Money
Free kids event
To bring attention to its new crowd-funding scholarship initiative, Belly Bliss, the mother and child wellness store and studio located at 300 Josephine St., will host a Halloween-themed kids party from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sunday at the Washington Park picnic table site near the Downing Street playground. The event features free yoga and dance classes for kids, face painting, treats and a silent auction. Kids are encouraged to come in costume. Read more about the services and classes offered through Belly Bliss, and its new scholarship campaign, at bellybliss.org or call 303-399-1191.
Energy
Mixed news on biofuel
Although biofuel production has been up and production technology has improved in recent years, the market for these new fuels continues to be challenged by the rising cost of corn and the lack of products powered by biofuel and its blends, . From 2009 to the middle of 2012, the U.S. biofuels industry, which encompasses all liquid fuels derived from renewable sources (namely corn and soybean), ramped up output to meet new federal production mandates. Should food costs continue to rise, however, the Department of Energy research says the biofuel industry could suffer.
Space
Time to winterize
Many Coloradans marked the recent temperature dip with the inaugural running of the furnace. This serves as a reminder that homeowners can stave off midwinter maintenance emergencies by taking these seasonal steps suggested by , the 24-hour-a-day, on-call home-repair service. homeserveusa.com
Get your heating system serviced. When the first cold snap hits and everyone starts to switch on their central heating, that’s the time when many systems break down after being inactive all summer. Dirty filters require systems to work harder than normal and can result in failure. This is also a very inefficient use of energy.
Consider an emergency repair plan: As homeowners know, water pipes that are not properly drained, or are left alone during the winter, can freeze, expand and possibly burst. When water pipes rupture, homeowners may be responsible for repair costs. Companies such as HomeServe USA offer Emergency Repair Service Plans; $5 a month for such a plan will cover the cost of repairing interior and exterior pipes.
Insulate cold and hot water lines: Insulate the cold water lines near exterior walls or in crawl spaces. Also, turn down the temperature of the water heater to the “warm” setting (about 120 degrees F).
Winterize with new windows: Installing energy-efficient replacement windows is a great way to prevent energy from escaping the home and keeping warm air inside and cold air out.
Create a power-outage kit: Be prepared for inevitable winter power failures by pulling together a kit complete with flash lights, batteries and the like. In extreme cases, consider purchasing a gas-powered generator to keep your essential appliances working.
Elana Ashanti Jefferson, The Denver Post
