The advantages of coming together as a community are endless. First, you’ve heard the saying, “two heads are better than one.” Let’s move that to a larger scale. What if everyone in your local community came together, shared their ideas, brought their skills together and worked at making those ideas come to life as a team? So many more projects would be possible to complete. Lives would feel more fulfilled and your community would transition into a more beautiful place. For all most of us know, we could have a neighbor with a skill that compliments ours in a way that could make this world a better place but we wouldn’t know because most of us keep to ourselves and work on our tiny puzzle piece. Bring all the puzzle pieces together and you have a much larger picture.

When a community comes together, a support system is actually created for those involved. Technology has caused society to move faster but has caused us to become more detached from one another. By coming together, we remove the aspect of getting lonely. Loneliness can lead to mental illness, substance abuse, an increase in violence and a great deal of other issues.

Communities that are closely tied together also tend to buy their goods and services local. By doing this, they are keeping more money within their local community. It’s important to keep as much money in your local economy as possible so that your town doesn’t end up run down and deserted. Help your town thrive! Keep the unique aspects of your town alive and try to help them grow.

Sure, it’s easy to run by a big chain store and grab what need quickly but what you must realize that by doing that, you are neglecting the needs of your community. That means that the family that runs Mom and Pop’s Convenient Store missed out on that business. That money helps them to keep their doors open and feed their family. If we, as a community, help one another succeed, we’re better off as a whole. Like the African Proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

After experiencing strangely warm temperatures so far, winter is finally upon us. This means we could see snow and possible power outages. If you plan on using a generator to stay comfortable through the winter storm, you need to know how to you operate one properly. There are many dangers you need to be aware of to keep your family safe.

Make sure you keep your running generator outside. Running one inside can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning and possible death. Enclosed or partially enclosed areas to avoid include, but are not limited to, your garage, carport, basement, crawlspace or sun room. Running a fan, opening windows and doors or any attempt to ventilate the area will not prevent carbon monoxide build up. If you feel sick, dizzy or weak while using a generator, get fresh air immediately.

Place your generator away from open doors, windows or vents that could allow carbon monoxide to infiltrate your home. It’s important to have battery operated carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home. The alarm will sound if gas enters your home that creates a health risk.

Before you refuel your generator, turn it off and allow it to cool. Gasoline spilled on hot engine parts could lead to a very serious fire. Always store the correct gasoline in the proper container away from anything that could cause it to ignite.

Variable speed furnaces use advanced motor technology to run more efficiently. Since the fan is not set to run on top speed constantly, it runs quieter than older furnaces. These systems are equipped with electronically-commutated motors (ECMs) that automatically adjust running speed based upon your home’s need for heat. ECMs save energy because they use significantly less electricity than your standard motor. Since the motor runs at a slower speed, the air within your home is distributed more evenly.

ECMs use direct current (DC) unlike conventional blower motors which use alternating current (AC). The power supply is still AC but the variable-speed furnace motor uses an inverter that changes the power flow to DC…which is a considerably more efficient use of electricity.

Another advantage is that the ECMs are equipped with high tech components that work with the HVAC system to detect how much air your home requires to meet the set temperature on your thermostat and adjusts running speed accordingly. If the set temperature is only a few degrees different that the actual indoor temperature, the motor will run at a slower speed. Adjustments are automatically made for constricted airflow based upon sensors that detect airflow through the blower.

With a variable-speed furnace, you will enjoy cleaner air. Since the fan runs more slowly, it helps to remove more airborne particles from your home. People who suffer from allergies are likely to breathe easier. When the system is in cooling mode, it removes more humidity since the air handler is running for a longer period of time.

Variable-speed motors tend to last longer than traditional motors since they aren’t running at top speed constantly. This helps to reduce the amount of wear and tear on the entire system, which will assist in extend the life of your furnace.