Hot, humid summer weather is quickly approaching. With energy rates increasing across the country, homeowners will see some of their highest energy bills ever. A home and duct performance test helps homeowners find real solutions to increase energy efficiency and lower heating and cooling bills.

Most homes are not nearly as energy efficient as they should be, leading to energy loss and higher than necessary heating or cooling bills. Up to $0.40 of every heating and cooling dollar spent is lost through poor construction, leaky ductwork and improperly sized or installed equipment according to the Department of Energy.

Professional testing of the home to find problems now can save homeowners substantial money on heating and cooling in the long run.

A home and duct performance test will pinpoint exact causes of energy loss, comfort and indoor air quality problems. A qualified comfort consultant performing the test will offer solutions to insure equipment runs efficiently and cost effectively. Many energy loss problems discovered during the checkup in the home can be simply and affordably solved by the homeowner.

"An HVAC contractor is like a doctor for your house," says Comfort Institute President Brendan Reid. "Without diagnostic testing, your doctor would just be cutting you open and poking around. There's a reason doctors don't do that anymore. This test lets us find the problems in a scientific manner so we can offer real solutions."

Homeowners who choose to have a home and duct performance test performed on their home should do research before hiring a contractor for the testing. A qualified contractor will provide the homeowner with a full list of problems and solutions to energy, comfort and indoor air quality problems found during the testing and will offer a money back guarantee if the homeowner does not see value in the information found during the testing.

For more information about whole house comfort checkup, visit www.comfortinstitute.org and click on "Whole House Comfort Check-up." Comfort Institute Member Contractors are fully trained on performing the testing. Certified Comfort Institute Member companies are listed on the Comfort Institute Web site under "locate a CI contractor."

Comfort Institute provides short educational videos explaining the home and duct performance test to its member contractors. Locate a Comfort Institute Member company to view the videos from that company's Web site.

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Davenport, Iowa - February 13, 2009 - The Scott County Family Y Palmer Learning Center has earned a level 4 rating from the Iowa Department of Human Services - one of the highest quality assurance ratings the state offers. Scott County Family Y Is Among Few Area Providers To Achieve This Quality Assurance Level

The Iowa Quality Rating System for Child Care Providers (QRS) is a voluntary program that rates child care providers on quality indicators such as professional development; health and safety; environment; family and community partnerships; and leadership and administration. Established in 2005 by the state legislature, QRS is designed to make providers aware of the many paths and steps they can take to improve the quality of their care. The system also offers parents another resource in evaluating and selecting a child care provider.

The Scott County Family Y Palmer Learning Center is one of only seven licensed child care centers in Scott County to receive this rating, showing that the YMCA goes above and beyond state licensing standards. "We believe that quality is an ongoing process and we continually strive towards maintaining and improving the quality of care we provide, said Deb Gustafson, Executive Director, YMCA Child Care & Family Services. "This rating shows that our programs and staff are committed to nurturing the whole child, and his or her family, all while making sure they have a healthy and safe environment to grow and learn in."

As Scott County's largest child care provider, YMCA Child Care & Family Services offers a variety of educational programming for children beginning as young as 6-weeks with infant care to toddler and preschool programming. Before and after school child care is also available for children between the ages of 5 and 12. Each YMCA child care site is state licensed and staff members receive extensive training and go through rigorous background checks. Enrollment is open without decimation to any child and registration is first come, first serve. For more information about the programs and services offered through the Scott County Family Y Child Care & Family Services, call (563) 323-4668 or visit www.ScottCountyFamilyY.org.

Musser Public Library presents  6 FREE programs during the month of January: 

• Jan. 2: Sign-up begins for our adult winter reading program "Hot Reads for Cold Nights" 
  
• Jan. 3: 10a.m. - "Musser Scrappers" meet. Bring your scrapbooking projects and join us for tips and fun. 
  
• Jan. 3: "First Saturday" book discussion. Alice Roosevelt Longworth: From White House Princess to Washington Power Broker by Stacy Cordery. Join us at 10 a.m. at Muscatine Books & More. 
  
• Jan. 5: Our adult winter reading program begins: "Hot Reads for Cold Nights". 
  
• Jan. 6: "Fitness & Weight Loss" program at 6:30 p.m. Please join us as Mel Steckel from the YMCA gives us guidance on what we can do to become more fit, perhaps with a few exercises thrown in. 
  
• Jan. 13: "Fitness Equipment". Our series on fitness continues this week as we learn what equipment works best for you. 

P.A.W.S. - Pest And Wildlife Service is now licensed in both Iowa and Illinois to provide nuisance wildlife control services.

 

We are a family owned, local company that provides superior customer service, great results, and environment-friendly nuisance wildlife control services.  We safely and humanely remove nuisance wildlife from homes and businesses.  Some of the wildlife we deal with regularly include :  bats, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, ground hogs, opossums, and pigeons.

 

P.A.W.S. also provides nuisance wildlife control educational presentations to schools, daycares, church/social/civic groups.  Please check out our website for more information on how P.A.W.S. can be your nuisance wildlife solution.  Our phones are answered 24/7 - P.A.W.S. is always on call for you!  (563) 370-6735 

 

Webspace:  http://pawsguy.spaces.live.com