Category: Brandpoint Home & Garden

2022-10-24T14:35:00

(BPT) – Looking forward to the holidays? This time of year provides plenty of opportunities for fun gatherings, but even if you love entertaining, it can also bring some stress. The good news is, you can help everything go more smoothly by planning ahead.

Here are some practical tips to help keep your holidays full of joy.

1. Have a plan B

You may be a stickler for planning menus to the last detail — then discover the grocery store is out of one crucial ingredient. With these occasional hiccups, you may feel your stress meter start to climb. To prevent last-minute monkey wrenches, make sure to have a plan B menu, so you can swap out one dish if you can’t find (or forget!) a single ingredient. Same goes for things like seating arrangements — always leave an extra place (or have extra chairs handy) for someone’s unexpected “plus one.”

2. Build in time cushions

Think you need X hours to do your errands or prep food before guests arrive? Add an extra hour — minimum — in case you get waylaid by unexpected events. Construct your schedule starting when guests arrive and work your way backward, listing when you need to do what — always erring on the side of allowing more time than you think you’ll need. Your future self will thank you!

3. Upgrade your food storage

There’s nothing worse than shopping for meals, then finding you don’t have room in the fridge — or discovering your icemaker no longer works, or the food isn’t kept cold enough. Now is the ideal time to upgrade to a 27 cubic feet Smart Counter Depth Max French Door Refrigerator from LG Electronics. This refrigerator’s counter depth design provides all the storage you need without sacrificing design aesthetics. Since today’s kitchens are entertaining hubs for gathering with friends and family, you can have the best of both worlds — attractive design plus smart functionality.

If you’ve ever had a fridge with uneven cooling power, you’ll also appreciate that this model provides a Door Cooling+ vent that extends the reach of LG’s Smart Cooling system — allowing blasts of cool air to reach all areas of the refrigerator to help maintain consistent temperatures, keeping all foods fresh and flavorful.

Even better, you can use the LG ThinQ app to make ice for a party while you’re at work or on the go, adjust temps with a voice command and even receive mobile notifications when the water filter needs to be replaced. And with ThinQ Care, you can receive proactive smart alerts about fridge usage and maintenance on your smartphone to help prevent potential problems and keep your fridge running at its best.

4. Don’t be afraid to delegate

Face it, one person can’t do everything. Break larger items on your do-to list into smaller steps, or find specific, easy-to-delegate tasks for family members, friends or even helpful guests. Most people enjoy helping out, especially when they know exactly what they need to do — and when their job is done. Let go of the need to manage every step so you’ll have more time to relax and have fun.

5. Make cleanup a snap

One easy task to delegate is doing the dishes, which is even easier when you have the best tools for the job. With LG’s Smart Top Control Dishwasher with 1-Hour Wash and Dry, QuadWash Pro, TrueSteam and Dynamic Heat Dry, you can tackle the toughest jobs like a pro. High-pressure jets with 38% more cleaning power spray dishes from multiple angles — and Flex Zone lets you customize cleaning to target different zones inside the dishwasher. The interior provides ample space for lots of dishes and stemware — fitting up to 15 place settings. EasyRack Plus lets you fit more dishes, so you can run fewer loads and make short work of after-dinner cleanup. With three height settings, the upper rack adjusts effortlessly to make room for tall stemware on top or oversized pans below. You can even make a convenient spot for hard-to-fit items like flatware or long-handled utensils.

Another benefit: You’ll be able to turn around multiple loads of dishes when you need them with the one-hour wash and dry cycle, so you can keep everything running smoothly and be ready to entertain guests without a long wait. And you can start the dishwasher remotely from anywhere, anytime, using the ThinQ app, so no matter where you are, the dishes will be ready when you need them.

These tips and tools should help you prepare everything for the holidays, allowing you more time for what matters most. Visit LG.com/us to find products to help everything run more smoothly over the holidays — and all year long.

