A Perfect Christmas Tree
By: Kristy and Kelly Lewis
Tom and Susie (fictional couple) love being married. It has only been a few short months but they look forward to spending their first Christmas together. Of course, money is tight with Tom in college, but they still want to start some traditions and make Christmas special. They eagerly go shopping for their first Christmas tree. Walking between the trees in a department store, they can’t help imaging putting one in the front room of their small apartment. They start getting excited until Tom sees a price tag. Crestfallen, they realize these Christmas trees will use up most of their budget for Christmas. They have to choose between a Christmas tree and presents.
Many of us have similar stories. I remember shopping for my first Christmas Tree as a young married couple. We lived in Provo at the time, and struggled to find something that fit in our budget. I love the smell of the trees in my home, it just makes the season that much better. As we searched for a tree, a friend told us about the Merrill Family Christmas Trees and we were hooked. James Merrill knows what it is like to be scraping together money to buy a Christmas Tree.
That is one of the reasons he started the “Five Dollar Forest” at his lot. The forest is full of Christmas trees under 5 ft tall. The Merrill Family also sells a $10 “Tree in a Can” and $5 collages. Prices go up from there as trees get taller. They have trees 5 feet tall to 25 feet tall, $5 to $100. He sells wild trees and trees from a farm. They have trees for most everyone. James wants everyone to be able to have a real Christmas tree in their home. Merrill Family Christmas Trees is ‘the low price leader,’ specializing in wild trees. “ I could charge more, but I don’t. I want everyone to have a real one,” states James.
“ I want this business to thrive, meaning the Christmas tree business,“ says James. With 18 Years in the business he goes out each year with his experienced 80 year old mentor to cut trees. He has been dedicated to learning the “tricks of the trade.” There are just some do’s and do not’s about tree cutting. Really only 3 out of 10 trees will work as Christmas trees. When talking about trees and the business James comments, “I like doing it, I really do.”
At his new location, 1825 South Highway 89/91 between Cox’s Honeyland and Flying J, you can find James braving the weather every night, helping families pick out the best trees. In his family they don’t celebrate Christmas until the holiday is over. Believe it or not, but there are some last minute Christmas tree shoppers. “At first it was hard spending Christmas like this, but it is the family business and everyone helps where and when they can.”
The Merrill lot holds wild Christmas Trees of 7 different varieties, sizes, and prices. James hand picks these wild trees. The first Christmas tree’s started when men were called in to thin out the undergrowth of the forest to help the older trees grow taller and stronger. It is a great opportunity to get Christmas trees while making the forest more healthy. The wild trees are beautiful and have plenty of room for ornaments. In fact the tree that we bought last year came with pine cones, you don’t get that with a fake one. These are just a few of the great things about the Merrill Family Christmas Trees.
Tips for Christmas Trees
www.christmastree.org contains the best collection of facts and tips on how to best care for your tree.
The National Christmas Tree Association did a 2 year study and found the best additive for Christmas trees is plain water. Just plain water without chlorination, if possible.
Keep Christmas Trees as far away from heat sources as possible. If tree is close to a heating vent, make sure it is closed.
Before putting tree in a stand, cut at least a ½ inch off, straight across perpendicular to the trunk. A flat, straight cut is best for the uptake of water.
You can lower the temperature in the room with the tree to keep freshness and reduce water uptake.
Keep tree in a stand that fits. And make sure the water is always above the bottom of the trunk. Check the water everyday.
Use lights that produce less heat to reduce drying of trees. Miniature lights produce less heat.
Remember to turn off tree lights when leaving or going to sleep.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Residential Solar Energy
count on at least two things; freezing cold weather and the inversion that
keeps a layer of smog hanging over the valley.
I grew up in Cache Valley and didn't notice the smog problem. Like most
people I don't pay attention to a problem until it starts to affect the
way I live. Now that we're to the point of having red and yellow air days
we need to come up with more creative ways to travel and heat our homes.
This brings me to my topic that will hopefully spark some interest for
those who would like to be "green" and also for the ones who live in Cache
Valley and want to have better air quality.
