A Step By Step Guided Plan To An Energy Efficient Home Saving You Thousands

You need a plan to prepare for your future, your energy future that is. Energy Efficient Homes are the hot commodity amongst real estate professionals, designers and builders these days – but why? The short answer is that these homes will SAVE you tons of money. The amount of money you’re going to save through implementing energy efficient home strategies is staggering and will only grow as energy prices continue to rise to an all time high.

There has never been a more crucial time to gain the maximum benefit you can for your wallet and home. These simple techniques coupled with an organized, well thought out approach will provide you a road map for the savings you’re seeking. If you’re tired of increasing energy bills and can’t seem to find a better way to save some green then going green will accomplish your goals and provide a healthier home for you and your family – Not to mention the increased equity you’ll get from making minor but substantial improvements. So how do you achieve an energy efficient home, providing savings, health, and peace of mind?

An energy efficient home can be summed up into 7 simple steps and strategies. Through programs which teach these simple techniques in great detail you can gain the competitive advantage and get on track to your energy goals. Distinguish yourself as the most energy efficient home on the block! Ok, to get to it. The first step towards saving money every month is:

STEP 1 – YOU Must Commit To Continuing Improvement.

The behavior of you and your family is one of the single most important aspects of saving energy at home. In our Americanized view of, “bigger is better” and “more baby more”, we can have a hard time grappling the concept of conscious conservation. The good news is this can become FUN! Imagine playing games with your kids, spending quality bonding time, finding more creative ways to save Energy, use less and teach them great life lessons in frugality! People who really see the financial returns from their home performance continue to strive to achieve higher and better performance with regular assessment of their homes energy performance, creating a breeding ground for savings and a healthier environment. Commitment is the key here. Without it, you’ll never get anywhere. Are you committed to saving money, energy, and creating a better world?

STEP 2: Understanding Where You Are At

In order to know where you want to go you must know where you are. Many home owners bock at this not wanting to pick up the phone or pay a few bucks for a professional energy audit to be done on their future energy efficient home, but I assure you it will be a growing and learning experience. An energy audit will allow you to identify where you can best allocate your resources to gain the maximum amount of savings, putting your hard earned money to work for you. Also, and energy audit will give you a baseline where you can measure your homes energy efficiency and performance once you get on track to your energy efficient home goals.

STEP 3: What Are Your Energy Goals?

In order to achieve a performing energy efficient home which will save you money you need to have clearly laid out goals and how you will achieve them. Not to sound like another self help book (I read a lot of them!) but truth is truth. You need to know where you are, where you’re going and have a plan to get you there. The alternative, floating in space hoping that electric bill miraculously goes down by $200 in the spring – not likely. Yet again here is another opportunity to bring the family closer together and motivate everyone to achieve the energy goals.

STEP 4: Creating Your Plan

As an Architect I work a lot with plans – as you might guess. We don’t go build the building and hope it works out! There is preparation and a laid out plan to get the end result. So decide what you are going to do to achieve your goals. How are you going to do it? Who is going to do what? Get the family involved and realize it’s easier than you imagine – you just need to get going and momentum along with an action plan will get you saving money sooner than you think.

STEP 5: Execute Your Plan

This is where your energy efficient home is made – in the execution. A lot of people start things all the time, but the gold goes to those who see the plan through and play like champions to the final buzzer. Get your family motivated, set weekly energy goals or habits, get creative and make it happen.

STEP 6: Take A Look In Your Review Mirror.

We’re all familiar will evaluations. Evaluations in your job are the most common but you need to do the same in your energy efficient home. You’re going to gain so much insight with the evaluation process in the form of knowledge on how to keep gaining the most you can in savings with your home. Opportunities for further savings will come out of unexpected places and create new revenue streams to be saved, invested, or heck, take the family out to a fancy dinner and movie! This brings me to my final point…

STEP 7 – Reward Your Accomplishments

You finally did it. You’re sitting in your energy efficient home with a smile on your face and a little fatter wallet. Take those extra family holidays or save more for an earlier retirement, all the while knowing you are doing your part to save the only resource we all share, but take for granted – our planet. The bottom line is you CAN have an energy efficient home and it is only up to you. With so many great books, eBooks, articles, companies and industries aimed at helping you get to your energy efficient home goals you won’t have any trouble if you stick to the plan. I’m here to help you. Post a comment below and let me know what you struggle with in achieving your home energy efficient Goals

To Saving Money and Energy!

