Tips

Save money on your energy bills by making a few adjustments to your normal routines at home. Even small efforts to change your habits can result in big savings, both today and for the long term too.

Change Your Furnace Filters Regularly

Homeowners should change air filters often to help extend the life of your furnace and help with air quality in your home. Better air quality will help your HVAC system run more efficiently and therefore save you money on your utility bills.

Have A Professional Check For Air Leaks

Small air leaks in uninsulated attic or crawl spaces are a major source of cooling loss in the home. It makes good sense to hire a professional to evaluate your home and to place the insulation properly to seal up leaks. This will help to lower cooling costs.

Make The Most Of Your Thermostat

Air conditioners and furnaces consume the most energy in a home. Buy a programmable thermostat that allows you to raise the temperature up to 10 degrees while you’ll be away at work or on vacation. Setting the temps higher when you’ll be gone in the summer can make a noticeable difference in your monthly savings.

Use Less Hot Water Doing Laundry

When doing laundry the big expense is heating the water. Detergents are designed to perform in temps of 65 to 85 degrees F. And cold water is just as effective for rinsing as warm or hot. So dial back those temperature settings to use less hot water and spend less money.

Replace Appliances

Older appliances are typically less energy-efficient, so replacing an old furnace or water heater with a newer model will provide savings in the long run. Do your research to determine which models offer the best return on your investment.

Find additional ways to save money by connecting with a Mel Foster Insurance producer today and ensuring you have all the right homeowner’s policies in place.

 

With the spread of COVID-19 in full swing, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has set some guidelines and tips for staying healthy during this pandemic. During this unpredictable outbreak, it is important that we follow these practices, not only to keep yourself healthy, but for the safety and health of others.

Understand How COVID-19 Spreads

• The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.
• There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus.
• The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person either between close contact of less than six feet or through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Practice Social Distancing

• All non-essential workers should stay home. Talk to your employer about working remotely.
• Avoid close contact with others, especially those who are sick, keeping a distance of about six feet.
• Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Keep Your Hands Clean

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

Clean and Disinfect

• Wipe down frequently touched surfaces, including tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets and sinks, with EPA-registered household disinfectants.
• If surfaces are dirty, clean them with detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.

Cover Coughs and Sneezes

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
• Remember to always throw used tissues in the trash.
• Immediately after coughing or sneezing, wash your hands with soap and water or clean your hands with a hand sanitizer.

If You Feel Sick…

• Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.
• Stay in touch with your doctor. Call ahead before you visit. They will advise you of whether or not to leave your home and get tested.
• For those who feel sick or who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, wear a facemask when and if you are around people and before you enter a healthcare provider’s office.
• Avoid public transportation, ride-sharing and taxis.
• If you live with family members or roommates, stay in a specific “sick room” and use a separate bathroom, if available.
• Avoid sharing household items with others, such as dishes, cups, utensils, towels and bedding.

Understanding how to care for yourself, and others, through this pandemic is extremely important. By following these health practices, you will significantly lessen your chance of getting coronavirus or spreading it to others, especially those with preexisting conditions and the elderly. Refer to the CDC for further information on how to stay healthy.

Source: CDC

Power Failure

• The most common cause for sump pump failure is an electrical power outage.
• Prevent this by having a back-up generator that can be manually activated. Also, protect a potential power surge with a service entrance surge protection device.

The Sump Pump is the wrong size

• Incorrect sized pump will likely cause a failure.
• Too big – pump works too hard and shortens the lifespan, too small – same problem.

Improper Installation

• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions exactly. Read all the do’s and don’ts of installing a sump pump.

Lack of Maintenance

• Check your manufacturer recommendations.

Frozen or Clogged Discharge Lines

• Keep the discharge pipe protected from freezing and free of any kind of debris.
• There is a special grated discharge line attachment that can be added to help prevent this.

Product Defect

• Always test after installation to make sure the sump pump is working properly.

