Rich's for the Home

Green Heat

Did you know that there are several organizations that have rating systems in place for green heating? Yes, it can get a bit confusing. I was happy to receive an article in my in-box that defined the differences between them. Here’s a recap for you:

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program was created by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which is committed to expanding sustainable building practices. Hearth products must not adversely affect indoor air quality to be approved for a LEED green building.

The REGREEN Residential Remodeling Guidelines were created by a partnership with the American Society of Interior Designers’ Foundation and the USGBC to develop best practice guidelines. REGREEN’s heat distribution option calls for space heaters, including hearth products, to heat additions, as opposed to running additional duct from a central heating system, which if run, could affect indoor air quality.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Cleaner Burning Wood Stoves and Fireplaces is the joint effort of the U.S. EPA and the hearth industry to educate consumers on clean burning gas, wood and pellet hearth appliances to heat their homes. The modern EPA-certified wood stoves, fireplaces and pellet stoves greatly reduce indoor and outdoor emissions.

The Energy Star program. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that verifies and designates which products meet their strict energy efficient guidelines. Many hearth products meet these guidelines. 

The article goes on to note that a hearth appliance that burns without impacting indoor air quality and is vented to the outside will keep the “green” label on a green-built home. “In addition to meeting LEED and REGREEN Indoor Environmental Quality standards, today’s hearth appliances also burn more efficiently, reducing the toll on natural fuel sources, heating budgets and the outdoor environments.”

Rich’s for the Home believes like you do. Making a greener world is important and they have been involved since the beginning to help us all burn cleaner and better. Learn more about Rich’s today.

Winter Snow

I bet some of you forgot the cost of heating your home when the weather is really bad in the Northwest—I know I did. I am grateful for our fireplace as a second heat source in all this snow and I hope that you are staying warm this season.

In case you need a link again, here is a Cost of Heating worksheet from Travis Industries that I found very helpful to see if burning wood or switching to gas would save us money. It’s not too early to plan to increase your heat efficiency for next year. Especially if you have a feeling that this month’s bill will knock your budget out of the water. Fill it out—you might just learn much.

It seems that many of our family friends are stuck with the weather and unable to make it to the planned reunion areas for Christmas. I encourage you to let our recent weather situation bring out the Boy or Girl Scout in you and “always be prepared”. Unexpected weather events do happen and will get worse. It’s time to stop thinking that “it will never happen”. Assume that it will. Prepare emergency kits for your families, have back up plans in place and insure that you have supplies for power outages, cold temperatures and weather-related Acts of God.

And, as you know, one of the best preparation moves you can make is to have a heat source not dependent on electricity whether that is gas, or wood/pellet burning. And have fuel for it stocked. It is essential here in the Northwest.

Please visit Rich’s for the Home as soon as our weather allows to prepare yourself more for our ongoing weather difficulties.

Winter Safety

Keeping your family safe this winter is of up-most importance. Have you taken care of purchasing a gate for your fireplace or woodstove yet? If not, please consider this as soon as possible.

Dangers can also exist in chopped wood. Slivers are the main one of course so have everyone who carries wood in wear heavy gloves that will prevent splinters of wood from going through.

Another danger with chopped wood is bees that like to hibernate within in. Tell your kids to look for the sleepy insects and shake them off of the wood before bringing it into the house.

With our winter weather, you may need to buy a show shovel to keep your walks safe. The addition of sand may be helpful as well. When the snow hits, injuries happen and you can prevent back, hip, knee, and shoulder injuries by taking precautions.

If your hot-tub is not powered up, power it up a couple of times this winter and follow the manufacturer's directions to prevent damage from the cold. Precaution now is cheaper than fixing it later.

Your patio furniture should be stored at this point, but if not, you can protect it the best by covering it. Your patio can also get slippery so be aware of this in the ice and snow.

Take care of your water pipes as well. But most of all, stay warm and when the newscasters recommend staying off the roads, do it if at all possible. There is a reason for their caution.

Happy Winter!

Stoves and Fireplaces for only $588.99!

The big story in our area right now is, of course, the weather. Brrrr! Are you cold? I hope that with the “Big Freeze” that you are cuddling near your stove or fireplace. I also hope that you are staying off the roads as much as possible, and staying safe.

I don’t know about you, but the kink in the weather sure put a kink in my holiday plans! I was going to accomplish SO much this week! So the next post, I will talk about planning for your holiday gathering at the last minute.

In the meantime, let’s look at the advantages of owning a stove or fireplace from Rich’s for the Home.

