The Amish Fireplace
The Amish Fireplace has been the craze lately in home decorating. The heater itself is actually marketed by Heat Surge, a company based in Ohio – the Amish make the mantels – they are known for their incredible wood craftsmanship. It’s been on the news, in the newspapers, and in magazines. We have received several calls from customers that purchased these fireplaces and we wanted to address one concern that has come to our attention due to the popularity of these in our area. They are NOT as easy as plug and go. These units are rated for 1500-watts, which means that it requires a dedicated 20AMP circuit. Most living rooms are only 15AMP rated – So add a TV, a lamp, and you have a major problem on your hands… If you have purchased The Amish Fireplace, check with us first before plugging it in to make sure that your electrical system can handle it.
By the way, any 1500-watt heater will provide the same amount of heat energy – so there isn’t really anything so amazing about this product. Heat Surge claims that the heater can drastically lower your heating bills – but according to the U.S. Department of Energy, space heaters only cut your bills if you heat one room and them move the heater to another room – heating just one room at a time. Also, the amount of money you can potentially save depends a lot on how well your home is insulated, the rates from your electric company, and where you live. And here we go back to our initial concern… If you plan on moving your heater from room to room – give us a call first so that we can make sure your electrical system can handle it.
As a final thought about this Amish fireplace… Before you purchase this, just know that you are basically buying a space heater with a nice wooden mantel. If all you’re looking for is heat, you’re better off going to Target and purchasing a 1500-watt space heater for $69.99. (Aloha 1,500-Watt). If you like the look and want the fake fire with the wooden mantle – just understand you’re paying almost $300.00 for the look – not the heat. OR – even better – call us and get your $79.99 heating tune-up!
(Some of our information about this product was taken from the consumer affairs website.)
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No Heat?
HEATING TIP: Due to the exceptionally cold weather, if your furnace is to go off, do not try to heat your home with your oven. The carbon monoxide release from the oven door being open is harmful! Give us a call right away instead at 732-821-0200! We have 24/7 Emergency Service…www.friendlyelectric.com…
You may want to check out our pre-season $79 heating tune-up. We’ve extended it due to the warm winter we’ve been having – up until now, that is!
By the way, 1.5 hour lines today at Target…Due to the recession??? You tell me…
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Friendly Electric – Voted Best in 2009 for Central Jersey!
Friendly Electric Heating & Air has been voted One of the Best Heating & Air Conditioning AND Home Improvement Companies in 2009 for Central Jersey.
Thank You For All of Your Support!
Thank you for voting for Friendly Electric Heating & Air!
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Friendly Electric Heating & Air Attends Pride in Milltown Day!
This year we attended Pride in Milltown Day with a few of our team members. We brought a Balloon Blast game that was quite a hit! All day long we had a line of kids waiting for tattoos and trying to win stuffed animals and whistles. You could hear the loud shrill of the whistles all day long. A good time was had by everyone. Be sure to look for us next year! Read more
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Green Tips that Save Energy
Friendly Electric Heating & Air provides tips to Conserve Energy
- Use fluorescent bulbs: Changing just one traditional incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent bulb results in savings of over $45 during its lifetime. Each bulb uses one-fourth of the energy of an incandescent bulb, lasts up to 10 times longer and the energy saved keeps CO2 out of the atmosphere.
- Lights out: It’s obvious, but turning off lights at night can save you, and the environment, big. A computer left on to run 24 hours a day can increase the electricity bill by $75 to $120 yearly. By putting the computer into standby mode, this amount is reduced to only $15 per year.
- Wash clothes in cold water: Over 90 per cent of energy used by a washing machine comes from water heating. Save on your bill by washing clothes in cold water, with special cold-water detergent.
- Lower the thermostats: Lower the thermostat by three degrees in winter and you can save up to 10 per cent on your heating bill. Wearing that sweater never felt so smart!
- Choose energy efficient appliances: Dishwashers today are nearly 95 per cent more energy-efficient than those bought in 1972. Visit the Conservation Council of New Brunswick’s directory of the most energy efficient products on the market at www.allthingsefficient.ca.
- Have an energy audit done on your home and retrofit your home to make it energy efficient. Many grants are available to finance this type of project. For more information, visit New Brunswick’s funding program, Efficiency NB and the federal funding program, EcoAction.
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Friendly Electric Heating & Air in the Community Tribune & MyCentralJersey.com
The Community Tribune, Mycentraljersey.com and Friendly Electric Heating & Air – a photograph of a member of the Friendly team was featured in both the Community Tribune and Mycentraljersey.com. Hey did anyone happen to notice that Michelle from Friendly Electric Heating & Air was photographed in the Milltown 4th of July parade? Her photo was also displayed in the Community Tribune as well as the mycentraljersey.com website. I guess wearing a big red white and blue Uncle Sam hat, and a red, white and blue feather boa while walking down Main Street in Milltown gets you noticed!
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Learn about different types of lighting
Lighting Ideas – There are three or four basic types of lighting that should work together to light any room, including a bathroom. They are task lighting, general lighting, accent lighting and lighting that is sometimes called decorative lighting or sparkle lighting. A good lighting plan combines at least the first three, and sometimes all four types of lighting.
This article, however, will focus only on the task lighting in a bathroom. In the bathroom, especially around the vanity mirrors, task lighting is critical. Task lighting can assist in performing specific tasks such applying makeup, shaving, dressing a wound, or performing a manicure.
Tip #1:
It is strongly recommended that good task lighting be installed either above the vanity mirror located near the sink or on both sides of the mirror. This is absolutely critical for providing good bathroom task lighting.
