 |
Inside This Issue
…
Save energy—and money—with these energy
tips! … Page 1
What will you do when disaster strikes? … Page
3
Are YOU The Client of the Month? See Page 4 to find
out if you won!
When bad things happen renters; Tip of the Month …
See Sidebars
When Bad Things Happen to Renters
THE MYTH: It is one of
the most commonly repeated myths about insurance: Renters
don’t need insurance because their landlord’s
policy provides coverage for the renter’s property.
No, it doesn’t. Further, if someone slips and falls
in your apartment or rental house, your landlord’s
insurance usually won’t provide any coverage if you
are sued.
PROTECT YOURSELF: Renters
insurance is basically like a homeowners policy without
coverage for the structure. Renters insurance provides coverage
for your possessions and for liability if someone injured
while on your premises sues you. Renters insurance typically
also covers any of your possessions when they are away from
your residence, including your car.
WHERE WILL YOU GO? In addition,
renters policies provide what are called additional living
expenses. If some catastrophe covered by the policy—fire,
bursting pipes—makes the place you are renting uninhabitable,
the policy will pay some of the costs you incur to live
somewhere else while the residence is being repaired.
Like homeowners insurance, renters policies do not cover
damage or losses resulting from flooding, landslide, or
earthquake—although it is possible to buy coverage
for these risks separately.
LOW PRICE: Renters insurance
is fairly cheap when compared with other personal insurance
policies, and when all things are considered, could be one
of the best decisions a renter could ever make.
Like homeowners insurance, renters coverage has a deductible—the
amount you will pay before insurance kicks in. The higher
your deductible is, the less your policy will cost you.
If you’re renting an apartment or house, call our
agency for a quote on renters insurance. Please pass this
on to all the renters you know—it’s valuable
information that could save them in the long run.
TIP OF THE MONTH
Saving Money on Auto Insurance
It’s no secret that the better your driving record,
the less you pay for insurance. But did you know most people
qualify as “good drivers” and are eligible for
discounted premiums; however, some good drivers pay far
more than others?
Many auto insurers are actually a collection of several
insurance companies that each cater to a certain type of
driver. The worst drivers go in one company, the best in
another, and a lot of people wind up in one of the middle
companies.
These middle people pay less than the worst drivers, but
more than the best. Many of these middle people have driving
records that are as good as those who insured with the lowest
rates. Yet these middle people are paying more.
Why? The usual reason is that they don’t know any
better. No one told them which insurance company in the
group had the best prices. And, probably, no one told them
there was even a group of insurance companies. If you have
a spotless driving record, there’s no reason you shouldn’t
be paying the lowest price a group of insurance companies
has to offer.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank
You!
Thanks to all our clients who graciously referred their
family, friends and associates to our agency. We build our
agency on your positive comments. We couldn’t do it
without you!
Colleen Stricklin, Ryan Hungate, Verna Cohen, Darrell
Wass, Charlene Madrill.
These friends referred a friend or family member to our
agency and each received a $5.00 gas card and were entered
into our monthly drawing for a $50.00 gift certificate to
the local restaurant of their choice. They were also entered
into the grand prize drawing for 2005. See the last page
for the winner of the Grand Prize.
|
|
|
|
You can save
BIG money this year!
Conserve energy and you could save hundreds,
even thousands, on your energy bill this year.
According to the EPA, the average American household spends
$1,500 every year on their energy bills. With the rising
cost of energy, that number is expected to rise to almost
$2,200 this year. That’s a lot of money for anyone
to be spending on their gas and electric bills, and that’s
a lot of money that you could be saving and using for something
else!
Conserving energy does not necessarily mean wearing two
pairs of pants, three shirts, two coats, and eight pairs
of socks. It means being “energy wise.”
What does it mean to be “energy wise?” Well,
it means turning off the lights when you leave a room. It
means dropping the thermostat temperature by 2 degrees.
It means turning down the water heater temperature a few
degrees. These are simple things that may not seem like
much, but they really add up.
Here are a few ideas how you can conserve energy and save
money this year:
SEAL UP YOUR HOME
Sealing up your home may seem obvious, but far too many
people don’t do it. The principle is simple: Seal
up all the cracks and holes in your home to reduce heat
loss in the winter and cold air loss in the summer. A few
things you can do include:
- Weather strip and insulate your attic hatch or door
and seal all holes that lead from the attic into your
home.
- Where pipes, wires, and vents enter or exit the home,
use caulk or spray foam to seal the holes. Be sure to
check under your sinks.
- Caulk window and door frames both inside and outside.
If you’re not sure what kind of caulk to use or
how to caulk, ask someone at your local home improvement
store. It’s actually very easy to do.
- Check the weather strips on your doors and windows and
use foam gaskets inside all your electrical outlets.