2022-10-24T12:31:00

(BPT) – The arrival of autumn is a good time for homeowners to replace batteries in their smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. And as winter approaches, it’s also a good time to make sure that a home’s heating comfort system is in good working order and ready to support indoor air quality.

Given that Americans, on average, spend 90% of their time indoors, the air inside a home should not be taken for granted.¹ As October is Indoor Air Quality Month², the following tips can help support indoor air quality, while also helping to boost comfort and conserve energy bills.

1. Change the furnace air filter: Not only will changing the filter monthly or as directed by the manufacturer reduce stress on HVAC equipment, but a dirty filter may also increase a home’s energy bill and lessen indoor air quality.³
2. Don’t overlook the attic: An average home loses about 20% to 30% of the air that moves through the duct system due to leaks, holes and poorly connected ducts.⁴ In addition to allowing air moving through the ducts to escape, these gaps can reduce energy efficiency and lead to higher energy bills. Such breaches can allow dust and particulates in the attic to infiltrate and circulate throughout the home.
3. Care for the air: Regular service of a home’s HVAC equipment can help detect problems that may reduce indoor air quality. An Owens Corning AirCare™ contractor can inspect a home’s attic using tools that may suggest a problem with indoor air quality. For example, thermal imaging technology allows the contractor to visually show the homeowner where energy is being lost and areas where pollutants or contaminants may be entering ductwork.
4. Assure attic ventilation: Ventilation supports the flow of air into and out of the attic space. Balanced intake and outtake vents in the attic along with proper air sealing support effective moisture management throughout the home.
5. Manage moisture: Activities in the home like cooking and showering can raise humidity levels in the home. Turning on cooking vents and bathroom vents helps draw moisture out of a home’s conditioned space. Beyond creating potential conditions for mold or mildew to grow, allowing moisture to sit on metal surfaces such as ductwork and other HVAC equipment can cause them to rust and corrode.
6. Insulate unconditioned spaces: The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association has reported that 90% of homes are under-insulated, wasting money, energy and decreasing comfort.⁵ Adequate levels of insulation can contribute to a more comfortable indoor environment.
7. Stay alert to signs of a potential problem: Several clues can suggest that a home’s ductwork may be reducing indoor air quality. Signs of a problem may include musty smells, mold or mildew around vents, condensation on HVAC equipment, hot or cold spots throughout the home, and an increase in dust in the indoor environment.

References:

¹ EPA Indoor Air Quality Exposure and Research. (n.d., page updated Jan. 27, 2022). U.S. EPA. Retrieved from Indoor Air Quality Exposure and Characterization Research | US EPA

² National Indoor Air Quality Awareness Month Resources. (n.d.). Indoor Air Quality Association (iaqa.org). Retrieved from https://iaqa.org/national-indoor-air-quality-awareness-month-resources/

³ NATE – Follow These Tips for Energy-Efficient Performance. Home Maintenance Tips. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.natex.org

⁴ Duct Sealing. (n.d.). Energy Star. Retrieved from Duct Sealing | ENERGY STAR

⁵ “North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, Sept. 30, 2015. (90 Percent of U.S. Homes Are Under-insulated.)

2022 Owens Corning. All rights reserved.

2022-10-24T12:27:00

(BPT) – As the fall home improvement season continues, now is a good time to think about how a change in seasons may affect your home’s roof. Season after season, roofs across the U.S. are subject to unpredictable weather conditions including high winds, storm debris, winter cold and summer heat. Unpredictable weather means your home’s roof must be equipped to stand up to various elements and perform across all seasons.

As we get further into fall, the season is a good time to inspect your roof and make sure it’s in good condition. A contractor in the Owens Corning Roofing Contractor Network¹ can safely inspect your roof, identify possible issues, and resolve potential problems to help you get some peace of mind before winter weather begins.

When it is time for a roof replacement, consider how your home’s roof must defend against seasonal elements. Understanding how each season influences roof performance, Owens Corning offers TruDefinition^® Duration FLEX^®, an all-season shingle² designed to help withstand nature’s elements and ultimately protect your home.

