Installing an Attic Fan can save you money

10/18/2020 (Permalink)

Installing an Attic Fan can save you money

Another Life Lesson I learned recently. I know attics are HOT, we spend a lot of time in attics. I know they can reach 120 degrees or more. But I never really thought about how a hot attic affected my electricity bill and how much I use my air conditioner. Recently I have been trying to figure out why I was not benefiting from my solar system that was supposed to be a net zero on my electricity and now I am facing a true up of almost $2000. This journey took me through two main eye openers for me, which in reality should have been no brainers. One is the ash on the panels, separate story. But the other is the impact of keeping the attic cool and the amount that it can impact the electricity bill, and the amount of air conditioning that is needed to cool the house. They say that keeping the attic from reaching these really high temperatures can have an impact as much as 15% on your electricity and the amount of time you run your A/C. The idea is simple, install a fan that blows the super hot air out of the attic, the air that is evacuated is made up by the outside air being pulled in from outside. The outside air, while still possibly 100 degrees is still cooler than the 120 + temperature air. Wow what a simple concept. So I did it, I installed an attic fan. Cost me $139 from Home Depot and took less than 30 minutes to install. It is Bluetooth enabled so I can see the temperature in the attic and the speed of the fan, as well as adjust it and operate it without having to go inside the attic. The last several days I have been monitoring the attic temperature and it has consistently been within a degree of the outside air. Even when the temperatures reached 100 degrees outside. The house feels cooler and we aren't running the A/C as much. Who knew? Again, sounds basic, and common sense, but yet something we don't necessarily really think about.

Ash Covering your Solar Panels is costing you a lot of Extra PGE

10/18/2020 (Permalink)

Ash covered solar panels don't produce electricity well, costing you more money

ASH had covered my Solar Panels and my True Up was going through the roof. Every month I watch my PG&E bill and particularly my True Up as I have solar on my house. Usually my PGE Bill is a few dollars or a negative amount but last month, it was $206. When I looked at my True Up it was over $400 a month for the last two months, it more than doubled over the past 3 months. The True Up is something that a lot of people don't watch. This is the amount of electricity you ACTUALLY use each month. In theory, you use less in the winter and more in the summer. This gets averaged out and at the end of your True Up year, you have a negative amount or an amount owed. I usually trend to have a True Up of about $1000 on top of my Solar cost and Monthly PGE cost. But, this past month I saw that my True UP was almost $1900 year to date. More than DOUBLED my average. I started looking into why my costs were going up so fast, and yes it is hotter and our air conditioning is running more, BUT I found out that the ASH from the wildfires has not only coated everything in my world, but had covered my solar panels and was reducing the amount they were producing. I was virtually paying for solar yet not producing any power and using PGE for my electricity. I contacted my Solar company and they said to get the production back up I needed to simply rinse them with water to get the ash off. They stated the panels are designed to clean simply with water. They said DO NOT scrub them, use soap and water, or pressure wash, just simply rinse them off. This made a huge impact and my production is back up to where it should be. As I look around my neighborhood I see most of the panels are white, and covered with ash. Are yours this way and are you being impacted by this ? Are you losing the advantage of your solar panels? Hopefully you will see this and learn what I learned. Hopefully this will help to stop the bleeding as we are paying for solar and we are paying more for PGE that we are losing in our production. Have you looked at your PGE bill and your NEM charges? Did you know you can call your Solar company and ask for a production report to see how much you may be losing? The fix is simple and necessary, simply rinse your panels to clean them. The rain will fix this also, but in the meanwhile we are paying for it in increased PGE costs. Hope this post finds you well and feel free to share your experiences.

September is National Preparedness Month

10/12/2018 (Permalink)

September is National Preparedness Month: “Disasters happen, prepare now, learn how”

Local SERVPRO disaster recovery specialist offers Antioch property owners tips for preparing for, surviving, and recovering from the unexpected

Antioch, CA (Grassroots Newswire) August 28, 2018 - Local disaster restoration specialist Michael Borders, owner of SERVPRO^® of Antioch, reminds Antioch property owners that September is National Preparedness Month. This annual event, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), provides families and businesses with the information and resources they need to plan for, react to, survive, and recover from an emergency, before the emergency happens. (https://www.ready.gov/september)

For National Preparedness Month 2018, themed “Disasters happen, prepare now, learn how,” FEMA has prepared a week-by-week calendar of recommended actions property owners can take to be ready if disaster does strike:

Week 1. Create an emergency plan that includes signing up for emergency alerts and making contingency plans for shelter, evacuation, and family communication.

Week 2. Learn life-saving skills. CPR is a good place to start, but also be certain you know how to turn off the utilities in your home and ensure your smoke and CO detectors are properly installed and working.

