Four Energy $avers that Pay, Right Away

To help you maximize your savings, “lowest hanging fruit”.

Attic Insulation and Ventilation:

The most cost-effective home energy saving investments have one common objective: Reduce the amount of energy your home uses for heating and cooling, which accounts for 50% to 70% of your energy consumption. That begins with proper attic insulation, which helps your home retain heat in the winter and repel heat in the summer. Many of the older homes in our area were built in the 40s and 50s, when insulation standards and materials weren’t what they are today. According to our insulation expert, “Once you add a few inches of blown insulation to these homes, you cut energy consumption by up to 20%. Pair that with low-expansion foam to seal holes around the house, and you can expect dramatic reductions in your energy bills.”

Attic temperatures in the blazing Texas heat can reach 160 degrees.

Ventilating the attic removes excess heat. Our master electrician recommends whirlybird-style attic ventilators, which don’t require electricity. “Proper ventilation supplements the insulation to minimize the heat that penetrates your ceiling.” He adds, “Installing a radiant barrier reflects the sun’s heat away from your home, reducing the temperature in your attic by up to 30 degrees.” With a radiant barrier, you can decrease your bill by up to 25%. Add that to the insulation, and you can save up to 45%.

A conventional tank water heater accounts for approximately 2535% of the electricity you use in your home. Old tank heaters operate continually rather than on-demand, and store water at a temperature far higher than what you need for showering or other household uses. First you pay to constantly overheat the water and then you dilute that heat with cold. Tankless water heaters immediately reduce the waste, save you space, and years longer than tank heaters.

Old or outdated windows can lose up to 40% of a home’s cooling in the summer and up to 50% of its heating in the winter. Energy Star windows are designed to reduce the solar heat that comes into your home in the summer months while blocking the heat from escaping during winter months.

The majority of HVAC systems installed before 1992 are 10 SEER or less. Today’s Energy Star units go up to 19.5 SEER, and can be matched perfectly to your home to reduce your heating and cooling costs by up to 59%.

We know the homes in your area and we’ve helped your neighbors save thousands in annual utility costs. Let’s talk about your home and your best bets for energy savings.

They are young, but smart; siblings, but they actually like each other; and they are quite poor, for now, but dreaming big. One Red Martian is a four-man band consisting of three brothers — Ben Woodul, 22; Jimi Woodul, 21 and Joe Woodul, 18 — and Dan Dekalb, 21, who is like a brother, says Jimi. They all live together in a twobedroom apartment in the Lake Highlands area and earned money to record their first full-length album, Spit My Brain, waiting tables in Lower Greenville. (OK, OK. They also got a little help from Mom, which frontman Jimi admits doesn’t sound very rock ‘n’ roll).

Tell us a little bit about your bandmates and yourself.

We are from rural upstate New York — a small town called Newport that is about one hour away from Syracuse, N.Y. Dan and I have been friends since first grade. Since middle school, we’ve played piano together. Piano is still a big part of what we do, but our style has evolved since then. My brothers joined the group, and we moved to Dallas in 2008. I am the singer and guitarist. Dan is on the keys and backup vocals. Ben plays bass, and my other brother, Joe, plays drums.

For those who haven’t yet discovered One Red Martian, could you describe your music?

Like any serious songwriters, we are inspired by other bands ... Muse, Ben Folds, Radiohead but we don’t set out to sound like anyone or anything specific. We still love piano, but with heavier sounds the phrases “heaviest piano band ever”, “intensely lyrical ballad rock” and “genre-busting piano metal” have been thrown around.

WHERE IS YOUR LYRICAL FOCUS? DO YOU SING ABOUT YOUR OWN LIFE OR WHAT?

Not so much about my own life. I think there is too much use of ‘you’, ‘me’ and ‘I’ in today’s music. Our lyrics are more about observations of the world at large.

WHYDID YOU DECIDE TO SETTLE IN DALLAS?

People ask us that all the time. I really have no idea. ButI think we ended up in a good place. Dallas once had a strong music scene. It’s not so happening now, but maybe it could be

I HEAR YOU PUT ON A GOOD LIVE SHOW. I love performing live, standing in front of somebody, and inspiring awe. Like when I watch a clip of James Brown performing “Man’s World”, and I’m just blown away — that’s how we want to make people feel. We’re much more proficient with our instruments than we were [before making ‘Spit My Brain’] and much tighter as a live band.

SO, YOU GUYS SEEM TO BE LIVING A BIT OF THE STARVING ARTIST LIFESTYLE RIGHT NOW.IS THAT FAIR TO SAY?

You could say that. We all live in a two-bedroom apartment where we’ve had some roach problems. We are hoping to get out of there soon. It is a struggle to support yourself and raise the money — $12,000 or so — to record an album. We earned a lot of the money waiting tables. My mom is an investor. She did help quite a bit. I know, that sounds real cool (laughs).

IS IT TOUGH LIVING WITH EACH OTHER IN CLOSE QUARTERS?

We really get along very well. Sometimes there is tension, but it’s normally about stupid things and not about band stuff.

EXPLAIN THE ALBUM TITLE, ‘SPIT MY BRAIN’, AND YOUR EXPERIENCE RECORDING IT.

I guess the theme of the album is seeing yourself as outside of yourself and having everybody else see that very pure view of yourself — you’re spitting your brain outside of your body. This album is the best work we’ve done to date. It is special — it’s what we’ve wanted to make since we were 14 years old. The recording actually took about 10 days and was completely nerve wracking. It was stressful because you only have so much time, which costs money to record and you are worried about how it will sound. It was mixed by Beau Hill, who has done work for the likes of Alice Cooper and Ratt. It turned out well.

LISTEN TO ONE RED MARTIAN ONLINE at lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/video.

VISIT ONEREDMARTIAN.COM for show dates or to purchase a CD.

WHAT GIVES?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for neighborhood nonprofits

BUY BEAUTIFUL BRACELETS also known as Crystals for the Cure, and support Doris Daniely Outreach, a neighborhood-based organization that funds reconstructive surgeries for women who have had mastectomies to treat breast cancer. Each colored crystal in the bracelet represents the cure for a type of cancer. For example, a pink crystal represents breast cancer, emerald means lymphoma, while violet represents a cure for all types of the disease. Choose crystals and order a bracelet for $35 at dorisdanielyoutreach.com. Read more about the organization on page 38.

Run A 5k

in the Heart and Sole Run, Saturday, Feb. 12 at 9 a.m. at White Rock Lake’s Winfrey Point. Registration is $35 and proceeds benefit Avance, a nonprofit organization that works in various ways to strengthen families and to build an educational foundation for children in neighborhood schools. Runners can also opt for the one-mile fun run, which is $25 for adults and $10 for students. Register online at runontexas.com, at the Run On! store at 5400 E. Mockingbird from Feb. 8-10, or at Winfrey Point on race day beginning at 8 a.m.

KNOW OF WAYS that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.