1. “When the weather outside is frightful”, you can be assured of warmth, even if the power goes out. This is so very important—especially when temps are hovering in the teens and twenties, as they currently are.
2. You can usually save money on your heating bill by using your stove or fireplace in conjunction with or instead of your furnace.
3. You can save money when purchasing a stove or fireplace from Rich’s. Right now they start as low as $588.99! That’s an amazing price!
4. Stoves and fireplaces add an instant cozy feel to your home and encourage family gatherings.
5. They also add a touch of unique décor to your rooms that people are drawn to.
6. You can make S’Mores and even cook on many stoves and fireplaces. A popcorn and hot cocoa night is a sure way to draw your kids from their rooms.

What are you waiting for? You can’t beat the price of $588.99 so head to your nearest Rich’s for the Home today and don’t shiver throughout another night.

Storm Preparation and Holidays

Happy holidays! The staff at Rich’s for the Home is ready to celebrate and spend some great time with family and friends. How about you? Have you made your lists, checked them a couple of times, gone shopping and planned a menu? Or maybe you are making it simple this year and not doing all of that. Whatever your plan, we hope that the holidays bring you and yours peace and a ton of joy. 

 

Are you prepared this year for our NW storms?

I hope so. Next week temperatures are supposed to drop into the 20-30’s as you know. We might even get some snow that would hang out with us for awhile. Tomorrow a windstorm (of course) is set to hit my area.

Why do we tend to get both windstorms and freezing temperatures all at once? Last year when the power was out for six days, we also had freezing temperatures. I don’t know why but I do know that we have no excuse this year to not be prepared.

My fireplace is ready. I keep refusing to stock up on perishables (we lost a lot last year). I could use a few more batteries. We have flashlights. And, most importantly, I do have wood stocked for the fireplace. I even dug some cardboard out of the recycling bin today so it won’t go out on the recycling trucks tomorrow—just in case.

Please stay warm and safe this holiday season.

Hot-Tub Sale! As Low as $999.99!

Have you heard the news? Rich’s for the Home is having a HUGE hot-tub sale on closeout models. They are running as low as $999.99. Wow! If you have always wanted one, but price has been a deterrent, now is the time.

Have no fear about choosing the one that is right for you and your family. Rich’s for the Home provides soaking sessions behind private screens right in their showrooms. So bring your swimsuit and soak as long as you would like. We hope that this will help you make the best choice for you—because making a big purchase, of course, should be considered from many angles.

You must consider your finances and what you can afford. This might mean calculating some expenses in the next few months and seeing where you can cut. You must also look at energy consumption, the size of hot-tub that you want and more. In addition, color, style and features are also key.

Sound hard? No worries—we are here from you and we know the answers to your questions. We will help you choose what works the best for you and your needs.

Here’s a fact: rarely will you see prices on hot-tubs this low again so truly this is the time to sit down, make a list of the features you want, figure out placement in your yard and then hit Rich’s running so that we can choose your best option—together.

See you soon!

What's Cooking: Rocky Road Fudge

This is an original recipe, and very popular with family and guests each holiday season. I even given batches away as gifts. The year I didn't-I was in big trouble. So don't make the same mistake I did. Make lots!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 Can of 14 oz. sweetened, condensed milk

• 1 package (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

• 1 square (1 oz) unsweetened chocolate

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1.5 cups peanuts

• 1/2 Bag of miniature marshmallows

STEPS:

1. Butter a square pan, 8x8x2 inches.

2. Heat milk, chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.

3. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in vanilla.

5. Stir in peanuts and marshmallows.

6. Spread in pan and refrigerate.

A Vent-Free Fireplace for your Dream Home

 

Do you have your "Dream Home" in mind? We all do. We want specific elements of that home to be just right. We may want a fireplace, pool, hot-tub or large deck to entertain. Or, our dream may be to simply have a home office, large kitchen or library.

Our dreams often change a little bit as we go along. Sometimes, we realize that we really can’t afford all the desired amenities and as we grow older, perhaps we don’t want to have to deal with the maintenance of those amenities too. Other times, priorities such as sending the kids to a good college might take precedence.

Many of us end up buying a home already built and don’t have the resources to adapt it to all our dreams.

But if your dream is a fireplace, Monessen Vent-Free fireplaces might be an answer for you. Because even if you don’t have a chimney or other venting system, you can have a fireplace with their unique offerings. Their vent-free gas fireplaces use precision burners and are design-certified by national testing laboratories to meet the latest health and safety standards. Some even have three see-through walls which offer a unique twist to any design.

Call or visit Rich’s for the Home to learn more about Monessen Vent-Free Fireplaces.