Week 3. Check your insurance coverage. Once the emergency is over, appropriate and sufficient insurance will be key to getting your life back to normal, or at least on track.

Week 4. Plan financially for the possibility of a disaster. This goes beyond having a “rainy day fund” for immediate needs. Gather and organize important home, business, insurance, financial, and personal documents and keep them up-to-date and stored in a secure, water-and-fire proof location.

“There’s a difference between surviving a disaster and recovering from a disaster,” says Borders. “Families and businesses who take the time to create both a short- and long-term plan to deal with the unexpected are better able to respond quickly if the unexpected happens, which can improve their chances of survival. Having key information at their fingertips in the aftermath of the emergency can set them on the path to recovery more quickly and with less stress.”

Because SERVPRO recognizes a fast response is critical in any emergency, Borders reminds Antioch-area commercial and residential property owners they can download the SERVPRO READY app for free at https://ready.SERVPRO.com/home/mobileapp. The app allows users to store essential contact and property information electronically, where it can be accessed with a mobile device in seconds, right from the scene, if disaster strikes. For local business owners who designate SERVPRO of Antioch as their disaster mitigation and restoration provider, SERVPRO professionals will conduct a no-cost assessment of their facility, help the owner complete a comprehensive Emergency READY Profile^® (ERP), and store that profile in the READY app.

“SERVPRO disaster cleanup and restoration specialists are ready to respond to emergencies big and small,” said Borders. “From SERVPRO’s Disaster Recovery Team, a group of elite large-loss specialists, prequalified and strategically positioned throughout the United States to handle any size disaster, to local SERVPRO professionals like SERVPRO of Antioch, we specialize in disaster restoration, cleanup and repair services, helping make it ‘Like it never even happened’ for both commercial and residential customers.”

For more information on SERVPRO^® of Antioch, please contact Michael Borders at (925) 706-0106 or Mike@SERVPROofantioch.com. For more information on SERVPRO^® and the SERVPRO^® Emergency READY Program, please visit www.ready.SERVPRO.com.

About SERVPRO^®

Founded in 1967, the SERVPRO^® Franchise System is a leader and provider of fire and water cleanup and restoration services and mold mitigation and remediation. SERVPRO’s professional services network of more than 1,700 individually owned and operated Franchises responds to property damage emergencies ranging from small individual disasters to multi-million dollar large-loss events. Providing coverage in the United States and Canada, the SERVPRO^® System has established relationships with major insurance companies and commercial clients, as well as individual homeowners.

SERVPRO’s Disaster Recovery Team mobilizes from across the country, as needed, to support large storm events. SERVPRO’s Disaster Recovery Team has responded to large loss and storm events across the country, including: 2018 California Wildfires, 2017 Hurricane Harvey, 2017 Hurricane Irma,  2016 Hurricane Matthew, 2016 Louisiana Flooding, 2016 Houston Flooding, 2015 Siberian Express, 2014 Mid-Atlantic Flooding, 2014 Polar Vortex, 2013 Colorado Floods, 2013 Alberta, Canada Floods, 2012 Hurricane Sandy, 2012 Hurricane Isaac, 2011 Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, 2011 North Dakota Floods, 2010 Tennessee Floods, 2010 New England Floods, 2009 California Wildfires and 2008 Hurricane Ike.

SERVPRO of Antioch is your Local Restoration Company. Why is that important ?

11/14/2016 (Permalink)

So, you've had a water damage, fire damage, you've found mold damage in your home, or you have any situation requiring cleaning.  You have choices as to who does your work.  You can do your own research, talk to friends, ask your agent, or just go with whomever the insurance sends out.

SERVPRO of Antioch is a locally owned company started in 2007 by Mike Borders.  Mike has lived in Antioch since 1994.  All of the employees of SERVPRO of Antioch are local and many have are born and raised in Antioch.  The money spent by Mike and SERVPRO of Antioch is spent locally.  All tax dollars are local and go to benefit the community we live in.  

SERVPRO of Antioch is the only Local Restoration company .  Other restoration companies are traveling in, hiring people that live in different parts of the Bay, who spend their money in other cities and pay tax dollars that are spent in cities other than ours.  

Buying from a local company that employs local people not only helps to keep our local economy growing, but ensures you a higher level of pride and quality in your experience during the service you receive.

Because we are local, we can respond faster

Because we are local, we care about you and your experience

Because we are local, we own the work we perform and don't stop until you are satisfied 

We know you have choices when it comes to who handles your service needs, shopping local and using local businesses help to improve your experience and the city where we all live. We all prosper when we shop local.  

Remember, no matter what happens, you always have the Right to Choose your own contractor, no-one can tell you who to use.  Insist local, insist SERVPRO of Antioch.

SERVPRO of Antioch is your local restoration provider.

 CSLB 913509