Spotlight on KEYper Systems' Service Express 24

Excerpt: Whether you are a landlord, vehicle dealership, or other company, you can benefit from the convenience and security offered by KEYper Systems' Service Express 24 key safe and dispenser. Keep reading to find out how this electronic solution works and why you should contact KEYper Systems today to find out more.

Transferring keys manually leaves plenty of room for human error. Furthermore, the time constraints placed on customers to pick up keys during normal operating hours may affect your business. KEYper Systems’ Service Express 24 electronic key safe and dispenser offers security, convenience, and trackable activity logs for property managers, automobile dealerships and repair shops, and many other industries.

How Service Express 24 Works

KEYper Systems’ Service Express 24 provides electronic after-hours dispensation of keys for your convenience as well as the convenience of customers, renters, and employees. The safe is controlled using an electronic keypad. All you need to do is enter your service advisor code to open the safe and place keys awaiting pickup on the system’s actuators as prompted by the display screen. Once the safe is locked, employees, customers, and renters can access their keys at any time using a five-digit PIN that you supply. Once the proper PIN is entered, the safe releases the right set of keys, displays any additional instructions you have programmed into the system, and the after-hours key pickup is complete.

Benefits of Service Express 24

The Service Express 24 system allows customers, renters, and more to access keys 24 hours a day without the need to wait until normal business hours. This system is ideal for after-hours and off-site access, offering customers, renters, clients, and employees convenience while ensuring key security and property protection. The Service Express 24 safe system offers top-quality physical and electronic security. Our electronic safe is made from 12-gauge stainless steel and features a multi-point locking system to prevent unauthorized access to keys. The electronic lock will tolerate three incorrect PIN entries before the system will disallow further attempts and prompts the user to contact you directly, preventing random entry or access to the wrong set of keys. Your single administrator code provides full access to the system, while ten additional service advisor codes can be provided to trusted employees to grant more limited access to the system if you are not available the make changes. The Service Express 24 electronic system logs all service advisor and customer PIN entries, providing you instant access to the last 200 transactions in addition to longer-baseline usage statistics. Furthermore, the Service Express 24 system can be customized to display any message of your choosing to customers after key retrieval, thanking them for their service or providing further instructions as necessary.

KEYper Systems’ Service Express 24 system offers unparalleled security and convenience with a wide range of applications. Whether you are a property owner, vehicle dealership, or company that requires the utmost in security and key control, our electronic safe and dispenser system can improve functionality and customer service. Click through our website to learn more about our electronic key solutions or to explore the many industries that can benefit from our services, including fleet management, manufacturing, and law enforcement.

Decorating Your Island Apartment

At Kalaeloa Rental Homes of Kapolei, we invite you to embrace the island lifestyle with amenities and features designed to make you feel at home. Decorating your rental space in true Hawaiian style adds personality, color, and life to your living space while enhancing its luxurious features and finishes.

Add Colors and Patterns

The Hawaiian Islands are alive with many shades of color found in the plant life, the ocean, the mountains, and the wildlife. Decorating in Hawaiian style means bringing this colorful landscape inside your home with brightly-colored accents and large tropical patterns. However, keep in mind that bringing color and pattern inside doesn’t mean your home needs to look like a touristy Hawaiian shirt! Choose a complementary palette of two to three island-inspired colors and incorporate different shades of these colors in your home for flow and coherence. Keep patterns large but subtle and limit eye-catching accessories to one or two per room to avoid overloading the senses.

Include Culture

The Hawaiian culture offers a rich variety of ways to accessorize your home. If you prefer to create a “beachy” feel in your apartment, add décor that emphasizes sea, sand, and surfing. Small (or large) surfboards or pieces of driftwood make excellent accessories when placed in a corner or hung on the wall. You can add floral beauty to your home by circling the bases of lamps, candles, or other accessories with leis or hanging large palm fronds on the walls to create the feeling of living in a tropical forest. The best places to find the perfect cultural accessories for your Hawaiian home are the local farmers’ markets, artisan fairs, and cultural centers. Adding one-of-a-kind cultural accents to your home will imbue it with an island personality all its own.

