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What is Mosquito Remediation?

May 23, 2020 10:15:00 AM / by david sulock

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Mosquito remediation service treats your property for mosquitoes, but really is the definition of remediation? 

  • Fix an underlying condition causing a problem.
  • Removing something that is unwanted.

If you don't want to get bit by mosquitoes, you want your yard remediated, meaning the "removal" of mosquitoes.  Mosquitoes are a problem that Curren's will remediate.

We precisely treat mosquito breeding areas in your yard.  We target the mosquito life cycle including both adults as well as eggs.  The following photo highlights where you will find mosquitoes in the heat of the day, that is where we apply our treatment.

 

mosquito breeding area

Our trained technicians will inspect your property for mosquito habitats (yes you have them too) and will take the appropriate treatment measures.    If we find issues on your property our software program will email a photo of that specific problem area on the day of treatment.

common residential Mosquito breedig area

Our treatment has an immediate (24 hour) knockdown on the mosquito population in your yard.  A residual barrier portion of the mosquito treatment provides continued protection for 3 weeks.

This video shows a yard being treated, which includes landscaping and fences.  We don't treat where you sit and eat, since mosquitoes don't breed there during the heat of the day.

 

If you have a yard you want to enjoy then you should call and speak to one of our professionals.

Mosquito Control Questions

Im Hungry said the mosquito

 

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Business Reopening Disinfecting

May 21, 2020 11:30:00 AM / by david sulock

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                              Disinfect for Business Reopening

As the economy reopens, businesses are asking employees to return to work.  Safety of its employees are on every business's mind.   Many work spaces are undergoing a deep office disinfecting prior to employees returning to their place of work.  This professional disinfecting reboots the space.

 

office disinfecting

Office Disinfecting

Curren can apply an EPA N listed disinfectant to treat areas where your employees work.  Utilizing precision application equipment, including cold mist foggers, which have power-mist capable of 56 micron droplets to ULV 20-35 micron droplets to surfaces throughout the space. These powered devices can yield single digit micron droplets: or deliver a soaking mist dependent on the surface treated. As indicated by the name, ULV (Ultra-Low Volume) misters and foggers transform low amounts of fogging liquid to substantial yet very fine droplet mists ensuring thorough application to surfaces.  This ensures that surfaces  are thoroughly treated

office disinfecting    office disinfecting

Disinfectant Efficiency

Curren has been using disinfectants for years in our mold remediation projects.  Our disinfectants are commonly used in hospitals, hence the appeal of using them on our project sites. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) produced and maintains a list of EPA-registered disinfectant products that have qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Fiberlock Shockwave Concentrate with EPA registration 61178-73884 is on the list and will be utilized for this project. (List N).  Shockwave is Curren's choice for mold projects and for disinfecting business office spaces. 

While surface disinfectant products on List N have not been tested specifically against SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, EPA expects them to kill the virus because they:

  • Demonstrate efficacy (e.g. effectiveness) against a harder-to-kill virus; or
  • Demonstrate efficacy against another type of human coronavirus similar to SARS-CoV-2.

Curren's technicians are trained in PPE (personal protective equipment) procedures such as how to put on and remove PPE equipment and utilize proper PPE during the duration of all work activities.

Professional office disinfecting allows businesses and landlords to help ensure the safety of their employees and provide the space a safe environment for business operations.

The CDC has many guidelines that businesses should follow once operations restart.  Once you reboot a space you have to follow your own plan such as:

  1. Limit entry of the work space to employees only. You must then trust your coworkers to be safe. FedEx, UPS,  food delivery everything gets stopped at door.
  2. Disinfecting common areas, such as copiers, during the day.
  3. Provide hand sanitizers in office for employees use.
  4. Offering masks and gloves for employees to use.
  5. Installing plexiglass at offices on desks in common areas.
  6. Keeping doors open so door knobs (common touch area) don't get touched.

CDC Guidance can be found here: CDC Guidance Documents.

