3 clean energy light bulbs and how they differ

Energy efficiency becoming a more prevalent component of our society has led to changes that can easily leave someone feeling overwhelmed. With respect to light bulbs, there are several relatively new options that don't overtly distinguish themselves with their names, leaving you to wonder what exactly you're paying for when you buy them because the truth is that if you've bought one light bulb you have most certainly not bought them all: 

1) Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs): Perhaps the number one quality of the CFLs is that they consume only 25 percent of the energy used by traditional incandescent bulbs while lasting 10 times longer. They are also quieter and have warmer, color-corrected tones. Conversely, these bulbs contain minimal quantities of mercury, a harmful substance which means these bulbs have to be recycled and that extra care needs to be exercised to protect against breakage.

2) Halogen light bulbs: Halogen light bulbs are identical to the traditional incandescent light bulbs except that they use roughly 25 to 30 percent less energy and produce the closest approximation of natural dayligh​t. The downside is that they don't always last very long and burn at a higher temperature, which could be a fire hazard. 

3) Light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs): The LED bulb's claim to fame is that it requires even less energy than the CFLs. And as the technology improves, the LEDs are becoming more effective at lighting an entire room but not yet to the effectiveness of the other bulbs. Their major shortcoming is that they cost significantly more money but the price of these bulbs is steadily declining.

Remember that if you live in the Maryland area and are looking to learn more about home energy efficiency or have an energy audit evaluate your power consumption needs, just schedule an appointment with leading home inspection company Alban Inspections!

Colorado airport to improve its energy efficiency with LED lighting

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Denver International Airport (DIA) would be reducing its power consumption by retrofitting more than 5,000 light fixtures to make them accommodating for LED bulbs. The improvements will be made in the east and west parking lots of the airport, which will help make the facility much more energy-efficient.

According to representatives from the airport, the LED bulbs will result in a reduction of electricity use of nearly 50 percent each year, which will save DIA $327,000 annually. While the project is going to cost $2.7 million in total, the airport will make some of that money back through rebates it qualifies for through Colorado's Xcel Energy Lighting Efficiency rebate program.

"By replacing the existing lights with energy-efficient LED lights, we will reduce Denver International Airport's energy consumption and save a substantial amount of money over time," Kim Day, Denver's manager of aviation, said to local reporters. "This project will also make the parking garages brighter and more evenly lit, increasing visibility and enhancing safety."

This retrofitting initiative is scheduled to begin by the end of May and will be finished within a year. It was noted by spokespeople that the LED bulbs themselves will be produced locally in Colorado, by the Denver-based company Cooper Lighting. This project is one of several that the Denver International Airport is undertaking in an effort to become more energy-efficient.

Energy efficiency is something that you can have in your own home by scheduling an energy audit today with Alban Inspections. We will be able to pinpoint the areas where you may be wasting power, as well as upgrade features around your home to ensure that it is running as efficiently as possible. Contact us today for more information about our services in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., areas!

Lead paint poisonings fall to new all-time low in Maryland

The state of Maryland has reason to be happy with a new report by the Department of the Environment, which found that the number of children being poisoned by lead in the state fell to an all-time low.

According to the study, the number of children found with dangerous levels of lead in their blood in 2013 was 364. In 2012, the number was 452, which was at the time the smallest amount since testing began in 1993.

Though more children under the age of 6 were tested across Maryland than in previous years – over 100,000 – testing fell in Baltimore. This is troubling because the city has a greater number of older homes with lead paint, which is the leading cause of lead-based poisonings across the state. According to the report, 60 percent of serious lead poisoning cases in Maryland occurred in Baltimore.

The continuous decline of lead poisonings in children was credited by officials to Maryland's almost 20-year-old law requiring owners of rental housing built before 1950 to comply with state inspections and take action if there is an unsafe level of lead found in their buildings. Lead-based paint was common in housing developments built before the 1950s. Officials also stated that the majority of children harmed by the effects of lead lived in buildings that are not regulated by the state, being either occupied by its owner or falling out of the law's jurisdiction.

Homeowners in Maryland concerned with exposing their young children to the harmful effects of lead poisoning can obtain a lead paint inspection from the professionals at Alban Inspections. We offer a wide range of services and can determine if a house is a safe environment, whether you own an old home or are conducting a new home inspection. Alban Inspections will ensure the safety of your family.