Embrace Your Lanai

The Hawaiian lanai is an open-sided roofed porch that shares one common wall with your home. Your lanai is designed for outdoor living in the utmost comfort, providing a gathering space for meals, family activities, parties, and even quiet appreciation of the island landscape. Because the lanai is such an integral part of the Hawaiian home, it’s important to incorporate your lanai into your home’s décor. Continue your decorating style outdoors with area rugs and comfortable furniture. Keep your décor and furniture style light, airy, and open to enhance the openness of your lanai. Consider adding a hammock for late afternoon naps or a cozy reading spot where you can enjoy the tropical sunset. Accessorize your lanai with a variety of plants and flowers to blur the lines between your home and the natural landscape beyond, creating a true outdoor room where you can commune with nature.

Discover the beauty of island living when you make your home at Kalaeloa Rental Homes near Ewa Beach and Pearl Harbor. Our community is comprised of three neighborhoods where you can work, live, play, and relax in island style. We invite you to explore our website, where you can check out our eleven different floor plans, including the Plantinum features found in our Makai neighborhood rental homes and apartments. If you’re ready to discuss your leasing options today, contact us online to get started!

Selecting the Right Furnace for Your Home

Excerpt: Are you having trouble with your current heating system? Read through these tips to get started on the right foot when it comes to selecting the best furnace for your needs.

Heating during the winter accounts for a large portion of any household’s annual energy costs. Whether you have been considering replacing your furnace out of necessity or simply the desire to lower heating costs and improve comfort, there are many options available on the market. Today’s advanced furnace technology offers greatly improved efficiency to lower both the financial and environmental costs of heating your Detroit home.

Fuel Source

There are three main fuel sources a furnace can use to heat your home: gas, oil, or electricity. In some cases, the type of fuel source you consider may be dictated by the service available in your area. If you already have access to natural gas, installing a furnace that uses gas is simpler than if you live in a home without existing gas mains. The cost of each fuel source in your area and your personal preference may also play important roles in your final decision.

Efficiency

Every time your furnace engages, it converts fuel into heat to warm the air of your home. A furnace’s efficiency is determined by the percentage of fuel input that is turned into usable heat output. Any heat that is lost during this process lowers the efficiency of the appliance. Most older furnaces operate at 60-75% efficiency, while newer high- and super-efficiency gas or oil furnaces have an average heating efficiency of 75-95%. Electric furnaces and heat pumps can offer up to 100% efficiency during use, but may require more energy to operate than oil- or gas-fueled models. When shopping for your new furnace, you can read the unit’s efficiency off the yellow Energy Guide label affixed to each appliance.

Size

Not all furnaces are designed with the same heating capabilities—various models are designed with different heating capacities in mind. It’s essential to select a furnace that is properly sized to heat your home to gain the most benefit from your purchase. Installing a furnace with too little or too much heating capacity will result in lowered efficiency during operation and higher annual heating bills. You can calculate the heating capacity you need from the square footage and amount of insulation in your home. There are various web resources to help you determine the ideal furnace size for your needs, or you can contact a heating technician for help calculating this value.

Installation and Maintenance

Regardless of the furnace you choose, it’s essential that you select a top-quality HVAC specialist to install it. Even the most efficient furnace will cost more than necessary to run and provide inadequate heating if it is not installed and maintained by a skilled technician. Every furnace must be serviced regularly to maintain efficiency and ensure that worn, damaged, and dirty parts are replaced or cleaned.

Are you considering replacing your furnace, air conditioner, or water heater in Detroit or Ann Arbor? Visit our website to contact an experienced HVAC technician for help choosing and installing the best appliance for your needs to reduce energy costs and improve comfort. You can find out more about heating and cooling your home efficiently and maintaining your HVAC equipment for the best results online.  

