Standard floor refinishing doesn't just make a mess, but also has a detrimental effect on indoor air quality and the environment. Between the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the paint finish and the dust produced during the refinish process, the byproducts of refinishing your hardwood floors can cause a host of health problems. For these reasons, it is important to find an environmentally friendly method of refinishing your hardwood floors that will keep your family and the environment healthy.

Many people choose to hire a professional to refinish their floors because of the time and labor involved in the refinishing process. When searching for professionals in your area, look for companies that specialize in dust-free and eco-friendly floor refinishing. If you plan on refinishing your hardwood floors yourself, here are a few important tips to follow.

Use a high-quality dust mask and a respirator. You can avoid exposure to toxic dust and fumes by using a good dust mask that filters out particulates and a respirator that filters out chemical emissions.

Protect your heating and air conditioning system from sanding dust. Don’t use your HVAC system during the job. Seal all ducts within the area to be sanded, and seal all doorways leading to uninvolved areas. Shortly after the project is completed, replace your HVAC filter as it will likely accumulate some sanding dust.

Minimize the dust particles that end up in your finished floor. In order to get the best results, sanding is usually unavoidable. Old finishes, surface irregularities, and some stains can be removed by sanding with the correct sanding equipment. Choose equipment that captures as much dust as possible during the sanding process--it will definitely be worth any extra cost.

Use natural oil-based stains for the best results. Choose a natural oil stain that is derived from plants. Although they can be pricey, acrylic and urethane stains are full of chemicals that are quite dangerous and hazardous to the environment.

Choose water-based or natural oil-based finishes. There are many water-based clear-coat products that wear well, are easy to apply, and produce low emissions. They do contain some toxic chemicals but they are safer than the alternatives.

If you’re like most people, you’re probably looking at a much higher heating bill this winter than in winters past. The good news is that there are a few cost-effective things that you can do to raise energy efficiency in your home this winter.

To begin it’s important to understand that your heating system is made up of three important parts – the furnace, the duct system and the thermostat—and each one of these parts plays an important role in your consumption. Let’s say you’re spending $1,000 a year to heat your home. How much might you save by upgrading any one of these three parts of your heating system?

Thermostat
For every degree you set your thermostat above 68 degrees, you increase your heating cost by 3-5%. In practical terms, turning your thermostat down from 72 to 68 could save you up to 20% or $200 a year! Set your thermostat to a lower temperature at times you’re away from the home and at night when you’re sleeping. How much lower you set it, which is referred to as your “setback” temperature, depends on your comfort requirements.

Duct System
Your duct system is likely responsible for wasting a lot of your heating costs. The duct system may be poorly insulated and leaky, or there may be a disconnected duct. Using our $1,000 per year example, you could save $200 a year by tuning up your ducts. Begin by sealing the leaks in your duct system. At the same time we’re sealing the ducts we can use the opportunity to correct another common problem– compressed flexible ducts. Flexible ducts should be fully extended and supported at most every four feet with at least 1.5” hanging straps. Lastly, all ducts should be wrapped with R-6 to R-8 insulation--most existing ducts are insulated with just R-2.

Furnace
A new unit can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,500, and a high efficiency unit can be $500 to $1,000 of this cost. The higher your heating costs, the more sense it makes to go for a higher efficiency unit. Using our example of $1,000 per year heating cost, if your furnace is 60% efficient and you replace it with an 80% unit, you’d save about $200 per year. If your furnace is 15-20 years old it probably needs to be replaced anyway. The air filters in your system should also be changed when they begin to look dirty, otherwise they’ll slow the air down and decrease efficiency. 

Here are some more of our top tips for saving energy and cutting your bills this winter.

Check that you are using the cheapest supplier. It is easy to do this—just shop around or request quotes for your hydro, electricity and water where you are able. You may not have a lot of option for different suppliers in some cases, but it is worth researching and finding out. Or, at the very least, make sure that you are getting the best rate and taking advantage of any cost cutting options that may be available to you with your current plan and provider.

Switch off unnecessary lights. A simple, straightforward tip--but may be difficult for families with kids! In a typical home, lighting accounts for 20% of the electricity bill, so if you can cut back here you will save money.

Only boil as much water as you need. Only boil as much water as you need, and when putting a put to boil, try filling it with hot water so that it takes less time to heat up and come to a boil.

Forget standby. Only use the heat and appliances that you really need - don't leave TVs or video players on standby. Also, switch off your computer monitor when it's not being used!

Buy energy efficient appliances. When replacing appliances, consider their energy efficiency rating. Look for the Energy Efficiency recommended logo as a guide to help you choose the most suitable product.

Lower your holiday lighting costs. Use light-emitting diode -- or "LED" -- holiday light strings to reduce the cost of decorating your home for the winter holidays.

Reduce heat loss from the fireplace. Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning--keeping the damper open is like keeping a window wide open during the winter; it allows warm air to go right up the chimney. Check the seal on the fireplace flue damper and make it as snug as possible and add caulking around the fireplace hearth.  If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue.

Attic insulation may not seem like a big deal, but it can have a significant impact on your utilities bill. Different factors contribute to the effect that attic insulation has on your home’s energy efficiency. Here are a few of those factors:

Rise of Heat in Winter During cold winters, we spend extra money trying to keep our houses a comfortable temperature inside. But heat rises, and very few homes are designed to be airtight. That means that a significant amount of the hot air you blow into your home is going up and seeping into your unprotected attic. There, it cools from the uninsulated environment, and falls back downstairs, forcing more hot air up. It’s a vicious cycle that leeches the heat from your house, and it is estimated that 25% of energy is lost through this process.

Rise of Heat in Summer Not only is lacking attic insulation bad during the winter; attic insulation also plays a key role during the summer. Attics can get unbearably hot during the summer months, even reaching as high as 150 degrees! This heat warms the entire structure of your house, which is why your ceilings often feel so warm. The heat from the attic, now being pumped into the home, makes your air conditioner work harder to cool your house increasing your energy bill and increasing wear on your air conditioner. It’s even worse if your conditioned air is pumped through your attic, because all that heat saps the cool air from the ducts and could lead to heat blowing from your vents. When attics are used for storage, another major side effect of a poorly insulated attic is that your things can be damaged. The hot, dank environment of the attic is a haven for spores, molds, and other unwanted things. You could quickly end up with mold and various other things consuming your wood, and with mold covering the insulation you do have. You can avoid this with attic insulation and proper ventilation.

Heat Radiates Having a hot attic and little insulation between it and you means that on a hot day, your top floor’s ceiling becomes a boiler plate. The problem is that building materials like wood soak up heat readily, and then radiate it back. With no insulation to keep your ceiling’s timbers from heating up, they will heat up. That heat will then radiate down into your home, countering much of your cooling effort and further wasting money.

Considering that attic insulation is relatively inexpensive, there’s little money to be lost and lots to be gained from adding insulation to your attic.