Andrew Hilton
Tired of Paying Way To High Prices In Energy? Thinking of implementing energy efficient or renewable energy measures into your home? Trying to find the resources you need to make the right decision? With multiple years of experience in Architecture, Design and sustainable building, Andrew Hilton can help guide you to your COST SAVING, energy SAVI

What Is Feng Shui – A Science or Belief?

Over the years, I have put forth the view that Classical Feng Shui is a scientific practice. Now, I have espoused that view of Feng Shui all over the world, when I teach Feng Shui, BaZi and Mian Xiang at seminars. So I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that my comments had created a buzzing debate over the question of what creature Feng Shui is – is it scientific practice? Pseudo-science? Or purely belief? Hence, I thought I would address this issue in more depth and explore the scientific side of Classical Feng Shui.

You have to Believe in Feng Shui, so it’s not science.

Wait a minute – you also have to believe in your doctor, before you go and see him or her. You also have to believe in your lawyer before you appoint him to defend you in a case. Does that mean that the entire body of medical science is not valid if you don’t believe your doctor’s diagnosis? Of course not.

When people exhort that Feng Shui is not a science or not scientific, the problem is, people may not understand what science is to begin with. The word ‘science’ comes from the Latin word scientia, which means knowledge. According to Wikipedia, science can be defined simply as “any systematic field of study or the knowledge gained from it”. So, how does Feng Shui measure up against this definition?

There is no doubt that Classical Feng Shui is a systematic field of study: by systematic I mean it has basic models, basic principles, empirical evidence and most importantly, documented observation. It is not made up. It is not this today, that tomorrow. It is not without logical explanation.

How do scientists arrive at scientific conclusions? They conduct experiments, observe the outcomes, repeat those experiments if necessary to ensure a consistent outcome and then document their observations. Feng Shui has basic models and principles: the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, the He Tu, the Lo Shu, the principle of Cosmic Trinity are examples of principles at the core of Feng Shui and many Chinese Metaphysical practices. What about empirical evidence? This has been accumulating since the Tang Dynasty! Ancient classics contain not only descriptions of landform and the principles of Qi, but drawings of mountains and water.

New books and new theories on Feng Shui, adjusted to the modern world that we live in, are constantly published and written in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The study, and the body of knowledge, is constantly growing, not unlike scientific practices like medicine and engineering.

In any science, a critical component is observation. Feng Shui is a component of Physiognomy, which is one of the Chinese Five Arts. It is known as a science of observation of the environment. Many of the principles in Feng Shui are the result of observation by practitioners since the Tang Dynasty, which are then documented into classics like Qing Nang Jing (Green Satchel), Ru Di Yan (Entering Earth Eye) and Zi Bai Jue (Purple White Verse). Some of the classics that form the basis of Feng Shui study are not original classics that propound new ideas, but weed out the observations that did not pan out and the ones that did. Feng Shui until the early 1900s was exclusively for Imperial use only. So the research was often carried out from one generation to another, without breakage or pause. This enabled observation of what worked and what didn’t, over the span of several hundred years.

Today, whilst not all Feng Shui masters can claim affiliation to lineages, those that do, document their cases extensively and thoroughly, so that the body of knowledge collected during their lifetime, can be passed on to the next generation of the lineage, so that they may continue to observe the outcomes, and grow the body of knowledge.

Science is not just physics, chemistry and biology. That is an extremely narrow minded perception of science. Science encompasses amongst other things, social sciences like anthropology and sociology, earth sciences like geography (traditionally perceived as an ‘arts’ subject in Malaysia) and applied sciences such as engineering, computer science and psychology.

You can’t touch it, you can’t see it, how do you measure it?

Many people also point out that it is hard to accept Feng Shui as a science because it is not possible to measure Qi. Again, that is a flawed perception.

Before Michael Faraday (1831-79), electricity and magnetic forces couldn’t be measured. Does that mean that until Faraday’s time, electricity and magnetic forces did not exist? Electron microscopes helped pioneer the field of virology or the study of viruses. But does that mean before that, viruses did not exist? Quasars and blackholes cannot yet be actually measured but no one disbelieves Stephen Hawking when he talks about the wormholes in the universe, even if no one has actually seen one to know how it works, except on Star Trek.

Can you measure blood pressure with a stethoscope? Of course not. We tend to assume that all things in our world and universe are measurable by rulers, test tubes and electronic devices that we read about or have heard about. But if that were the case, then there would be no need to design special tools for measurement or observation in new fields like space exploration or quantum mechanics. Until the Hubble telescope, man studied the stars and the universe through observation only. We had to build the Hubble. Just like to explore space, we had to build the rocket.