Tips to Make Moving Easier

Moving is a word that many people abhor, but it doesn’t need to be such a terrifying term. Planning your move in advance, giving yourself plenty of time to move, and limiting the belongings you bring to your new apartment can make moving a snap. Check out these helpful tips to discover how your move to a Carmel Pacific Ridge apartment can be both easy and enjoyable.

Downsize First

Before you move, take some time to downsize your belongings. Many people keep clothing that no longer fits, has gone out of fashion, or isn’t flattering. Small gifts, knickknacks, and books you don’t plan to read again also create unnecessary clutter and increase the amount of boxes you’ll need to move. Sort through your clothes, books, and other items to find things you no longer use. If you haven’t gone looking for a particular item or piece of clothing in over a year, it’s very likely something you won’t miss. Donating unused items to charity will reduce the amount of belongings you take with you to your new apartment and prevent your new space from becoming cluttered and disorganized.

Take More Than One Day

One of the most common sources of moving stress is the idea that you need to move everything to your new apartment on a single day. If possible, time your move so that you will have access to your new apartment before your old lease is up. This will give you time to move on your own schedule over the course of a few days, rather than trying to make everything happen in a single afternoon. While hiring movers to handle furniture and heavy or large boxes is a great idea, move smaller items yourself to maximize your movers’ time and energy.

Pack by Room

Rather than packing haphazardly by grabbing whatever will conveniently fit into each box, pack your belongings by room and label every box with its final destination. If you’ve hired movers, show them where each room in your new apartment is located before they start transporting items and instruct them to place boxes in the appropriate room. Keeping items grouped by room or purpose will make unpacking a much easier and smoother process once all of your belongings have been moved to your new apartment.

Plan Your Furniture Placement

Prior to moving day, create a floor plan of your new apartment and decide where your furniture will go. Knowing where you want your furniture to end up will make the moving process easier because you can have your movers place items in their final locations. This will not only create an instant feeling of a comfortable home, but prevent you from having to move your furniture yourself at a later date as well. Keep in mind that items will need to fit through doorways and halls to reach some rooms; take measurements to ensure there won’t be any trouble fitting an item through the door on moving day. If you will need to disassemble any items to accommodate doors and hallways, do so before your movers arrive to save time.

Carmel Pacific Ridge offers luxury apartment living with panoramic views of San Diego. Located just minutes from Downtown, La Jolla, and UTC, Carmel Pacific Ridge also offers around-the-corner access to some of San Diego’s hottest nightlife and shopping options. Visit us on the web to view our community and learn more about the local attractions, or contact us to set your move-in date and get ready to enjoy our resort-style amenities every day! 

Using Your Thermostat Wisely

Excerpt: Your thermostat is the key to heating your home efficiently at less cost this winter. Check out the information in this article to discover how to use your thermostat to its fullest potential.

Your thermostat acts as a control system for your Omaha home’s HVAC system. The settings on the thermostat determine how often your furnace runs during the winter to maintain the temperature inside your home. Understanding the factors that affect your thermostat and how to use it wisely will ensure you get the most for your home’s heating system for exceptional comfort all winter long.

Placement

Efficient home heating depends upon a thermostat that accurately measures the temperature inside your home. If your thermostat is located in an area of your home that doesn’t provide a good representation of the overall temperature, it can’t regulate heating effectively. Thermostats located near windows and exterior doors can be affected by the weather and time of day. Your thermostat should be placed on an interior wall in an area of your home that is free from drafts, direct sunlight, and other sources of heat or cold. Avoid placing appliances and lighting near your thermostat as well, as these can put out heat that also affects the reading. If you think your thermostat might be affected by temperature changes at its current location, contact an HVAC professional to have it moved to a better location.

Zoning

System zoning uses multiple thermostats throughout your home to offer finer control over your furnace’s function. One popular zoning configuration creates one zone on the ground floor of your home and a second zone on the upper story of the building. This form of zoning allows you to keep the upstairs bedrooms cooler during the day when they are not in use, then switch your heating to the upper level only at night. Zoning your home is not a do-it-yourself project; an HVAC professional should install your thermostats and set up the system so it will function properly and offer you the greatest energy savings.