Improving your home’s air indoor quality

The inside of your house may look clean, but an invisible problem can pose some of the biggest health problems to you and your family. Dander, dust, mold and harmful chemicals pollute the air in your home and also hinder your heating and cooling system from functioning efficiently – wasting energy and money. 

If you want to improve your home's air quality, we recommend that you do the following: 

  • Clean HVAC system – You will need to hire a professional technician to clean your HVAC system and ducts. As you spend all of your time at home breathing the air that this system puts out, keeping it clean and professionally maintained is one of the best things that you can do for your health. 
  • Keep areas ventilated – The simplest way to do this is to open your windows every once in a while. You should also use the exhaust fan in the bathroom, and in the kitchen use the stove hood when you are cooking dishes that create excessive steam or oily vapor. 
  • Mold testing – Mold is one of the most harmful air contaminants and can cause serious respiratory problems. To prevent it from forming, regularly clean areas where moisture and poor ventilation meet, like behind the refrigerator. You should also hire a professional to perform an inspection for mold. 
  • Replace screens and filters – You should regularly check and replace the filters in your air conditioning system. Dirty filters can circulate dust around your house. If you use screens on your windows, you should clean them and remove large particles and insects. 

Don’t be fooled by lackluster hurricane season

While it seems that hurricane season may pass those of us in the Mid-Atlantic without a major storm, that doesn't mean that homeowners are totally in the clear when it comes to the more subtle damages associated with wet fall weather. Specifically, mold buildups are common occurrences in residences and businesses during this time of year, and significant outbreaks can come about completely unbeknownst to occupants.

This can be hazardous not only to the structure of your home or place of work, but also to your health. Continued exposure to mold spores is known for causing serious respiratory ailments that can be painful not only for individuals with asthma or allergies, but even people who have never had breathing problems in the past. Should babies or young children be exposed to mold spores for a prolonged period, they potentially run the risk of developing long-term respiratory illnesses that will require years of medical attention.

Mold is most commonly found in areas that don't receive proper ventilation, such as the attic, basement or small crawl spaces. Just because these outbreaks may not be evident in more commonly occupied areas of a structure doesn't mean the spores can't travel and harm individuals in other parts of the house.

If you or members of your family or business have been plagued by undiagnosed breathing issues, there could be an unseen mold outbreak somewhere in your building. Have an expert home inspection contractor visit your residence today should this be the case in order to help you identify a potential health hazard.

A rundown of the dangers of radon

Radon gas exposure is responsible for more deaths on an annual basis than drunk driving, falls in the home, drownings and even house fires, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Affiliated with roughly 21,000 fatalities per year, this substance, which comes from the radioactive breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water, trails only cigarette smoke as the top cause of lung cancer in the United States. But unlike the fumes produced from burning tobacco, Radon is odorless, colorless and can be found in almost any setting, as it seeps into the air of homes and offices without anyone even being aware.

How does Radon enter the home?

Because you spend most of your time in your house, it is imperative that you make sure the Radon level in the air on your property doesn't ever exceed 4 picocuries per liter, or pCi/L. The way that these fumes find their way into the air within a home is usually through cracks in the homes foundation that allow the chemical breakdown occurring naturally in the soil to come inside and build up.

Because the dangers of Radon have been made so public of late, new construction methods have been introduced over the past several years that have proven to help make a home Radon-resistant. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that even new homes built to be Radon-resistant should be tested for the substance before occupancy.

While the dangers associated with Radon are deadly serious, preventing the problem isn't impossible. There are some removal systems that are capable of taking away up to 99 percent of Radon from the air within a home if it is detected early enough. Whether you have an old house or a new property, contact a home inspection contractor today to conduct Radon testing and tell you the proper steps to take in making your residence safe for occupation.

Connecticut town hosting presentation on importance of home inspections

Clinton, Connecticut is the latest town in the Constitution State to join the Clean Energy Communities pledge. The campaign, which is part of the state's Energize Connecticut program, looks to reduce municipal energy use by 20 percent over the next five years. At the same time, participating towns also hope to increase renewable sources of power by 20 percent by the same 2018 deadline. The initiative has already drawn in over 70 participating cities. Now, representatives from the Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) utility company and Connecticut's Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) are planning to hold a public presentation on energy efficiency and how to achieve it in the home.

The most popular program on display during this forum will be the Home Energy Solutions project, a home inspection service that promises "to help people save money on their utility bills," according to local news outlet StamfordPlus. The source reports that when homeowners register with the program, specialists will offer efficiency upgrades to their residence, working to insulate hot water pipes, seal air duct leaks and substitute incandescent light bulbs with more eco-friendly LED bulbs. 