Switch Problems

• Your sump pump relies on both he switch and float arm to work properly.

 

Source:  Werner Restoration Services, Inc.

Insurance coverage is especially important when moving from one residence to another but often gets excluded from the list of priorities. Gaps in coverage can arise during the transition between residences with both personal property and personal liability. Consider a few scenarios that may arise during the move and how having the right policies in place can help to alleviate coverage gaps.

Personal Property Coverage

During a cross-country move, several days can pass between leaving the old house and moving into the new one. One way to maintain coverage on personal property during this transition is to keep the homeowners policy on the old home in force until the coverage starts on the new home, even if you have sold your old home. Most insurance policies have a standard coverage concerning personal property within the residence, but separate exceptions for property outside the residence, like when in a storage facility or on the moving truck. Be sure to consult your Mel Foster Insurance producer to clarify your terms before you begin the move.

Personal Liability Coverage

Unlike a policy that covers the physical property during the move, personal liability provides coverage for bodily injury and property damage sustained by others for which you or covered residents of your household are legally responsible. Personal liability insurance can begin on the move date and would then apply during the trip and transition. Some restrictions apply with policy coverage and limitations on value are often implemented by insurance companies. Read the fine print and have all the facts before issues arise during the transition.

Insurance Tips

Do not cancel the current insurance based on instructions from third parties like the mortgagee, title company or closing attorney. As with any insurance, the agency should never make a change to add, delete or change policies without explicit instructions from you. It’s always best to handle any wanted changes or clarifications yourself.

A majority of losses from fire, theft or windstorm are covered under the basic personal property insurance policy. If the moving truck overturns, most authorities would apply damage to personal property as the result of the vehicle hazard.

Some potential causes of loss are unique to moving, such as breakage, scratching or lost items. The homeowner may be advised to purchase protection from the moving company directly in some instances.

Schedule an appointment with one of our agents today to verify proper insurance coverage for your upcoming move.

The beginning of a new year is often when we consider making changes to our lifestyle. Maybe we want to exercise more and eat less, visit somewhere new or spend more time at home. Consider a few creative ideas from Joshua Fields Millburn and The Minimalist Rulebook when planning to simplify your life and your belongings.

A Purging Challenge

Think less is more. Choose a friend who wants to minimize with you and select the organization where you’ll donate. Start the purging challenge on the first day of a month, with a goal of ridding yourself of the most items by the end of the month. Each person removes one thing on day one, two things on day two, three things on day three, and so on. Obviously, the challenge becomes harder when faced with donating items in the double digits in one day. The friend who gets through the most days wins, but both will feel successful in passing along their excess to someone in need.

Photo Scanning Party

Wondering what to do with your old photos stacked inside your desk drawer? Consider planning a photo scanning party. Find a high-quality scanner that rapidly feeds and scans photos and then immediately saves them to a memory card and/or online. Gather your favorite friends, some snacks and cocktails, and make an evening of making your memories digital! Once the photos are scanned, they can easily be enjoyed in a digital picture frame or made into a bound photo album. Securing the photos digitally also offers peace of mind in the unfortunate event of house damage by fire or flood.

Wait For It

If online shopping from your couch is your downfall, this challenge could help save you money and help simplify your life! Take pause before you purchase something non-essential. When considering buying an item that costs more than $30, ask if you can get by without it for the next 30 hours. Choosing to wait this extra time helps determine how necessary the item is and if it will add value to your life. The pause often results in a pass on the purchase. If you do decide to buy the item though, you are satisfied that it was acquired with intention and not just as an impulse buy. Some even consider waiting 30 days to decide on making purchases over $100. So, just wait for it and see what results you’ll achieve.

Organize your personal documents at home by using an inventory checklist recommended by Mel Foster Insurance.

Snow storms and icy conditions present a particular set of driving hazards.  You can prepare for the hazards of winter, the time of year when auto accident claims increase in frequency.  Preparing your vehicle for the winter and knowing how to react in sever conditions or if stranded are the keys to safe winter driving.