HEAT YOUR HOME SMARTLY
Most of your energy bill (almost 50%) goes to heating and
cooling your house. In the winter, be sure you are properly
and efficiently heating your home. The following steps will
help you ensure proper heating of your home:
- Replace your furnace air filter regularly. Air filters
are inexpensive, and a dirty air filter will make your
furnace work extra hard, costing you more money. TIP:
Buy air filters by the box. They generally cost only a
dollar or two each, so a box is affordable and you’ll
always have extras on hand.
- If you can access your ducts, make sure all the seams
fit together properly, if they don’t, seal them
with some UL-181 rated tape or duct mastic. This will
ensure that all your hot air is heating your home instead
of your attic or basement!
- If any of your ducting runs through your basement or
crawl space, wrap it in insulation. Your local home improvement
center will sell insulation designed specifically for
this purpose.
- Drop the temperature of your thermostat when you are
asleep or away. If your house is vacant during the day,
drop the thermostat into the 50s to ensure that it doesn’t
come on while you are away, then set it to turn back on
about 30 minutes before you come home. TIP: If you don’t
have a digital thermostat, run down to your local home
improvement store and pick one up. They can usually be
purchased for $25-$50.
CHANGE YOUR LIGHTS
Contrary to what most people think, lighting your home is
expensive and can represent up to 20% of your energy bill.
Head back down to the local home improvement store and pick
up just five ENERGY STAR approved bulbs. Put the new bulbs
in the five most frequently used lights in your home. Over
time, make it your goal to replace all the lights with ENERGY
STAR compliant bulbs.
POWER DOWN COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS
Most homes are “plugged in” with all kinds of
electronics. Cell phones constantly need charging, computers
are left on, stereos, DVD players, and even TVs are left
on with no one around. Simply turn things off when not in
use, place your computer in power-saver mode, and unplug
chargers when not in use.
USE ENERGY STAR PRODUCTS
The government stamps its ENERGY STAR label on products
that meet specific energy standards. The next time you purchase
an appliance or any electronic component, check to see if
its ENERGY STAR rated. It can save you tons of money in
the long run.
OTHER ENERGY SAVING TIPS
- Use your ceiling fans in the winter, too! Reverse the
direction of the blades (use the switch on your fan) to
send warm air down to the lower areas. Make sure you use
it on the lowest speed.
- Open your blinds during the day to let sunlight in and
close them at sundown to add insulation to your windows.
- Set your water heater to the “normal” setting
and use a water heater insulating blanket to help keep
the water warm on older models.
Taking these simple steps can add up to hundreds of dollars
in savings throughout the year, and make your home more
comfortable to live in. You don’t have to purchase
expensive new appliances or re-insulate your entire house
to realize savings. Just change out some light bulbs and
seal a few cracks and you could be in for big savings!
For more information about energy conservation in your
home, visit the ENERGY STAR website at www.energystar.gov.
What Will You Do
When Disaster Strikes?
Plans and Supplies Every Business Should
Have When Disaster Strikes
Let’s play “what if” for a moment. What
if your business faces an emergency—flooding, a power
outage, fire, a hurricane—today? How well prepared
are you to face an emergency?
Unless your answer to the last question is “very,”
you need an emergency plan and supplies. Unfortunately,
many businesses found this out the hard way last year with
all of the hurricanes. Fortunately, it doesn’t take
much time or cost much money to create a plan and buy the
supplies you need.
Your Emergency Plan
Your employees need to know how to evacuate the building
on very short notice. Also, at least two people on your
staff should know CPR and be familiar with basic first aid.
Be sure you review your emergency plan—evacuation
procedure, etc.—with your staff at least every six
months.
Keep a List of Emergency Phone
Numbers
As part of your emergency plan you should compile a list
of key telephone numbers and post the list in prominent
places throughout your company. Your list should have the
following numbers:
- Local fire department and police department
- Nearest hospital and ambulance service
- Building security and manager
- Insurance agent
- Utility companies
- Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Small Business Administration
- Local media (to assure your customers that you are still
in business)
Emergency Supplies: Have These
on Hand!
You should have smoke detectors, which need to be tested
periodically, fire extinguishers, burglar alarms, locks
on every door, and NOAA weather radios. In addition, you
should consider purchasing a multi-KV generator to use when
there is a power outage. The generator should be pre-wired
to the building’s essential electrical current.
Finally, you should have a disaster kit, which costs less
than $100 to assemble. The kit should include the following:
- First-aid kit and blankets
- Flashlights and batteries
- Pencils and pens
- Paper Towels and waterproof plastic bags
- Camera loaded with film and extra film
- Tool kit (at least: wrenches, socket set, gloves, crowbar,
screw drivers)
- Bottled water and nonperishable food
|
|
