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Letter to the editor

Around the house

By Judy Stark, Homes and Garden Editor
Published June 23, 2007

A work horse on remodeling jobs

Here's a three-legged horse for all you carpenters and remodelers. The aluminum Clydesdale sawhorse has a fold-out hinged leg and either rubber feet for interiors or spikes for outdoor dirt. No need to spend time and materials building sawhorses on job sites. The Clydesdale supports 2 by 10s or 2 by 12s up to 24 feet long and up to 600 pounds. Each weighs 8 1/2 pounds and folds flat for storage. Clydesdales are manufactured by Tower Laser in Oldsmar. They start at $199.99 a pair; order at their Web site, www.towerlaser.com.

New refrigerator yields cool savings

How much could you save on your energy bills if you upgraded to an Energy Star refrigerator or freezer? You do the math: Go to www.energystar.gov/refrigerators for a calculator. Have your electric bill handy so you can plug in your kilowatt-hour rate, plus the model number of your current refrigerator. Energy Star refrigerators - certified by the EPA that they exceed the federal minimum standards - use 40 percent less energy than conventional models sold before 2001, and those savings add up.

Have a plan when the lights go out

Blackout drill: A friend whose power went out the other night did some dancing in the dark trying to remember where the candles, matches, flashlights and batteries were. Take a few minutes this weekend to locate yours, and remember that the cabinet over the refrigerator is not the most accessible place in the dark. While you're at it, find the chargers for your lanterns and other battery-powered gear, label what goes with what and put them in an easily accessible place. Summer thunder and lightning storms will be here soon, and hurricane season lasts a long time.

[Last modified June 21, 2007, 17:31:33]