Here is a season-by-season look at how a properly designed and installed roof can defend against seasonal challenges your roof may face in fall, winter, spring and summer.

Fall: Autumn winds can cause shingles to blow off your roof, and one of the last things you want to see is a shingle on the ground around your home. The National Weather Service includes wind on its online list of fall weather hazards³, but shingle tests can help evaluate how well shingles perform in windy conditions. Designed to deliver up to 130 MPH wind resistance, Duration FLEX^® is the only SBS shingle that features the outstanding hold of SureNail^® Technology that offers a reinforced nailing zone on the face of the shingle. Duration FLEX^® with SureNail^® Technology is 42% stronger in wind resistance tests compared to standard shingles, giving you confidence in intense storms and windy conditions.⁴

Winter: Bitter cold, freezing rain and heavy snow can threaten your home’s roof. Cold temperatures also challenge installation procedures and can allow a home’s shingles to become brittle. Duration FLEX^® shingles are 10% stronger than traditional shingles in tear tests. The SBS polymer material gives them a flexible design that helps make them less stiff and helps resist cracking in cold weather, including during the installation process.

Spring: U.S. weather in the spring season can change quickly and vary from snowstorms to early season heat waves. Thunderstorms cause most severe spring weather and are often accompanied by extreme rains, hail and wind that can threaten your roof. To help your home’s roof weather storms and wind-driven debris, Duration FLEX^® absorbs the energy of hail and storm debris, and together with ImpactRidge^® Hip & Ridge shingles create a complete UL 2218 Class 4 Impact Resistant Roof System — the highest impact rating possible.

Summer: The summer season has challenges too — the National Weather Service’s website includes excessive heat and thunderstorms in its list of summer weather hazards⁵. The rubber-like flexibility of Duration FLEX^® helps the shingle withstand expansion and contraction stresses due to temperature changes, while supporting granule adhesion to protect shingles against damage from the sun’s often harsh ultraviolet light.

Year after year, your home’s roof protects against nature’s elements. Owens Corning can help homeowners like you select a roof that will deliver beauty and performance in all seasons.

© 2022 Owens Corning. All rights reserved.

¹ https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/roofing/contractors

² https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/roofing/shingles/trudefinition-duration-flex

³ https://www.weather.gov/media/wrn/presentations/fall_2021_presentation.pdf

⁴ https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/roofing/surenail

⁵ https://www.weather.gov/media/wrn/presentations/Summer_Safety_Presentation_2022.pdf

2022-10-20T13:01:00

(BPT) – A recent survey conducted by Chamberlain Group found that 69% of homeowners worry about their package deliveries going missing during the holidays, adding to the stress they feel this time of year. Adding to the already hectic holiday season, the survey also found that 74% of homeowners take extra measures to ensure they are home when their packages arrive, including canceling plans/staying home from work to wait for the package. Following are four ways to protect your holiday packages without having to worry about reorganizing your day:

Get deliveries inside your garage — From getting neighbors to grab packages to exploding glitter bombs, homeowners are not short on ideas for how to keep porch pirates at bay. However, if you really want to get serious about protecting your packages, you’ll want a smart garage door opener. Smart garage door openers by LiftMaster and Chamberlain include myQ smart garage technology that works with some of the nation’s largest retailers, like Amazon Key and Walmart+ InHome, for a convenient, secure in-garage delivery experience. With in-garage delivery, you don’t have to worry about packages going missing or groceries being left out in the rain. Packages and groceries are securely delivered to the garage where they stay until you are free to get them, whether you’re home or away.

You might already have a myQ smart garage door opener and not know it. Look up at your opener to see if there is a myQ logo and a Wi-Fi logo, or if it says “powered by myQ” on your garage opener. Then download the myQ app and link to Amazon Key or Walmart+ InHome in app. If you don’t have one, you can easily add myQ to your existing garage door opener with a myQ Smart Garage Control device.

