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Right at Home
December, 2012 - Issue #98
Fall Home Improvement Smarts
Under California law, a homeowner is responsible for maintaining his or her home in such a way as to avoid injury to others. This includes people whom you have invited onto your property, as well as people whom you can reasonably expect to be on your property at any given time, such as a postal worker. In some instances, even trespassers are considered a class of people protected under the law. It is important to remember that if anybody other than your own family members is injured on your
property as a result of your negligence, i.e., failure to maintain the property in a safe order, the injured party can bring a claim against you for personal injuries, which includes medical bills, loss of earnings, and pain, suffering and emotional distress. Assuming that you carry homeowner's
coverage, your homeowner's policy should cover the damages to the injured party. As homeowners, we have a responsibility to make
sure that people on our property are safe. During the holidays, when many guests may come and go, it's especially smart to evaluate the safety of your home - because nothing is worse than an accident that should never have happened.The Law Office of Barry Edzant, Esq.;
222-9929 www.valencialaw.com

How to Determine if
It's Time for a New Furnace

If you're in the market for a gas- or oil-fired furnace, the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating is a helpful stat to know. Displayed in percentages, the AFUE rating tells you how much of the fuel consumed by your furnace is used to heat your home and how much is wasted. The higher the AFUE rating, the greater the efficiency. For example, a 90-percent furnace creates heat, 90 percent of which is used directly by the home with 10 percent lost, generally as a result of venting. GW Richardson Heating & Air offers a full line of furnaces, some with AFUE ratings that exceed 98 percent.

If you have an older furnace (with an AFUE of approximately 64 percent), you could save a staggering 34 percent on your heating bills simply by replacing it with a new high-efficiency furnace - and make up the cost of replacing your old, inefficient furnace pretty quickly. If your furnace is more than 15 years old and you're not sure of its AFUE rating, you can contact the manufacturer about it. When you call, you'll need to have the furnace's serial number handy. Chances are you'll find it on a small metal plate attached to the unit. Decide that it's time for a change? The pros at GW Richardson Heating & Air say that most upgrades can be done in a day.
295-0115 www.gwrichardsonac.com

A.Allbright Painting Announces
Paint-It-Forward call for Nominations

As active members of our community, we seek to give back to those in need. We've developed unique programs because we're passionate about using the talents we've been given to serve the needs of others! One particular program that we are excited about is Paint-It-Forward. This program allows us to give back to our community and stay true to our promise of serving others. With your help, we'll find a family or business in need and award them with a $7,500 paint job.

We're happy to announce that it's that time of year again! We are having our eighth-annual Paint-It-Forward charity event and would like to invite you to nominate someone in need. Last year, The Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry was the recipient of the seventh Paint-It-Forward event. For over a quarter of a century, they have given back to others, so we wanted to encourage them with a new painted facility. All of the A. Allbright employees showed up with smiles on their faces ready to contribute their time and talent. In previous years, people like Keri Ross were awarded the prize after suffering the sudden loss of her husband. The family tragedy inspired voters to nominate her family's home.

The last couple of years have been rough for many in our community, making it all the more important to give back in any way we can. Call or visit the website to vote or learn more. Josh Abramson of A.Allbright Painting, Inc. 294-1159 www.abpainting.com
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