upgrade – BIG

Cottagers are all too familiar with drafts that freeze toes on cold weekends. Windows, even double-glazed, are to blame for a lot of heat loss in cottages. Closing the curtains helps keep warmth in, but a curtain alone is less than ideal. That’s because heat transfers from the pocket of air behind the curtain out through the glass. Once cooled, the air drops to the floor and spreads out into the room. Warm air near the ceiling is pulled down into that just-vacated space, so more warmth is lost and the draft continues.

7 easy ways to stop drafts in your cottage

Luckily, there’s a DIY solution that reduces drafts and your energy costs. Pelmets are boxes that cover the tops of your window coverings. Often thought of as purely decorative ways to hide drapery hardware, pelmets can also reduce heat loss by closing in the tops of your (ideally floor-length) curtains or blinds and cutting off that drafty airflow. In the summer, they also help prevent the warm air that heats up inside curtains from moving into your cooler room.

8 tips to save energy (and money!) in the winter

It’s easy to build custom pelmets for your windows: just measure across each of your window openings and build a box (with a front, top, and two ends) to size. Remember to add length and depth so your curtains can move freely and open fully. Attach the pelmet to the wall using brackets and cover it with fabric, wallpaper, or paint—or leave the wood bare. You can even use the top surface as a handy shelf. Comfort for the eyes, pocketbook, and toes.

This article was originally published in the Winter 2022 issue of Cottage Life.

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iPhone users are more likely to sell or trade in old devices than Android users, according to research from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (via 9to5Mac).

The CIRP report looked at what happens to old phones when people upgrade, comparing Android devices and iPhones. It found that most Android users keep their old phones, while nearly 30 percent of iPhone owners leverage trade-in programs to get rid of their old devices.

Further, less than 10 percent of both iPhone and Android users sell their old phones. On the iPhone side, those who don’t trade in devices usually either keep them, loan them to friends/family or lose/break the phone.

The numbers are similar for Android, although more Android users recycle their old phones than iPhone users do.

Beyond the trade-in information, the CIRP report also noted that iPhones are usually in better condition after a year compared to Android phones. CIRP says that 65 percent of iPhones are found with the display in good condition after 12 months, while that number drops to 60 percent for Android phones.

However, that situation flips when it comes to battery life. After a year, 30 percent of Android users can keep their phones unplugged for a whole day compared to 23 percent of iPhone users. However, Android phones typically offer larger batteries than iPhones, which may be why the battery holds up longer over time.

Although the survey was U.S.-based, I imagine it’s fairly similar for Canadians. At least, the results seem accurate for me — as a long-time Android user, I tend to hold onto my phones when I upgrade (I’ve sold one phone, and I traded in another, but that’s it for me).

Let us know down below what you do with your old phones. Do you trade them in, hold onto them, or only upgrade when you break or lose them?

Image credit: CIRP, 9to5Mac

Source: CIRP Via: 9to5Mac