Request a signature — If you are ordering expensive items online, it’s smart to require a signature for delivery. Requesting a signature ensures that your online purchases are never left unattended. If you’re not at home, the mail carrier will typically leave a note with options for rescheduling the delivery or picking up the package in person.

Do the neighborly thing — Work with neighbors and friends to look after each other’s packages. If a neighbor is home when you are expecting a delivery, ask permission to have packages sent to their address or have them hold deliveries that come to your front door. Don’t forget to treat them to some holiday cookies as a thank-you.

Put your packages on hold if you’re traveling for the holidays — If you’re traveling this holiday season, check to see if your mail carrier or delivery service offers a temporary hold on eligible packages. Placing a hold on deliveries ensures the packages are kept in a secure location until you can retrieve them and can be a convenient way to ensure packages don’t pile up on the porch while you’re away. When you return from your travels, you can pick up your packages or have them delivered to your home depending on the service.

Give yourself the gift of peace of mind by trying out some of these package delivery tips and spend more time enjoying the moments that matter.

Chamberlain Group, Inc. commissioned a 10-minute, online quantitative survey among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18+ who own a house with a garage. The survey was fielded in July 2022.

2022-10-25T13:25:22

(BPT) – “Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays,” crooned Perry Como in the iconic 1954 classic Christmas song of the same name. That stirring sentiment, for many, rings particularly true this year as we look forward to once again hosting celebrations at home with loved ones. If you’re planning to stay home for the holidays, now is the time to start thinking about how you can create a festive and joyful atmosphere for yourself and your guests.

Decorations, food and entertainment are all important aspects of the holiday season, but another impactful way you can create a homey holiday feel is through fragrance. “Our sense of smell is our strongest sense,” said Harry Slatkin, home fragrance expert and founder of Slatkin & Co. “It goes straight to your brain and can recall a memory and give you a sense of joy in an instant.”

As you return home for the holidays this year, Slatkin, dubbed the “Candle King” by The New York Times, offers these five home fragrance tips to create a festive and joyful holiday atmosphere with scented candles.

1. Scents to greet your guests

When your guests arrive, you’ll want to have a scented candle burning that makes them feel relaxed and uplifted as soon as they walk in. In your entryway, light an aromatic candle with notes of pine or fir balsam to greet guests with a fresh, woodsy fragrance.

Even if you don’t have a Christmas tree, a scented candle with notes of pine needles and juniper will have guests believing that you brought one home that day. You can also opt for other evergreen candles with notes of white birch and crisp winter air to capture the scents of a snowy winter day in the woods.

2. Scents to gather around

No matter where you start the evening, chances are everyone will eventually gather and end the night in your living room. To create a cheerful and festive atmosphere, choose a candle with bright, invigorating notes like Christmas Joy. This lively fragrance blends sparkling citrus notes with a variety of holiday spices, fresh cranberries and blue spruce that will remind you and guests of cherished holidays spent sipping mulled wine in front of the fireplace.

3. Scents for the cooking and dining areas

Choosing a scent for spaces where you will be cooking or eating can be tricky because you don’t want a candle fragrance to compete with the aroma of your holiday dishes. Likewise, burning a scented candle during dinner can interfere with the dining experience and take away the enjoyment of the meal and ambiance.

Instead, after the cooking is finished, burn a gourmand-scented candle in the kitchen with notes of buttercream and brown sugar that will have your guests’ mouths watering. Even if there is nothing cooking in the kitchen, the inviting fragrance will have them thinking you just took a tray of freshly baked sugar cookies out of the oven.

4. Scents for you

As a host, don’t get so caught up in the party planning that you forget to enjoy the holiday season. Take time to take care of yourself by relaxing alone at home in your favorite spot with an aromatherapy candle. A scented candle with soothing notes of geranium, frankincense and cedarwood can produce a sense of tranquility and calm to help you find a sense of inner peace during the busy holiday season.