So, when we talk about measuring Qi, we must ask: what is the device for this particular type of practice? Are we not able to measure it because we are not using the right device?

The Chinese already had devices to measure Qi. The Solar and Lunar calendar, the Luo Pan and observation skills – using one’s eyes to study the environment. Of course, nowadays, some of us use Google Earth. And y

Significance of Colors in Feng Shui Practice

Have you ever wondered what feelings do you have when you look at bright red rose in the garden? Can you imagine if a garden that does not have colorful flowers but only the green foliage? Early in the morning when you see a newly opened flower in your garden, your heart is filled with joy and happiness. Each flower in the garden has a different color and hue that affects you differently. While the white lily touches your soul for its serenity, the red rose with its vibrant energy elicits a feeling of love and passion. The feeling is different because the flower is reflecting a different color and Feng Shui uses this natural magic of colors to transform your life.

A rose is red because it reflects red color and Feng Shui makes use of this reflected energy to create a balance between yin and yang energies that suits your personality or your environment.

You may be aware of two types of energies (yin and yang) that the colors in Feng Shui represent. You can think of yin energy as like a plant growing from the earth. It comes from the soil, raising itself upward and moving toward the sky. As yin energy moves up to the sky it becomes diffused and dissipated. Yin energies have an element of dreaminess about them and the colors like blue, white, green and purple according to Feng Shui are believed to have yin energies.

If your home office is full of creative and dream-inducing objects or colors, Feng Shui may ask you to get rid of them (at least some of them) and introduce in their place more vibrant colors that will help you get in the right spirit to do some work and be enthusiastic.

Every association you have with a color contributes in some way to how you are. That is why colors play a meaningful role within the practice of Feng Shui. It is very essential for you to understand why toning down or playing up certain Feng Shui colors in your home will help you to achieve the goals you have set for yourself in your life.

The guiding principle in using Feng Shui Colors should be to achieve balance rather than excess. Whether you are planning the color scheme of your home, office, garden or personal appearance, the following characteristics of the colors in Feng Shui practice will give you an insight into how they can be used in Feng Shui design.

Yin Colors & Feng Shui

Yin colors according to Feng Shui are the colors which bring about healing and relaxation. The relation between colors and Feng Shui can be better understood by taking the example of some colors as given below.

Blue: Blue color according to Feng Shui has yin energy and it is calm and soothing. This color has great significance in Feng Shui as it reflects love as it heals and relaxes. Blue creates a feeling of peace and trust. Since it is the color of the sea and sky, Feng Shui associates it with adventure and exploration. Navy blue it the color of intellect and wisdom.

Black: Black color in Feng Shui symbolizes money and income, black is great for careers, especially when combined with metal. It is the Feng Shui color of emotional protection and power.

Purple: Purple, the color which lies at the end of the spectrum, has a great significance in spiritual Feng Shui. The color is excellent for physical and mental healing and Feng Shui associates it with spiritual awareness.

White: The color in Feng Shui represents poise, confidence and purity. Because of its yin energy, Feng Shui uses this color mostly in combination with gold or silver to generate an atmosphere The other yin colors of Feng Shui are pink and green which also have their individual properties that are used in Feng Shui practice.

Yang colors and Feng Shui

Yellow: Yellow color in Feng Shui is considered to be as auspicious as red. Yellow represents sunbeams, warmth, motion, cheerfulness and friendliness. However, according to a noted color Feng Shui consultant, prolonged exposure to large amounts of intense yellow can cause anxiety.

Orange: With a lot of yang energy the orange color has great significance for spiritual Feng Shui practice as it strengthens your concentration. You might use this color when your creative well runs dry. Orange color in Feng Shui is used to give you a sense of purpose. Orange is the color of organization.

The other yang colors of Feng Shui are Tan/Beige, Brown, Red, Mauve, Maroon and lavender and gold. Each color has its significance such as money, luck or romance. These colors can be used in different combinations with Feng Shui elements for balancing the chi of your Feng Shui home, Feng Shui bed room, or Feng Shui office.

Colors & Feng Shui also have a lot to do with the direction in which your home sits. There are different colors that Feng Shui defines for the use in exterior facades of your house. Exterior colors of your house in Feng Shui practice can be used for matching or enhancing the basic house type that you have.