Tip #2:
It is recommended that the vanity light fixtures installed around the vanity mirror be incandescent or halogen fixtures because this will allow you to easily control the brightness of these fixtures with a dimmer.
Tip #3:
Make certain that the vanity light fixtures you select provide more than enough light. One of the simplest techniques that you can use to ensure that you will always have enough light is to over light the space, and then use dimmers to control the amount of light that you want or need at any given moment.
Tip #4:
It is recommended that special neodymium light bulbs be used in the vanity fixtures, since they provide excellent light that very closely simulates sunlight. A neodymium light bulb is an incandescent light bulb that has a slight bluish tint to it. The bluish tint, created by a thin coating of neodymium inside the glass envelope will cause the light bulb to provide less yellowish light that a standard incandescent light bulb emits, and therefore be more like the sun.
Tip #5:
Recessed downlights should not be used to light your face while standing at a mirror, because the light coming from these fixtures will cause too many shadows on your face. Recessed downlights can be used in other parts of the bathroom for general lighting but not for task lighting at the vanity mirror.
Tip #6:
Consider installing a small lit concave mirror near the main vanity mirror. The concave curvature of the mirror will magnify what you see in the mirror, and the additional light will help improve the lighting for special tasks such as shaving or applying makeup.
Tip #7:
An area of bathroom lighting that is often overlooked is the shower, tub or Jacuzzi. It is suggested that one or two recessed downlights with special shower trims be used to illuminate each of these areas. If the bathroom is already finished, a remodel, recessed housing can be used for this purpose. A shower trim, with a glass diffuser and a special gasket, should be used in these areas. You may want to consider selecting a shower trim with a domed glass diffuser because this shape often gives the most uniform distribution of light.
Always remember that light is the first element of design; without it there is no color, form, or texture.
Article originally featured on handyhouseholdtips.com
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10 Questions you should ask a contractor before they begin to work on your home.
You should not just hire a contractor without asking them questions. Your home is one of, if not the, prized possessions in your life and you want to make sure the best possible job is done on your home, no matter what needs to be worked on. By asking the contractor you are looking to hire pertinent questions you can be more comfortable with them being able to do the job.
Here are 10 questions you should ask your perspective contractor before you decide the hire them. There are many contractors out there that can do the job to your specifications, so if you are not comfortable with any answer they give then you may want to look into another contractor.
1. How long have you been a contractor? You should look for a contractor that has experience. You should also check with your local Better Business Bureau and see I they have had complaints lodged against them. You have to be aware that just because the contractor does not have complaints on their record does not mean they have not had problems in the past, as many problems do not go reported.
2. Are you state and county licensed? Make sure that you see their contractor’s license and make sure it is for your state and that the license is current. You can find out the licensing requirements in your area by checking with your local building department.
3. Have you completed projects like mine? This will let you know if the contractor is familiar with the type of project that you are looking to have done.
4. Will I need a permit for my project? Many states and localities will require you to have a permit for building projects. Good contractors will get the necessary permits before they start work on the project and if they ask you to get the permits it should be a red flag and you should not use them.
5. Can I see some references? The contractor that you are looking to hire should have a few references of happy customers. Make sure the references have phone numbers so you can get in touch with the people.
6. Who will be the supervisor of my project? The contractor will already have a crew in mind if it is a project that takes more than one person. If the contractor is not going to be there for the project, or even if they are away a lot, make sure you know the supervisor so you can communicate with them.
7. Who will be working on the project? You need to be able to trust workers, as many times they will be inside your home. You may also have children around and you need to make sure they will be safe.
8. When can you start the job? Get a set date on when they can start the project.
9. When can you finish the job? You should be able to get a date that they should be finished by. There are complications that do come up in projects but the contractor should have an idea on when the project will be finished.
10. What kind of insurance do you have? Contractors are required to have worker’s compensation, liability, and property damage coverage. You should ask the contractor for a copy of their insurance certificate and make sure their insurance is current, and will be on the date that they give you for the completion of the project. It is vital that you do not do any business with a contractor that is unlicensed. If you do you can be liable for damages and/or injuries that happen at your project site.
Article originally featured on handyhouseholdhints.com
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Our Lady of Lourdes Casino Night
Our Lady of Lourdes School & Friendly Electric Heating & Air - Recently we helped this local catholic school by donating a gift basket for their annual casino night. OLOL is constantly organizing fundraisers in an effort to keep the school doors open. I’ve never met a more dedicated group of parents and teachers. There’s something special there and it really shows. The families really care about the community and each other. That’s why Friendly Electric Heating & Air helps out whenever they can.
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Friendly Electric in the Milltown 4th of July Parade!
Friendly Electric in the Milltown 4th of July Parade! Beads, Beads, Beads! That’s what the crowd was chanting as we marched along Main Street in celebration of the 4th of July. We decided to toss patriotic beads this year in addition to candy, in the hopes that the crowd would have some fun wearing red white and blue. We never anticipated the overwhelming response and demand from the crowd! We couldn’t toss the beads fast enough! People, young and old alike were running into the parade route and begging the Friendly team for beads, some even had special color requests! We proudly carried our Wave … it’s Friendly banner, and had huge white padded gloves on so everyone could see us waving to them. People proved they were very friendly and waved back. Once again we included our Friendly Electric wind up car as a reminder for everyone, don’t wind up with the wrong contractor! People seem to really get a laugh out of the huge cartoon lightbulb and the wind up key on the back that actually spins! Making it a crowd favorite. This year we included music and many people in the crowd playfully danced along with us to the Electric Slide. No one was left out, we even passed out dog bones to the patriotic pets in attendance. In the end we all had a fabulous time. We can’t wait for next year’s parade!
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