5. Scents for the ones you love

Gift a sensory experience by buying scented candles for those near and dear to you. While the act of gifting scented candles may have served as a punchline on late-night TV in recent years, the $23 billion U.S. home fragrance market is no joke. Americans love scented candles. For a wide variety of choices, check out the Homeworx by Slatkin & Co. collection of 4-wick candles. Whether your loved ones prefer warm, comforting candles with notes of cinnamon, pumpkin and vanilla, gourmand and fruity scents or woodsy, winter-themed fragrances, you’re sure to find options to satisfy them all. Best of all, they’ll think of you every time they light their candles.

“There is no stronger connection between scent and feelings of peace and joy than during the holiday season,” said Slatkin. “It is a special time when we create and celebrate memories with family and friends, and scent is the common thread that ties them all together.”

Set the seasonal mood with scents that evoke warmth, relaxation and togetherness. Using these five home fragrance tips, you can create a holiday everyone is sure to remember.

2022-10-20T07:01:00

(BPT) – Life and style are very much connected. From the way an outfit comes together with the quality of the fabric and the cut of the garment, to the ingredients used in a delectable meal, to the pieces that form an alluring home design — these are the details that create a life of beauty, on one’s own terms.

Creative disciplines converge

One can often find similarities between fashion and home design, as the two creative worlds provide opportunities for experimenting with style and exploring self-expression. Just as the runway is an outlet to showcase designs from the classic to the avant-garde, the home is also a space to set and embrace design trends, express personal style and enhance the home’s unique features. In this way, curating and launching a collection is like creating an interior space. Choose a base color palette to run throughout the home and layer in patterns and textures for a connected theme and cohesive expression.

It’s all in the details

When designing a home, inspiration can come from anywhere. Select faucets with mixed metal finishes, concrete or mother-of-pearl handles to bring these stylistic elements to life. Think of detailed design choices, such as clear faucet material accents or sleek drawer pulls, as ways to embrace a unique style. Beauty does not need to be sacrificed for functionality. These elements do not take away from high-functioning, strong-performing pieces within the home, they enhance it — just as a statement accessory can bring an outfit together for a final look.

A life of beauty, on one’s own terms

Beauty and creativity cannot be confined to one space, style or narrative. The Brizo^® Modern Goddess empowers others to embrace self-expression and celebrate individuality, set free from expectations and convention.

“What I love about The Modern Goddess is that you can have choice. You can have individuality. There’s no judgment,” said Designer Tommy Zung when describing the design philosophy of the Brizo^® Modern Goddess. “One expresses themselves through the architecture and they live within it. To me, the most important architecture or design is when you feel something, and you feel something deeply.”

Evoke feeling into design to bring distinctive expression to life. Whether timeless or modern, minimalist or maximalist, the Brizo^® brand offers quality kitchen and bath products that can be paired with any style to create an exquisitely personalized space.

2022-10-12T07:01:00

(BPT) – When it comes to upgrades and functional design, a rental property is often a space that’s left on the backburner. Whether it’s prepping for new tenants or simply giving a space a quick face lift, these projects can sometimes become overwhelming. See below for easy installation ideas and simple tips to ensure you have a fully functional bathroom with a beautiful design aesthetic.

Bring purpose to the sink

It doesn’t matter if the goal is to upgrade a bathroom or if one is starting from scratch, assuring the sink space is multi-functional is a crucial step! Replacing a faucet could seem daunting, but the Peerless^® Precept^® Single-Handle Bath Faucet makes this process a breeze. What’s great about it is it saves both time and money as it comes with a Push Pop-Up Drain Assembly included! Unlike other drain assemblies that require multiple parts (and purchases), this user-friendly accessory works seamlessly with the faucet itself and comes with all necessary parts to easily install it.

By simply pushing down on its head, a sink can quickly be filled up with water for a variety of uses. One can create an at-home ice water face dip for the ultimate self-care regimen, an emergency stain soak, or even a bath for the little ones.