I am a plumber by trade and am frequently in and out of homes in Cache
Valley and surrounding areas. I am constantly in mechanical rooms and
basements so I get a first hand look at what is heating your water and
homes. I began to realize that maybe the car emissions aren't responsible
for the whole air quality problem.
I regularly see water heaters and furnaces in homes that are not energy
efficient. Water heaters give us the hot water to shower and clean, but
that isn't the problem. The problem is with the water heater. These
heaters keep anywhere from 5 or 10 gallons to hundreds of gallons of hot
water so it's there when we need it, but is also there when we don't need
it.
With that in mind let's talk about why regular hot water heaters aren't
very efficient.
All day most of us are at work or play. Most of us shower at one point
during the day, but all day our water heater is doing its job heating
water we aren't using. There are advertisements that say, "You wouldn't
let your car run 24/7, why heat your water 24/7?" Why do we waste our
money on a water heating system that heats water during the times we don't
use or need it? This problem is also compounded by hard water.
As hard water builds up in your water heater it sits over the burner or
around the electric elements causing the heat transfer to heat through
"rock," which is what those mineral deposits are. There is more heat loss
while the unit is not being used because the burner kicks on and off more
often than needed because it's heating through those deposits. This wastes
energy, causes more smog, gives you less and less hot water, and you get
to pay more money every month because the older your water heater is, the
more hard water deposits are piling up in it. Now those of you with water
softeners are laughing to yourselves, saying "We aren't the problem it's
those guys who don't have a water softener!" BUT you're still heating
water you're not using and some of us have 1 or 2 water heaters in our
homes. How often are you actually using those 100+ gallons of water to
justify having them there?
It's time we start looking at a greener solution. Although I'm a plumber
and selling hot water heaters is part of how I make my living, I am also
concerned about the environment, especially when it comes to my home. We
want to keep Cache Valley green, in more ways than one, for our children,
our neighbors, and our friends. Some "green" solutions may depend on your
pocketbook. The one with the most rebates available right now is the solar
hot water system. You may have seen our truck with the "75% off on a total
Solar Thermal System after the rebates" sign on the back. Solar hot water
has been around since the beginning of time. Some of you may remember the
rise of solar in the 1970's followed by the decline in the late 1980's and
90's.
Solar hot water is simple to explain and understand. There is solar hot
water panel that's mounted on your roof which heats up. We put these on
the south facing roof since that direction collects the most heat from the
sun. The panels have water tubes with black metal attached, as the water
passes through the tubes in the panel, it heats up from the sun. Here is a
diagram to help illustrate what I am describing.
The water enters the panel at a slow rate of speed so the heat from the
sun is transferred into the water. This water goes into a specially
designed tank to hold heat and to withstand high temperatures. These tanks
usually have coils inside to transfer the heat into the water that you use
to bathe and clean with. The controls on the solar system are simple.
There is a temperature sensor inside the solar panel and a sensor inside
the tank. When the panels are at a warmer temperature than
the water in the tank, it turns on a pump and the heat is transferred.
When the panels cool down the pump turns off stopping the water to heat
transfer.
Some of you hear the word "solar" and think one thing, "How much?" The
system is expensive, but you get what you pay for; most solar hot water
systems last 30-40 years with very little maintenance. If you factor in
the cost of the solar hot water system, the longevity of the equipment,
the feel good factor of helping the environment, AND the money you save
every month, combined with the rebates, you really aren't paying as much
as you think.
The federal and state governments have been very generous in giving back
our tax dollars to allow us to upgrade our current water heating devices
for more energy efficient models. Questar, with the Thermwise program, has
allowed natural gas customers to receive cash rebates. Also, the State of
Utah still has cash rebates left in their program for upgrading your water
heating appliances. These rebates start around 30% up to almost covering
the entire cost of the system. The more you spend, the more you get back,
which allows homeowners to choose a system that fits their budget and
their green initiative.
Basically Cache Valley, as a community, needs to do something about the
air quality problem. If we can decide to "go green" as a community then we
can watch our valley become a cleaner, healthier place to live. Take
advantage of these great rebates to save money, save the environment, and
feel good about it!
If you're interested in getting a FREE quote on a system please call or
visit our website at www.bridgeplumbing.net.
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