 

Call Curren Today

 

 

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Mosquitoes and Mosquito Control

May 15, 2020 1:00:00 PM / by david sulock

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                                          Mosquitoes and Mosquito Control
Mosquitoes are both a nuisance and a health threat. If you do not want to be bitten by mosquitoes in your backyard, you must reduce the mosquito population.

  • Mosquito control for your yard
    All mosquitoes need water to breed and survive. DIY Mosquito Control can be performed by eliminating breeding sources such as the following:
    • stagnant water
    • water trapped on tarps
    • old tires
    • tree potsMosquito control
    • puddles
    • clogged gutters
    • buckets and flower pots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mosquito Remediation can help eliminate the nuisance of mosquitoes and protect your family. Our professional applicators will walk around your home and throughout your backyard to address your specific problem. We are trained to identify the unique areas of risk around your property. Adult mosquitoes are found resting in vegetation or other cool shaded places (under decks, sheds) during the day time. To get rid of adult mosquitoes we spray the lower portion of foliage, bushes, tall ornamental grasses and shrubs with a microencapsulated ultra low volume , insecticide that will prove an immediate knockdown of mosquitoes and with micro encapsulated technology provide a 21 day residual. Our barrier application as we call it (this shields you from mosquitoes) is safe and effective as we only treat areas mosquitoes are likely to feed and reproduce as well as hide from the heat of the day. We often call under decks and sheds mosquito condos.

Enjoy your yard without mosquitoes.
We recommend a treatment every 21 days to ensure effectiveness. Our dedicated software will remind you in advance of your next application, provide electronic notification the moment it is completed and if we find problem areas in your yard you will receive photos via email or text of the concern. Once you sign up you can literally sit back and enjoy your yard. Our schedule is automatic, no one needs to be home. We only ask to allow 30 minutes post treatment for the barrier to fully dry before returning to the yard.

 

Learn More call Tiffany at 856-858-7172

mosquito control for your yard

 

 

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Mold Found in Attic

May 13, 2020 11:45:00 AM / by david sulock posted in mold survey, professional mold remediation

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Mold likes to grow where people don't like to be.  Attics are a common place where we find mold during inspections.  Home sellers are often surprised to find out that they have mold in their attic.   Attics are not heated nor air conditioned, which means both humidity levels and temperature fluctuations are very varied and due to these conditions mold will find a home to grow.

All photos you will see on this page are from the same attic, each area of mold grew because of different environmental variables.

mold found in attic

The mold you see in this photo was caused by the bathroom vent leaking moist air onto the wood sheeting.

 

attic mold

The mold in this photo was from natural humidity over the years.

How do you correct attic mold.  First you need to identify the moisture source and correct the issue.  Attic mold may be caused by insufficient ventilation or air leaks from finished spaces.  Some bathrooms will vent moist air into the space creating an environment for mold growth.

 

Remediating mold rarely ever requires replacement of the wood surface but rather thorough cleaning of the wood, application of a fungicide and lastly a preventive coating that warranties that the wood will not allow mold growth.

 

20200507_141154

This photo shows an attic that has been remediated.  The white coating you see is fungistatic, meaning it inhibits mold growth.  These coating provide the owner a warranty that mold will not grow on the treated surface.

attic mold remediation

 

Curren environmental has over 20 years experience with mold, we have remediated thousands of properties over the years.

If you have a mold question or requested mold remediation Curren can help with an appropriate solution.

Call for Mold Questions.

 

 

 

 

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What is proper mold remediation?

Apr 8, 2020 10:23:00 AM / by david sulock posted in mold remediation, professional mold remediation

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Mold remediation is the process where you remove the mold as well as the source of the mold growth. The most important part of any mold remediation is knowing what caused the mold, since mold can come back if the driver of the mold is not stopped.

 

FLIR0313

You can complete mold inspections with infra red cameras (photo above), that are calibrated for moisture.  This inspection tools can help you pinpoint problem areas behind walls and other materials. 