Establish a complementing look with a unified finish

A bathroom can easily feel cluttered when it has too many elements and colors. A simple way to forgo this overwhelming feeling is by implementing a uniform finish. Not only will one finish and style lend clarity to a bathroom design, but it will also help deliver that polished and flawless look. For instance, for a bath space that has a black finish, small adds like a black-rimmed mirror, dark-stained stool, or charcoal vase will provide the accents to the overall color scheme. The possibilities are endless!

Add more functionality

Rental property bathrooms oftentimes deliver the bare minimum by only providing a basic toilet, working faucet and a showerhead. For those looking to level up their rental shower experience without breaking the bank, an easy way in is by installing a multifunctional fixture beyond just a showerhead. The Peerless^® Precept^® Slide Bar with Hand Shower delivers just that. When added onto an existing showerhead, it can operate on its own or also at the same time, creating an instant at-home spa-like experience. Not to mention its pause feature reduces water to a trickle, giving space for shaving and lathering — ideal for any guest shower.

When thinking through ways to transform a rental investment property, being efficient, yet thoughtful is the way to go. Extensive restorations are a thing of the past when one can find easy-to-install and functional items that still deliver a beautiful design. From unifying the color scheme to implementing new fixtures, even the slightest updates can make the biggest difference.

2022-10-11T10:01:00

(BPT) – Evictions have been front-page news during the pandemic, and for a good reason. At the start of the pandemic, the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated that without assistance, 30 to 40 million Americans would be in danger of eviction by the end of that year. It’s a heart-wrenching situation, which was largely avoided through widespread eviction moratoriums around the country.

There is, however, another side to the eviction crisis: Criminals actively trying to get into apartments for which they have no ability (nor intention) to pay for. Their modus operandi is to submit fake pay stubs and bank statements to convince landlords they have the means required to afford the rent.

One in eight paystubs or bank statements submitted to apartment owners are fake today. In fact, fraudsters submitted more than ten million fake financial documents last year. It is called application fraud, and experts estimate that this crime accounts for one in four of all evictions.

Snappt, a business with expertise in spotting fake financial documentation, has scanned several million pay stubs and bank statements. Based on a deep analysis of these documents, they have released their “Treacherous Twenty” list — the list of the top 20 major metropolitan areas by application fraud rate.

The Snappt Treacherous Twenty

The top 20 major metropolitan areas by application fraud rate

1) Atlanta – 17.9%
2) Houston – 16.2%
3) Dallas/Fort Worth – 13.2%
4) Charlotte – 11.7%
5) Phoenix – 11.2%
6) Los Angeles – 10.8%
7) Tampa/St. Petersburg – 10.4%
8) Miami – 10.0%
9) St. Louis – 9.5%
10) Minneapolis/St. Paul – 9.2%
11) Chicago – 8.9%
12) Orlando – 8.5%
13) Las Vegas – 8.2%
14) Detroit – 8.0%
15) Philadelphia – 7.9%
16) Southern California Inland Empire (Riverside, Ontario) – 7.9%
17) Sacramento – 7.4%
18) Washington, DC – 6.6%
19) New York/New Jersey – 6.1%
20) Denver – 6.0%

Note that the eviction rates — which are often driven by application fraud — ran as high as one in nine for our Treacherous Twenty. The average eviction rate was 4.83%, nearly double the national average of 2.6%. In Atlanta, property managers are seeing fake paystubs or bank statements every fifth or sixth applicant. Houston and Dallas were not far behind.

Drivers of application fraud

There are many drivers of application fraud, but rent increases and unemployment stick out. Many of the Treacherous Twenty show extreme movement along these drivers.

• Increasing rent. Higher rents make it more difficult to qualify. This in turn causes more people to turn to application fraud. We are seeing annual rent increases as high as 29.5% in our list (Tampa/St. Petersburg). In fact, nearly half showed double-digit rent increases in 2022.
• Unemployment. Unemployment makes it impossible to qualify for an apartment. This drives applicants to fraudulently alter bank statements and pay stubs. Unemployment rates were as high as 5.7% on our list, well above the national average of 3.8%. In fact, half of the metro areas on our list have unemployment rates at or above the national average.