Be prepared before a storm hits:

Have a mechanic check your car’s battery, brakes, fluid levels, as well as the heating and exhaust systems to ensure that your car is in good, safe working condition.

Try to keep your gas tank full during the winter months.  Don’t allow the gas to go below half a tank.  Not only will this prevent damage from freezing, you’ll avoid running out of gas if your stuck in traffic during the dead of winter.

Prepare for an emergency.  Keep blankets, flares, a sack of sand for traction, shovel, windshield scraper and brush, tool kip, and cordless phone charger.

When driving under adverse winter conditions:

Take care of pulling out in streets blocked by mountains of snow.  It’s often difficult to see who or what is coming.

Back your car into a driveway so you have a better vision when pulling out.

When waiting to make a left-hand turn, keep wheels pointed straight ahead.  If wheels are turned to the left in anticipation of making the turn and you’re rear-ended, your car will be pushed into the path of oncoming traffic, which could result in a head-on collision.  This is good advice for normal road conditions too.

If you must travel during a severe winter storm:

Don’t travel alone.  Notify someone of your estimated time of arrival as well as your primary and alternative travel routes.

If stuck, stay in your car and wait for help.  Run the engine and heater sparingly.  Also make sure your exhaust pip is clear of snow and ventilate your care so that carbon monoxide fumes won’t poison you.

Keep your energy.  Eat food that provides the body with energy for producing its own heat.  Replenish your body with fluids to prevent dehydration.  Don’t eat snow; it will lower your body temperature.  Melt it first.

Your building is probably the most valuable asset you own. Prevention of damage to your building is of utmost importance to you as a property owner. Property damage can mean unforeseen business interruption costs, higher insurance costs and major inconveniences for your organization. Each winter, frozen pipe damage to buildings has been a major problem for property owners. Winter is upon us, and making sure you’re prepared will help you avoid the messy and often very expensive issue of frozen pipes. Below is some important information to help prevent frozen pipes, and steps to prevent more problems if you find pipes have become frozen.

Some areas of your building may be more at risk to freezing pipes than others. The areas most at risk are generally basements, crawlspaces, attics, garages, unheated rooms, sprinkler systems and exterior walls.

Here’s some ways you can prevent pipes from freezing:

• Keep temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit at all times.
• Seal and repair spaces around windows and doors that allow cold air flow.
• Fill cracks and holes in walls to prevent cold air flow.
• If an area is not going to be used for an extended period of time, drain the water from those pipes and turn off the water supply to that area.
• Be sure water-based fire protection systems are winterized—confirm with your sprinkler system service company.
• Increase insulation in areas where pipes are located.
• Consider installing products like pipe sleeves, heat tape or heat cable on exposed water pipes.
• If your building is unoccupied for extended periods of time, appoint some one to check on the
  building to ensure the heating and plumbing systems are working properly.

Should you suspect you have frozen pipes:

• Call a qualified plumber immediately.
• Shut off the main water valve and leave faucets open until repairs are made.
• Apply heat to the frozen section of pipe using a portable space heater and an electric heating
  pad wrapped around the pipe, or by wrapping the pipes with towels soaked in hot water.
• Check all other faucets in your building to find out if you have additional frozen pipes.

Take measures today to prevent pipes from freezing in your building.  Prepare your property to minimize the extensive damages that can result from freezing pipes in these cold winter months.

Source:  United Fire Group Insurance.  The information contained in this blog was obtained from reliable sources. However, United Fire Group accepts no legal responsibility for the correctness or completeness of this information.

Read tips from Mel Foster Insurance Producer, Gene Krismanits on how legal marijuana could affect employers and their workers.

https://qconline.com/business/into-the-haze-how-will-legal-marijuana-affect-employers-and/article_86b320ac-dd3a-5b26-89ef-33dcac45f880.html://

Helpful tips for reviewing your insurance policies.