Programming

A programmable thermostat can help you save up to 10% on your monthly heating bills. Older thermostats require you to manually turn the set temperature up or down each time you wish to make a change. If you forget to change the thermostat or have trouble setting the temperature accurately, your furnace could run more than necessary and cost you more to operate. A programmable thermostat allows you to create and set a program to automatically control your home’s temperature even if you are away or forget to make a change. Creating a program that keeps your home cooler while you are sleeping or away from home and warmer only when you are home and active can help you consistently spend less on your monthly utilities.

Placing and using your thermostat properly can help you save money, reduce your carbon footprint, and prolong the lifetime of your furnace. If you have questions about your thermostat or would like to find out more about home temperature zoning and programmable thermostat options in Omaha, click through our website to find out more. We also invite you to check out our blog for more professional heating and cooling tips throughout the year.

How to Care for Your Septic Tank

A septic system replaces the need for a city sewer system to treat your home’s wastewater. Inside your septic tank, solid wastes are separated from the water before the latter is distributed to the environment via drainpipes in your leach field. In most areas, the care and maintenance of the tank is your personal responsibility as a property owner. Understanding how your septic tank works and how to care for it will save you money by preventing backups and other costly plumbing problems.

Reduce Water Waste

Whenever water in your home goes down the drain, it empties into your septic tank. Inside the tank, solid wastes are decomposed by bacteria and other microorganisms. Reducing the amount of wastewater and solid wastes you flush down your drains can improve septic tank performance and longevity. Furthermore, using too much water can cause the system to back up. Install low-flow showerheads, faucets, and toilets to limit the amount of water you use for daily activities such as bathing, washing your hands, and using the toilet. Mesh drain covers can prevent large amounts of hair and soap scum from swirling down the drain during a shower or bath. Only flush toilet paper down your toilet; neither your plumbing nor your septic tank is designed to handle solid trash such as feminine products, baby diapers or wipes, cat litter, and plastic or paper packaging. If your kitchen has a food disposal, limit the items you put down your disposal. Throw large amounts of uneaten food, hard items such as animal bones and fruit rinds, or bread and pasta away with other solid waste.

Limit Chemical Use

In addition to food and other wastes that go down your drains with your water, cleaning chemicals and even products that claim to improve the performance of your septic tank can upset the balance of bacteria inside the system. While most household detergents such as dishwashing soap and laundry detergents will not damage your septic tank, chemical drain cleaners, large amounts of bleach, and paint can affect the system’s performance. If you experience a clog in your plumbing, use an enzymatic drain cleaner designed to remove the buildup without harsh chemicals. Septic system additives are not necessary to maintain a balanced ecosystem inside the tank, so avoid using these products as well. If you have questions about flushing any product or waste down your drains and into your tank, consult your plumber.

If your Memphis home uses a septic system, taking care with the type and amount of wastewater that goes down your drains will improve its performance and help you save money. You can find more information about septic tanks and home plumbing maintenance by clicking through the articles on our blog. Visit our website to contact a plumber for information, advice, maintenance, or repairs for your septic tank, water heater, or any other plumbing appliance in the Memphis area.

The Benefits of Installing a Heat Pump

Heat pumps are heating and cooling systems that exchange heat with either the air outside your home or the ground beneath it. This heat exchange process provides heated or cooled air to maintain a comfortable indoor environment for you and your family. Installing a heat pump can offer your Columbus home many benefits, ranging from tax credits to ease the cost of installation to a reduced dependence on fossil fuels for heating.

Heating, Air Conditioning, and Hot Water

A heat pump is a single appliance that can replace both your furnace and your air conditioner. Heat pumps draw heat from the outside air to warm your home in the winter, but can run in reverse to cool your home in the summer. Replacing both of these systems with a single unit is cheaper both initially and over the long term, saving you money on maintenance, repair, and replacement costs. Additionally, geothermal heat pumps can be used as water heaters, providing your home with additional hot water and offsetting the costs of using your water heater during the warm summer months. If your heat pump runs consistently during hot weather, it may be able to meet all your hot water needs during this time.

