down to me. Thanks again for all that helped make Saturday a wild success!

More about Reach Out and Read Texas

More about Houston branch of ROR-TX

Comcast and Big Ten Network

Good news today for both Comcast subscribers and fans of college sports: Comcast will be adding the Big Ten Network to its repertoire starting in Fall of 2008. Avid college football watchers will be able to tune into the exciting games from the likes of Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan. Apparently, Comcast "initially will make the network available to most of the customers of its expanded basic" and other higher end subscriptions.

The Big Ten Network will be available more readily by Spring 2009. To find out more, visit BusinessJournal. If you don't have a subscription to cable television, it looks like there are more reasons to start shopping this summer.

Two WhiteFence Announcements

You might have noticed a couple of new items in the WhiteFence Press Room this morning, bringing a couple of pieces of news about the world of WhiteFence.

• WhiteFence and Barnes and Noble at Westheimer Crossing Host Reach Out and Read Book Fair

WhiteFence is partnering with Reach Out and Read to help put on a book fair this Saturday, June 21 at the Barnes and Noble at Westheimer Crossing. There were will be story time with many authors, crafts, treats and more.

• WhiteFence Names Chip Smith Chief Marketing Officer

Recently, there has been a new addition to the WhiteFence team. Chip Smith joined the company as its Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Smith will lead the development and execution of marketing strategies for WhiteFence and its vast network of Web sites, products and services. He has a wide array of experience in this field, including many years with Monster.com in New York.

To find out more about these two exciting announcements, you can read the press releases or check them out at the WhiteFence Press Room. Be sure to keep checking out WhiteFence to get the best deal on your home services.

Green Countries

A recent article was posted on ZDNet about some of the "greenest" countries in the world at the moment, and what their ambitions are for the future in terms of green energy production. Currently, two of the most ambitious energy projects in production are located across the globe from one another, with Portugal being home to one. Interestingly enough, as of 2005, Sweden seems to have the renewable energy edge as far as Europe goes.

According to the article, in 2005 Sweden was using renewable energy sources for nearly 40 percent of its energy production, with a targeted goal of 49 percent by 2020. In addition, Latvia is relying on green sources for nearly 35 percent of its energy, with a goal of 42 percent by 2020.

The article also goes on to talk about New Zealand's oceanic energy project, where seabed turbines rely on tidal flow to produce electricity. It certainly makes you wonder what kind of exciting projects we'll see from the rest of the global community. If you're interested in the future of renewable energy, read more about these projects at ZDNet.
 

WhiteFence on YouTube

For you YouTube fanatics, WhiteFence now has its own YouTube channel. Visit WhiteFenceVideo to see the WhiteFence spots on FoxNews shows Mike and Juliet as well as Fox and Friends Saturday. Also, you can view WhiteFence CEO Eric Danziger's announcement about WhiteFence's push to go green as a company.

If you already have a YouTube account, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on future WhiteFence videos and announcements!

EPA to America: Save!

This week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it was beginning an effort to help Americans save money through advice on cooling their homes during the summer. According to the EPA "Energy Star qualified programmable thermostats can save money on energy bills and help fight global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions". It seems that programmable thermostats that control the schedules of warming or cooling a house down can save consumers "about $180 a year on home energy bills".

Since up to half of our energy costs goes towards making ourselves more comfortable while inside (whether that's through trying to cool down or warm up), having a programmable thermostat can take away the hassle of constantly adjusting the temperature and also relieves some consumers might have about the headache of energy bills that wildly fluctuate.

In addition to saving through a programmable thermostat, the article also provides some helpful tips about how else you can save money in the home, including finding and sealing up unwanted air leaks in windows or doors that continue to raise our energy bill as they allow our heating or cooling to escape. To find out more about programmable thermostats and other methods of energy conservation, read more at the EPA.

Need to Lower Your Bills?

If you're like me, then trying to navigate your way through the month's stack of bills is not something that you look forward to. It's no secret that prices are rising as we get closer to the summer, and people are bound to be searching for ways to cut costs.

Fortunately, WhiteFence.com has recently added a section for all of you that are looking for lower bills on home services, utilities and more. The Lower My Bills page is a helpful resource that provides tips for households that need to reduce what they are spending each month on their bills.

The tips cover everything from bundling your services all the way through energy conservation as a way of saving money on electricity bills. There is also a page devoted to lowering credit card bills through credit card consolidation, where multiple credit cards can be applied to one card with just one interest rate, simplifying the bill paying process.

To get started and lower your bills today, read more at WhiteFence.

The CityBucks Green Makeover

For those of you interested in green projects, you might want to keep your eye on a site known as CityBucks.org. They have a campaign going on called "Save the Earth", where they aim to collect $10 from each city on the planet. The end goal is to show people that by going green, they can not only save money on their home electricity bill but also help the environment.

Another interesting feature, however, is the contest they are running to win a "green home makeover". Donations of $1 dollar or more enter you into the contest to win a makeover for your home that makes it eco-friendly and saves you money. The site seems to be in its early stages, but it could be something to keep an eye on for the future.

Visit CityBucks to learn more about saving money with green energy.