FLIR0314

Since "mold = water", the source of the mold should be determined and repaired (water issue). It is possible that the cause of the mold was repaired, but if it was not, then the necessary corrective action is needed. A qualified mold remediation company should be able to ascertain the cause. If they cannot, you are dealing with the wrong mold company. Remember only 11 states have mold regulations, so you are likely dealing with an unlicensed company.mold remediation
 Tough to see in this photo, but if you look through the plastic you see mold.  where as you do not see mold on the white ceiling or the concrete block wall above the plastic.  This mold growth was driven by improper vapor barrier installation.  100% preventable.


For successful mold remediation, you must remove the mold from impacted surfaces. (Mold remediation can entail deconstruction of walls to get access to the mold). Mold removal is typically accomplished via HEPA vacuuming surfaces. If items can not be cleaned than  demolition of items such as sheetrock and/or wood framing that is water damaged or mold impacted on both sides is necessary.
Fungicide application for mold remediation
Application of a broad spectrum fungicide is another step. Fungicide application sterilizes the space, disinfecting the surfaces to address any mold spores that can’t be seen. It also allows porous surfaces to absorb the fungicide, grabbing spores that may have implanted themselves deeper into the surface of the material. This is common of wood surfaces as wood is porous, ensuring that you are rebooting the space.

The final and most important step is applying a fungistatic coating to cleaned organic surfaces in the area of remediation. This coating essentially provides mold proofing in the treated area. The best coatings have 10 year warranties. The coating is not a paint you buy at a home improvement center, but a coating that is designed for a specific purpose which is mold prevention. Coatings with fungistatic agents are commonly applied to new construction to mold proof the space. The application of fungistatic coatings as part of the remediation is also a corrective action that is designed to help the space resist mold in the future.

Mold resistant coating

Mold is a four letter work and most companies say they know mold and in reality they  don't. Mold experts for over 20 years, billions of spores remediated.

Learn More:Mold Remediation

 

 

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Do you Smell Mold?

Mar 28, 2020 3:22:01 PM / by david sulock posted in mold remediation, mold cleanup, Mold Testing, mold inspections, mold consultant, professional mold remediation

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You can smell mold?

Spending more time at home than usual? Many people are in the safety of their homes and our office is getting called regarding musty smells, that people think relates to mold in their home. These calls coincide with rain events and we find a simple equation. People have mold in their homes they didn’t know existed. Many people find mold during a real estate transaction, since that is when a home under goes scrutiny, meaning multiple inspections occur and the wear and tear items that we often ignore are brought to light. I mean do you ever go into your attic or basement and look for mold?


mold inspections

The musty smell you have is most likely mold and it is active mold growth because when mold is consuming organic matter it off gases, hence the smell. Growth can correlate to rain events (not necessarily flooding), temperature changes, and humidity levels. In short moisture above 55% humidity as most molds in the northeastern United states will grow above that range.  Add in the fact that the northeast has an older housing stock and you have a higher probability of mold. Why older homes have mold, simple put the older a home the greater the time frame for mold to grow somewhere in the home. This gives mold the toe hold it needs as mold won’t die when it is dry it just goes dormant. This mold will then grow sporadically (no spore joke intended) over time until the owner complains of a smell, has a health concern or buyer’s inspector finds mold

 

mold inspections

Our calls lately have been from people who are working from home or simple spending more time at home and they either smell musty odors or are having health concerns. These people never had a mold inspection performed so the idea of a mold inspection makes sense.  Our mold inspections typically find mold, which makes sense.  The key to finding mold is understanding why it is there and how the mold can be addressed (mold remediation) and future prevention.  A typical mold survey might find a half dozen reasons why it’s there (yes there is typically more than  one cause for mold growth. We provide the homeowner a DIY  list for everything they are doing wrong and a corrective action plan (mold remediation) outline and costs. All mold remediation has a 10 year warranty against future mold growth, best in the industry.

We also teach several classes on mold so you know you are getting expert advice.
Environmental Education speaking at the Triple Play

 

All our inspector use N-95 masks and have at least five years experience with both mold inspections and remediation.  We inspect and remediate mold so we get to see mold from both sides which gives Curren a full perspective.  Different building materials from pour concrete walls, to cider block walls to wood studs to plaster wall all affect how mold can and will grow.To schedule an inspection call 856-858-9509.mold inspections and remediation

mold testing

Call for Mold Questions.