Reduced Fossil Fuel Dependence

Heat pumps heat your home by drawing from the ambient heat of the air or ground outside. This process reduces or eliminates the need for an oil- or gas-burning furnace, which use fossil fuels to heat air for distribution throughout your home. Installing a heat pump reduces your home’s dependence on fossil fuels, which are a limited resource. The combustion of fossil fuels also contributes greenhouse gases to the atmosphere; using a heat pump reduces this contribution greatly. While you will need to use electricity to run your heat pump, a heat pump’s carbon footprint is still significantly less than that of a fossil fuel-burning heating system.

Federal Tax Credits

Currently, the Federal Government is offering a tax credit of 30% with no upper limit on ENERGY STAR-qualified geothermal heat pumps installed before December 31st, 2016. The tax credit is applicable for geothermal heat pumps installed in both new and existing homes, as well as primary and secondary residences. This tax credit is designed to offset the initial cost of purchasing and installing the heat pump to allow families to enjoy energy savings and lower long-term operating costs for heating and cooling their home.

Heat pumps offer heating and cooling for your Columbus home at lower long-term costs than maintaining a separate furnace and air conditioner. If you’d like to learn more about your heating and cooling options, check out the additional articles on our blog. You can contact an HVAC specialist in the Columbus area to schedule maintenance, repairs, or installation on our website.

HVAC Safety This Winter

Your furnace provides heated air to keep you and your family warm and cozy during the winter. However, a poorly-maintained furnace can be a hazard to your health and safety. Knowing how to use your heating system properly and which signs signify serious trouble will help to protect your family and your home all winter long.

Get a Furnace Tune-Up

Maintaining your furnace is one of the very best ways to make sure it’s operating safely and efficiently. Schedule a tune-up for your furnace once a year, ideally in the fall or spring when you don’t need to use the appliance regularly. During a tune-up, your HVAC professional will inspect every part of your furnace to ensure it is in proper working order. He will clean dust and debris from the system and check the burners, vents, and fans. Parts that are worn or close to breaking will be replaced to prevent damage to your system and a potential fire hazard. Additionally, if you notice a strong odor or loud noises coming from your furnace at any time during use, turn it off and call your HVAC professional for an inspection and repairs.

Install CO Detectors

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, and potentially lethal gas that is naturally produced during the combustion process. Any CO produced by your furnace is vented away from your home by ductwork leading outside. However, a malfunctioning furnace or leaky, dislodged, or otherwise damaged ducts could allow dangerous levels of CO to accumulate inside your home. Install a CO detector near your furnace and on every level of your home. If any of your CO detectors sound, don’t try to find and fix the problem yourself—leave your home immediately and call an HVAC expert to address the situation. Test your CO detectors twice a year to ensure their batteries and electronics are working.

Know the Signs of a Gas Leak

If your furnace uses natural gas to fuel the burners, it’s also important to know the signs of a gas leak. Natural gas has no odor; however, gas suppliers add a foul sulfur odor that smells like rotten eggs to aid in detection of a gas leak. A gas leak may also cause headaches, nausea, and dizziness. If you or any family members smell gas or experience symptoms associated with a gas leak, leave your home immediately. Do not turn any lights or electronics on or off, as these could supply a spark and cause an explosion or fire. Call an HVAC expert and your local gas company to investigate the leak and begin repairs; don’t return to your home until you are told it is safe.

These tips will help to keep your home and family safe while ensuring your furnace works properly this winter season. You can learn more about HVAC safety and maintenance by clicking through the articles on our blog. Visit our website for a full listing of our heating, cooling, and indoor air quality services throughout Columbus or to contact an experienced HVAC professional to schedule maintenance or repairs.