Hey if saving water in our homes was easy we’d all be doing it, but apathy sets in and we do nothing.

Well now saving water in your home is something you can mark off your list. If you know what to do it is easy, and it does not take much time.

Starting with the kitchen:

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Low-income Pennsylvania families in need of heating assistance will benefit from larger crisis grants and an extended application deadline for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, Secretary of Public Welfare Estelle B. Richman said today.

“Many low-income families are still feeling the financial effects of the rising cost of heating their homes and keeping their loved ones warm,” said Richman. “For that reason, we are pleased to have sufficient funding available that allows us to continue providing for the heating needs of families across Pennsylvania.”

Crisis grants will be increased to $400 and the program extended to March 30, 2007. LIHEAP recipients who have already received $300 in crisis benefits can now apply for an additional $100 if they experience another home heating emergency.

Cash grants are designed to help families pay their home heating bills and are based on household income, family size, fuel type and heating region. This year, a family of four with an annual income of up to $30,000 can qualify for assistance. In addition to verification of income and household size, applicants must provide a recent energy bill or a statement from their fuel provider stating the type of fuel they use and their customer status.

Federally funded, LIHEAP helps low-income households pay for a variety of home heating fuel sources and furnace repairs during the winter months. Since the application period for the current program year opened last November, the program has provided cash grants to more than 304,000 families and it has helped nearly 83,000 families in crisis.

Crisis grants are approved for families with heating emergencies, such as mechanical breakdowns or unexpected fuel shortages. In most counties, individuals seeking crisis grants should contact their county assistance office. Residents of the nine counties listed below are encouraged to contact the appropriate agencies.

When it comes to controlling the home thermostat, it’s clearly a battle of the sexes — and the guys are losing! As temperatures dropped across most of the country in February, advertising agency MARC USA surveyed men and women in 800 households to find out who controls the inside temperature. The survey was conducted by OpinionZone(TM), the agency’s online research panel.

When asked about adjusting the thermostat at home, 62% said that one partner is in control. However, who controls the dial depends in some degree on whom you ask, explains Karen Leitze, SVP/ Director of Research and Strategic Planning. While 70% of women report that they control the home thermostat, 56% of men say they are in charge. “Control may be a matter of perception,” Leitze adds.

To find out what control actually means, respondents were asked what they would do if their partner/spouse made it too warm or too cold. While 89% of all respondents said they would take some action, more than one-third of men (35%) said they would suggest a change or ask permission of their spouse/partner before touching the dial. Temperature control is more clear-cut with women as 80% report they would just change the temperature without consulting their spouse/partner. It’s no wonder some men think they’re in control, but their spouses/partners think differently.

How important is thermostat control? More than two-thirds of respondents (67%) say they and their spouse/partner differ on a comfortable home temperature. When spouses/partners have differing temperature preferences, who is more likely to raise the thermostat? Gender and age are both factors in who likes it hotter or cooler. Read the rest of this entry