 

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Tank Under Porch

Feb 25, 2020 11:15:00 AM / by david sulock

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Oil tanks can be located in many different places. Oil tanks were out of sight and out of mind.  Many oil tanks can be found buried under the lawn or driveway.  Some oil tanks were buried to never been seen again, oil tanks can be buried under garage floors, decks and under the home itself such as under a sun room.  (Photo below is a tank under the floor of a room).

Oil tank buried below a room.

Oil tanks are only a problem when they leak, since leaky tanks may require remediation.  The only way to know if an oil tank is not leaking is by testing the soil under the tank.  Oil tank removal is typically your best option, since once the tank is removed, you can access soils under the tank to sample.     With tanks that are under a building, you options open up from either removal (typically possible, just expensive) to closure in place, which is the more affordable and practical option.

(Photo below shows how a tank sweep found where under the floor the tank was located)

Photo Jan 30, 9 50 15 AM

 

Oil tank buried below a porch

Oil tank closure in place can address concerns with the oil tank, by cutting holes in the bottom of the tank (after the tank is thoroughly cleaned) and taking soil samples.

By going through the bottom of the tank you can access the soils where samples are supposed to be acquired to assess for leaks.

It's not easy work, but its cheaper than removing the tank.

The photo below shows the holes (coupons) cut in the bottom of the tank to access the soils.

Soil sampling closed in place oil tank

Our clients hire Curren to find professional affordable solutions and with close to thirty years experience we have solved a lot of problems with oil tanks.  The photo above shows a tank under a room that we excavated, cleaned and obtained site assessment soil samples.  

Photo Jan 30, 12 12 22 PM

This small hole was all that was required for closure in place of this tank.  Removal of the tank would have required that half the floor in the room be removed, and may have undermined the walls requiring structural support.  Curren's tank closure in place was the appropriate and lowest cost solution.

 

Certified in New Jersey, Pennsylvania & Delaware for tank closure.

Thousands of completed projects.

Professionals solutions is a phone call away.

Call Curren Today

 

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Why is an Oil Tank Sweep Important?

Jan 13, 2020 9:43:00 AM / by david sulock posted in OIl Tank Sweeps, underground oil tanks, tank sweep, gpr tank swep

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                    Why is an Oil Tank Sweep Important?

From 1900 to 1945 coal was king (coal shortages were common during WWI). By the mid 1930’s oil burners had made quality and safety improvements that made oil a competitor to coal. In 1940 more than half the homes burned coal. America oil reserves and steel making prowess from WWII allowed oil to be rapidly adopted after WWII (1945).

In the 1970’s and 80’s due to natural gas shortages and price irregularities the natural gas market become deregulated. Deregulated allowed for competition and market based pricing, which meant lower prices, this drove the popularity of natural gas. So natural gas didn’t become popular until the late 1980’s.

For homes built between 1900 and 1980, oil heat was highly probable at some point in the past (in short what were your alternate choices for heat besides oil?). Construction codes didn’t address oil tank removals until the 1990’s. Environmental regulations today have strict standards for heating oil leaks from tanks in soil and groundwater. In short, an oil tank leak can make the owner of a property a polluter so to speak. On top of that the regulations view the current owner of a property as the Responsible Party (RP) for the cleanup.

Today, you could buy a house built in 1950, that used oil until say 1980, when a conversion to gas occurred. The old oil tank was literally just left in place (abandoned), since doing anything cost money. Fast forward to 2020, you are buying that home with an oil tank that hasn’t been used in decades. If you don’t add a tank sweep with GPR (ground penetrating radar) to your home purchase due diligence you are opening your self up to a responsibility and an expense with the oil tank, as when you sell someone will do a tank sweep and find the tank you never knew you had or used, which happens all the time.

Today the internet is used not just for shopping, but for education. There are homeowners that have an oil tank on their property (used or out of service), these homeowners have learned via the internet (websites like this one) of the liability of an oil tank. We find that some people will hide the evidence of the tank and hope that no one looks for an oil tank, since the home is now heated by natural gas. Do you find it hard to believe that someone would try to hide the truth? Follow this story.