A post-pandemic world

The pandemic was tough for everyone. While eviction moratoriums kept many renters safe, owners faced high losses. And, as application fraud soars, the risk to owners is getting even higher. Luckily, there are solutions (like Snappt) that help protect landlords.

2022-10-11T07:01:00

(BPT) – By Carter Oosterhouse, TV Host and Home Improvement Expert

Between fluctuating gas prices, the rise in green-minded individuals, and new electric vehicle (EV) introductions from major auto manufacturers, EV adoption is skyrocketing. In 2021 over 630,000 EVs were sold in the U.S. alone. In tandem, the recently passed $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act will drive future electric vehicle sales high as it makes clean technology such as EVs more affordable for Americans.

Purchasing an EV can be both exciting and perplexing, as the process of switching from a gas to electric is new to many consumers. Unlike storing a traditional vehicle, preparing the garage for an EV takes a bit more thought — especially when charging the vehicle at home. To prepare your garage for a new EV purchase, here’s a few tips to keep in mind:

Tip #1: Update the Electric Panel

Homes require a tremendous amount of power whether running the air conditioning or heater, catching up on a television show, leaving the lights on, or using the washing machine. Adding an at-home EV charger to the mix can certainly strain an outdated electric panel.

Homeowners should consider updating to a smart electric panel to address this additional load. The Square D™ Energy Center from Schneider Electric simplifies the process of adding an EV Charger to an electrical system and brings unprecedented resiliency and control over a home’s energy use. Acting as more than just a smart electric panel, this solution gives homeowners the ability to change power sources — from utility, to solar, battery, generator, etc. — conveniently through their smartphone to enhance energy resilience and help optimize energy costs.

Tip #2: Create a Climate-controlled Garage

The lithium-ion batteries that power EVs can be very sensitive to temperature fluctuation. Extreme temperatures can also cause damage to the battery and affect the vehicle’s overall performance.

Homeowners should consider updating insulation in the garage to help maintain the condition of the car’s battery and promote longevity of the vehicle. When creating a climate-controlled garage, a few insulation focal points should include the garage door, the ceiling, and around garage windows as those are some of the biggest air leakage spots.

Tip #3: Clean Out the Garage

Sometimes the garage becomes the junkyard of our homes with old items that may no longer be needed. In preparation for an electric vehicle, make space by clearing out old items collecting dust.

To reduce garage clutter, consider clearing floor space by installing pegboards for vertical organization systems, creating individual areas for different garage items, such as gardening supplies or home improvement tools, and removing items that shouldn’t be stored in the garage, like pet food or paper goods which can attract unwanted animals and bugs. Beyond that, a shiny new car always looks better in a clean, organized environment!

Tip #4: Upgrade Garage Security

Garage break-ins are quite common. In fact, a home burglary happens about every 25 seconds in the United States, according to the FBI Crime Data Report. To protect their EV investment, homeowners should consider upgrading their garage security to prevent burglary. Consider putting locks on windows and improving exterior lighting — a poorly lit driveway might entice a burglar to enter. Also, look into upgrading an outdated garage door opener to a modern model.

As EV adoption continues to climb, 27 million of these vehicles are anticipated to be on the road by 2023. Homeowners who plan to invest in an EV should look to create an EV-friendly garage environment to support the longevity of the vehicle. By putting more thought into preparing the garage for an EV, your investment stays protected while you increase your home’s value, and you can make a long-lasting positive contribution to the environment.

2022-10-11T07:01:00

(BPT) – Did you know you and your family might only have two minutes to escape from a fire in your home? Because fires can start and spread quickly, it’s important to take steps to prevent fires from starting, learn about fire safety in the home, and develop an escape plan.

For Fire Prevention Month, take time to bolster safety measures and help protect your loved ones from fire and other threats.

Here are a few tips to help improve fire safety around your home from The Home Depot.