For example if your house is facing towards the south, painting its exterior with white, grey or blue enhances the flow of chi in your home. For houses facing towards East, the colors in earth tones or metal tones are thought to be of much use for enhancing the positive energies of the house.

The above article has been written with the sole aim of introducing you to the significance of relationship between colors and Feng Shui. But in actual Feng Shui practice there are many other factors which need to be given importance, it is very essential for you to understand the core of Feng Shui.

Once you know what is Feng Shui, you are in better position to u

Feng Shui Tips For Everyone

Feng Shui is a process that affects your internal landscape just as much as it affects your physical environment. In order for your spirit to be nourished by the enhancements you make to your home, you must start the entire process by looking inward, and this is an important Feng Shui tip that most Feng Shui consultants like me would offer to all Feng Shui beginners. This in fact is the essence of spiritual Feng Shui which looks at the Feng Shui at a higher level than the other types of Feng Shui which mostly aim at improving at a niche level; be it your office, home or bedroom.

The Spiritual Feng Shui sees the whole concept of Feng Shui at the universal level, the level to which your soul belongs and relates. If you practice spiritual Feng Shui you can never think of improving your life at the expanse of harming your neighbor or your environment. The Feng Shui tips that are offered in the article not only aim to highlight the important points one has to remember before practicing it; it also introduces the Feng Shui beginners to the new horizons that the spiritual Feng Shui can open up for them.

Though the spiritual Feng Shui communicates to your environment, your home, your office through the bodily objects, it heals your soul — to know how it works it is important for you to remember the following Feng Shui tips. All these free Feng Shui tips have valuable advice contained in them so try to imbibe them before you start your practice.

There is nothing religious about the Spiritual Feng Shui. It talks about purifying your soul, not only the empty or occupied spaces in your house. The purified soul has the radiations that are reflected from you to have strong positive energies; in Feng Shui practice, these positive energies referred to as Chi, which is the universal energy and the guiding principle.

As one would never build a new home on a rotting foundation; likewise, it is essential to clear away the debris of negativity before you create your new Feng Shui space. Only then can your spirits soar with true energy and vitality.

As you come to recognize the importance of cleansing your old attitude and beginning anew, what ever Feng Shui enhancements that you use for a Feng Shui home design seem to be working for you.

Here are some free Feng Shui tips for everyone:

Look deep into yourself and don’t be afraid to do so! That is the only way to develop and change in a beneficial way. Be honest with yourself – you deserve truth and awareness.

Open your palms, close your eyes and reach your arms up and out, as though you are waiting to be picked up or embraced. (This is necessary for unifying your soul with the universe).

Imagine the energy radiating from your heart, your lungs, your palms and that the energy is touching everything in its path.

Beam the energy away from you, sending it into the farthest corners of the universe.

Repeat this mantra: “I am open to positive change in any form it takes.”

Before you start feng shui decorating with various Feng Shui elements, my sincere Feng Shui advice to all the Feng Shui beginners is to strictly follow the spiritual Feng Shui tips.

May be as your Feng Shui study goes deeper and deeper you would not mind spending some money for buying e books on Feng Shui, but the absolutely free Feng Shui tips that you just now have are the like the foundation stones for the spiritual Feng Shui practice. Remember that these free Feng Shui tips are going to help you a great deal in your long Feng Shui journey.

Once you are positive about accepting changes in your life the Feng Shui is there to help you in what ever you do; remember that Feng Shui is about focusing intentions, rather than just coasting on auto-pilot. Feng Shui is about getting you back into the driver’s seat of your life, it is about accepting responsibility for yourself and your actions not only in this materialist world but also the metaphysical or spiritual world.

Nurturing yourself with Feng Shui practice and making use of the philosophy of Feng Shui in the home design will help you regain your own sense of destiny and purpose within the universe. Before you start any Feng Shui practice, whether it is about understanding Feng Shui Bagua or knowing Feng Shui Elements remember that Feng Shui is a spiritual discipline. It is just not about doing furniture placement using Feng Shui interior design but knowing yourself and your universe better so can get the positive energies from the universe and its objects. Feng Shui elements are nothing different from the elements of universe. If you follow this important piece of Feng Shui advice and bring to practice the above mentioned free Feng Shui nothing can stop you from deriving benefits of Feng Shui.

The Feng Shui masters have provided you with the technical know-how and valuable Feng Shui tips for evaluating your home and implementing Feng Shui techniques and cures. But it is up to you, and only you, to envision and bring about the specific environment and quality of life that you desire.

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