Virginia homeowners luckily don't have to relocate to Connecticut in order to take advantage of these energy-saving and cost-cutting services. There are a wealth of qualified Virginia home inspectors that can offer the same kind of energy audit that helps individuals learn just how inefficient their home may be and what measures can be taken to both reduce the building's carbon footprint and the expensive utility bills that go with it.

Buyers beware: Be sure to get a home inspection before purchasing a house

It goes without saying that buying a house is a serious investment. To help ensure that you're getting your money's worth and not setting yourself up to live in a building rife with structural problems and health risks, it is imperative to make an appointment for a home inspection first. Professional contractors can assess a property and make sure that the house is up to code on safety regulations and isn't being sold to you with problems that will cause headaches at best and require thousands of dollars in repairs at worst.

AOL Real Estate has identified some of the most prominent and harmful issues a home may contain, which home inspection contractors can address:

  • Cracked foundation: Weaknesses here can threaten the entire house and cost thousands to fix. 
  • Drainage: Make sure that the home is outfitted with a proper drainage system, otherwise heavy rains may damage roofs or leak water inside, which is a common source for mold and mildew.
  • Mold: A home mold inspection can save you from these toxic spores, which, if left unchecked, can not only ruin the look of your home but lead to serious health problems, like a lung infection or other respiratory diseases.
  • Termites: These common wood-eating insects are among a home's worst nightmare, and can wreak havoc on the structural integrity of any building.
  • Toxic agents: Asbestos and radon gas are two toxic materials known to be present in houses and can result in some very serious health consequences.

Don't take any chances when buying a home. Individuals in the market for real estate in Maryland should meet with Maryland home inspectors to ensure that their purchase is problem-free and won't be causing any significant stresses to their health or wallet in the future.

Child services department abandons building due to mold

Mold is a nasty problem that can afflict both homes and businesses alike. While mold and mildew visibly damage the nice, clean look of any building, some may not realize that this fungus can do a lot more than just paint some ugly-looking splotches over a wall or floor tile. The real danger of these spores is that, if left unattended, they can grow to pose a serious health risk for occupants. Depending on how far it's allowed to fester, removing out-of-control mold can be an expensive and time-consuming process, and one that would temporarily force out a building's tenants to a new house or office. This was the case for the Department of Family and Children Services in Brunswick, Georgia. 

Local Jacksonville news affiliate WJXT reports that the department was forced to temporarily shut down its offices in Cypress Mill Square due to a growing mold problem. 

"It's behind the walls," said the property's owner, Carolyn Oppenheimer, in a phone interview with the source. "You couldn't see it, so they had to go in and remove the affected areas. They removed some sheet rock and some carpet."

Employees are reportedly worried, not just because they don't know what kind of mold it is, but also because some have known – and anonymously relayed to the source – that the building has been hampered by mold for years due to leaks and flooding. When one worker recently requested mold testing for the building, the inspection revealed airborne mold spores, prompting the office to close on June 11.

Homeowners in the Virginia and Maryland area are encouraged to make an appointment with a home inspection contractor. These professionals can conduct mold testing and inspection of your property to determine if you are at risk and, if there is a problem, what can be done to fix it.

Consult a home inspection contractor about radon gas

Many people may believe that home inspection contractors are professionals chosen to analyze energy efficient homes and conduct mold inspection tests, and this is true. A home inspection can help to reduce your utility bills by improving your home's insulation and, consequently, its energy use. Inspectors can also find areas of your property afflicted by mold, which can prove to be a serious health hazard if left unattended for too long. But another function of home inspection testers – that is just as important, if not more so, than the aforementioned – is that they can also check your home for radon gas levels.

As defined by the National Cancer Institute, radon is a radioactive gas that emanates from soil rich in elements like uranium or thorium that decay and subsequently release the gas. Some homes may be built on soil like this. In that event, the radon can seep into a house up from the earth through cracks in the floors, walls or foundation. It is an invisible, odorless and tasteless gas, so there's no discernible way of checking for yourself as to whether or not radon is present in your home. Even more alarming is that radon gas – because it damages cells along the lining of the lungs – is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. The National Cancer Institute reports that radon contributes to between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths per year. 

It is imperative that Virginia and Maryland homeowners make an appointment for radon testing at home to check for potentially harmful levels in their house. If radon is discovered, home inspectors can work to quickly and effectively clean out the toxic gas.