Home went under contract, home inspection and all, everything but a tank sweep with GPR was performed by the purchaser of the home. One day before settlement the prospective homeowner does a walk through of the property and low and behold someone spray painted "tank" on the ground. (this is a true story. I couldn’t make things like this up).

Why tank sweeps with GPR are important

 

Home was a flip, so the owner (really owner for 7 months) had no knowledge of any oil tank. Curren scanned the marked area and bingo oil tank, about ¼ full of oil. We can only speculate as to why the tank was hidden and why someone spray painted tank on the sidewalk. The general theory is a neighbor was aware of a tank at that location and also aware the owner removed evidence of the tank. Presumable the neighbor removed their tank and didn’t appreciate the neighbor not doing the right thing and removing theirs. We believe this is a likely scenario as we have seen it on other sites that we have performed tank scans/sweeps. People will park cars in driveways over tanks. People will say a tank was removed and we scan the area and find a metal object indicative of a tank.

oil tank sweeps find tanks



We even have people who have removed their own tanks, we get contracted to do soil borings and soil sampling from the removed tank area. $35,000.00 later, we find that the tank did leak, the owner just thought that oil is naturally present in a removed tank excavation.

 

Leaking removed oil tank cleanup

Bottom line you cannot rely on statements from a seller such as these:

There is no oil tank.

That the tank was removed

The removed tank didn’t leak.

Do you need to complete a tank sweep? Yes, if the home was built before 1980 and you can’t get 100% written documentation that natural gas was always utilized to heat the dwelling.

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Why every home should have a tank sweep?

Nov 18, 2019 9:15:00 AM / by david sulock posted in Due Diligence, underground oil tanks, tank sweep with gpr, tank sweeps with GPR, tank sweep, gpr tank swep

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Curren Environmental has been solving tank related issues for over 20 years.   Oil tanks were like cell phones, they were ubiquitous in homes in the Northeastern United States.  Oil was king as the graph shows:

 

Does my home have an oil tank?

Oil heat was more popular than natural gas up until 1980!

In 1950 43.9% of homes had oil heat

In 1960 62.9% of homes had oil heat

In 1970 52.6% of homes had oil heat

 

So in 2019, what are the odds the home your buying has or had an oil tank? Pretty high for sure.   

 

oil tank leak and remediation

 

Tank Scans with GPR = Buyer Due Diligence

 

Scan for oil tanks before you buy a home

 

A tank scan found this tank.  You can see from the many holes in the tank, that the tank leaked.   Thankfully the home buyer had a tank sweep completed and found the tank.  The homeowner had to remove and remediate the oil tank.   

 

Oil Tank sweep found a leaking oil tank

Call Curren Today

 

 

 

 

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Top 10 Green Practices you can do for home or work

Nov 6, 2019 11:25:21 AM / by david sulock posted in green practices, green tips, cheap green practices, being grren, green things we can do everyday, be greener, things to do to be green

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Everyone wants to be green, but as  a famous frog once said its not easy being green.  Working in the environmental field we are exposed to some of the best green practices people can follow.  A sad truth of being green is people want to be green on the cheap. These ten green tips can be done free and at low cost, but you will be paying big dividends to the environment.

Here is a bonus tip, share this page,  If one person you share this page with does one of the green practices you have helped the environment. 

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Top 10 Green Practices You can do on the cheap!

1. Use your reusable shopping bags.   Usage rate is under 20%, the top reason, people forget them, 80% of people say they do own the bags.  The next time you go to the store, place a stack of bags on the car seat, so you won't forget. For extra measure place a purse or cell phone on top of the bags. Reusable Shopping Bags

Cost = Free (If you own these bags already)

image-1

2. Use reusable produce bags. Since your going shopping, why not bring your reusable produce bags?   Same as idea as shopping bags, except you realy get any free ones, you typically have to buy them.  Unfortunately you rarely see these bags for sale or get them given to you as a freebee, if you click the photo you can find some decent quality bags on Amazon.

