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Save
Energy And Money With Energy Audits: Work Your Home Smarter Not
Harder |
A recent study in the Appraisal Journal,
notes that for every dollar a homeowner saves in energy costs,
the price of their home increases by $20.
Everyone’s interested in making their home more energy efficient,
if not because of the environmental concerns of today than most
certainly to cut costs on monthly utility bills while increasing
their home’s resale value. In fact, a home energy audit can
translate into real savings for homeowners looking to accomplish
all of these objectives in one fell swoop. A recent study in the
Appraisal Journal, a journal of the 75-year-old association called
the Appraisers Institute (with 92 chapters across the globe), notes
that for every dollar a homeowner saves in energy costs, the price
of their home increases by $20.
The first step toward improving your home’s energy efficiency
and capturing this value is a home energy audit. A home energy
audit evaluates how much energy your home uses, how it uses it,
and thus lets you know what steps you can take to improve its efficiency.
A home energy audit also doubles as a performance test to meet
standards set jointly by the Department of Energy and the Environmental
Protection Agency, called Energy Star.
This new practice has become so popular and its value so clearly
demonstrated that many counties in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut
are passing laws requiring new home construction to follow the
Energy Star guidelines. In fact, some lenders such as Fannie Mae
even provide lower interest rates, lower down payments and higher
lending limits on mortgages for certified energy-efficient homes.
You can certainly perform an audit yourself by clicking
here or you can hire a professional auditor to help with the
burden. Auditors use a variety of techniques to determine your home’s
energy efficiency, such as using blower doors to measure the extent
of leaks in your home’s envelope (the tight seal within the
house that keeps hot or cold air from escaping) or infrared cameras
to reveal areas of air infiltration and missing insulation. An auditor
can also check appliances for leaks and test the air quality in your
home.
In fact, local legislature is beginning to require new homes to conform
to Energy Star standards. For example, Brookhaven and Babylon in
Long island’s Suffolk County now require new homes to be built
in accordance with these codes. Subsequently, Oyster Bay and Huntington
have done the same, while Islip and Hempstead are taking nearly identical
measures into account for the future.
While these measures offer immeasurable value to the environment
in today’s climate crisis they also create a win-win situation
for homeowners with very valid financial concerns about the new CleanTech
trends.
The fact that such improvements not only reduce your energy bills
and up the resale value of your home but may also earn tax credits
of up to $500 bodes well for both environmentalists and pragmatists
as well as the home renovation industry.
If you’d like, MyHome can arrange everything for you taking
away any frustration of fitting this into your busy schedule.
Once you receive an audit, MyHome is also fully equipped to help
you make any needed repairs to ensure your home meets EnergyStar’s
standards. This could mean installing one or more of MyHome’s
energy efficient products such as new and replacement vinyl siding
or new vinyl windows. Most of our vinyl replacement windows include
extra weatherstripping, insulated glass, and full-capture sills to
ensure your home’s envelope is perfectly sealed. And our energy
saver siding options have insulating underlayments to further keep
your home cooler in summer and warmer in winter. All of which translates
into greater comfort for you and your loved ones.
Make sure to ask your MyHome Remodeling Consultant about how a home
energy audit can help you improve your home’s comfort and efficiency
and ultimately save you money. We’ll be happy to walk you through
every step of the process, from the initial audit to necessary repairs
and finally, to ensuring you have the paperwork you need to figure
out if you qualify for a Tax Credit for Non-Business Energy Property.
Remember, an energy audit and true energy efficiency are about working
your home smarter not harder while saving costs and precious resources
at the same time. |
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