Cost = $12.00  or Free (If you own these bags already), most people don't 

things to do to be green

3Buy reusable coffee pods Single serve coffee makers can actually be green, since you are not wasting water or coffe.  But when you use the single use coffe cups, you are not being green.  But reusable pods.

 

Cost = $15.00 for 12, split them with a friend and cost gets cut in half

4. Reusable Straws: Plastic straws and other items smaller than two by two inches, such as plastic utensils, fall through the machinery that sorts our recycling.Plastic straw Don’t Get Recycled.

Cost = $6.00

IMG_8332

5.  At restaurants ask for a straw free table.   What is a straw free table?   Any table you sit at that the server knows you don't want to use straws.   Be real, you are in that seat for a short while, you don't need a straw.  Oh and when the server places the straw on the table and you don't use it and think  it will get reused?  Think again, its gets thrown away of you use it or not. Go straw free.

Cost = Free

6 Insulate your hot water heater.   Mom always said to wear layers. So while your water heater has insulation, more is better and cheap. Insulating your water heater reduces standby heat losses by 25%–45% and save you about 7%–16% in water heating costs—and should pay for itself in about a year. You can find pre-cut jackets or blankets available from around $35.00. We like the blankets without fiberglass as the fiberglass jackets can tear when things bang into the jackets.  This one can also be reused when you replace the water heater if you are careful taking it off.  

Cost = $20.00 to $35.00

6. Wash 95% of your laundry in cold.  True only about 5% of clothing requires warm water: READ THE TAG. The average cost of water heating is $41.10 a month with three hours of use per day. People insist on using hot water for washing and cleaning because they believe it removes dirt, grease, and grime better, as well as disinfect the clothes. And that’s true, but hot water also ruins your clothes, causes the color to fade, and shrinks the fabric. You can save energy and money by  cutting back on the amount of hot water you use to do laundry. With cold-water detergents,  the cleansing enzymes are designed to work better in cold water.   Just look for COLD on the label, they are the same price as warm water, you just don't have to pay for hot water.

Cost = Free  * these are typically the same price as warm water detergent

7.  Stop using plastic water bottles.  Did you know in the 1980's, the big beverage companies saw the decline of carbonated soda?   Perrier became popular in the 1980's.   We have been slowly weaned onto using single serve water bottles, which we all know are terrible for the environment.  The two biggest reasons people bottled water is concerns about water quality and laziness.  I cant help about laziness, but if your home refrigerator dispenses water, it has an inline water filter, typically carbon filtration which is a universal filter.   You can fill up your REUSABLE water bottle from your refrigerator.  Fact, did you know many bottled waters are tap water? 

No doubt you have multiple bottles at home you can use. We particular like the Swell brand, liquids stay cold all day, this 25 ounce bottle is a bounty of a thirst quencher and the wood finish makes you look like a real tree hugger.

Cost = Free* to $31.00   *Odds are you already have a reusable bottle

 

8.  Go paperless billing.  Most all bills you receive can be converted into an electronic ebill (bill is emailed to you). Ebills, save postage, fossel fuel as no vehicle must transport the bill and lastly paper.  Most people pay bills online anyway saving postage, so why not receive your bill on,ine as well?   66% of bills are still mailed.  Lets get it below 50%.

Cost = Free

9.  Air seal your home.   You have air leaks for sure.  Every catch a mouse in the house?  They come through gaps.  Go in your basement during the day and turn off the lights.  Look for light shining through.  Common openings are where hose bibs exit the foundation, where the sill plates meets the foundation, holes where you may have drilled to run a pipe or cable.   Fill these gaps with foam.

Cost =  $6.00/can

10. Improve your windows.  Many windows leak air simple because the window is not 100% square in the frame.  Replacing windows is expensive.   Two simple things you can do.  One place foam insulating tape on the bottom of the window where the windows sits in the bottom of the frame.  This little trick can help seal the window by helping the window be square in the frame and having a tighter seal.  The 2nd tip is to have working locks on your windows and locking them, which further squares the window.    We do mold inspections and check windows.  On average 30% of windows are not locked, which allows air to leak in.   

Cost = $10.00 *   about 30 windows

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