|
| Carrboro NC - university lifestyle, college town setting |
|
| Vicky Olive - “Tall on Service” real estate professional serving Carrboro, NC Communities: Orange County Chatham County Pittsboro Carrboro Chapel Hill Hillsborough Jordan Lake Durham Maps Golf Homes Information for Buyers:
Information for Sellers:
Reducing Energy Costs to increase the real estate value of your Carrboro Home |
|
Increasing the Value of your Carrboro Home by Reducing Energy Costs How energy efficient is your home? Would you like to find out energy efficient your home is? And would you like find out how much you could save on your energy costs by working to improve your Carrboro home's energy efficiency? The Twenty Suggestions You Can Do to Conserve Energy to lower your utility bills: If you may be putting your Carrboro home on the market in the next few years, one way to add value to your Carrboro home on the real estate market and money into your bank account today is to lower your utility bills. It doesn’t whether you live in an all brick home in RTP or a two-story home in Home buyers are increasingly asking questions about utility costs, energy efficiency and the effect on real estate value. Realtor Magazine reported in a recent study that among buyers age 43-53 years old, the number one important feature in a prospective new home purchase is improved energy efficiency. As sophisticated homebuyers become more worried about lowering monthly bills, real estate professionals cannot afford to overlook this important trend. #1 Most important real estate home buyer feature - Realtor Magazine survey Energy savings can increase the appraised value of your home. The federally sponsored secondary mortgage markets of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA now allow appraisers to capitalize the flow of energy savings in an energy efficient home and add the capatilized value to the market value of a home in the appraisal. FHA recognizes the value of energy savings 94% of new home buyers believed energy features are important in their buying decision. Energy features ranked in importance above such popular features as wall-to-wall carpeting, dishwashers, and fireplaces. 78% of real estate appraisers believed that energy efficient homes were worth more - approximately 5% more. (Source: The value of a home increases by an average of $20 for every $1 decrease in annual utility costs according to a 1998 study commissioned by Environmental Protection Agency as reported in the Appraisal Journal - Real Estate Appraisers weigh in on energy efficiency Appraisal Journal Article on real estate Market Value of Energy Efficiency Among buyers age 43-53 years old, the most important single feature in a prospective new home purchase is improved energy efficiency according to a recent study cited in Realtor Magazine. More and more home buyers are asking questions about utility costs and energy efficiency. As sophisticated homebuyers become more concerned about lowering monthly costs and their impact on the environment, can real estate professionals afford to overlook this important trend? #1 Most important real estate home buyer feature - Realtor Magazine survey Fluorescent light fixtures one of the great secrets for saving on real estate utility bills says the National Association Of Realtors. Florescent lights are great for kitchens, workshops, laundries, recreation rooms and home offices. Florescent lights are one of the best kept secrets: they are about three to four times as efficient as incandescent lighting and last about 10 times longer. Lower your Durham real estate utility bills Simple actions, say the team at ENERGY STAR, can save significant dollars. Savings on utility bills can add value to your home when you put it on the real estate market. Just replacing the bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified lighting in five of the fixtures you use most can save up to $60 per year in the average home, according to the real estate specialists on the ENERGY STAR team. Check out other ENERGY STAR fixtures and suggestions for additional savings at the ENERGY STAR web site. Advice from the real estate specialists at ENERGY STAR Twenty Things You Can Do to Conserve Energy to lower your utility bills: If you may be putting your home on the market in the next few years, one way to add value to your home on the real estate market and dollars to your bank account today is to lower your utility bills. Whether you live in an all brick home in RTP or a two-story home in Interested in making your home more energy efficient? The US Dpartment of Energy is providing a collection of computer software programs for home owners and real estate agents in Simple actions, say the team at ENERGY STAR, can save significant dollars. Savings on utility bills can add value to your home when you put it on the real estate market. Just replacing the bulbs with ENERY STAR qualified lighting in the five fixtures you use most can save up to $60 per year in the average home, according to the real estate specialists on the ENERGY STAR team. Check out other ENERGY STAR fixtures and suggestions for additional savings at the ENERGY STAR web site. Advice from the real estate specialists at ENERGY STAR Interested in making your home more energy efficient? The US Dpartment of Energy is providing a collection of computer software programs for home owners and real estate agents in
Energy savings can increase the appraised value of your home. The federally sponsored secondary mortgage markets of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA allow appraisers to capitalize the flow of energy savings in an energy efficient home and add it to the market value of a home in the appraisal. FHA recognizes the value of energy savings. Water supply shortages and use restrictions are taking center stage, as severe droughts and a growing population are demanding water in excess of the available supply. The prolonged summer of 1999 drought in the mid-Atlantic and elsewhere has spurred state and local governments to implement mandatory or voluntary water use restrictions, including landscape watering bans. To find out more about living with water restrictions, click here.
Programmable thermostats are possibly your highest return energy saving step you can take whether your live in
Vicky Olive www.vickyolive.com has researched and documented a collection of energy saving tips from all over the Internet. You can review her latest collection of links and tips at http://www.vickyolive.com/Durham_Real_Estate/ReduceEnergy.html.
Air leaks into the attic can drain 30 to 50 percent of a home's heating energy. Gaps in forced-air ducts can cut home heating and cooling efficiency 40 percent." A couple of weekends sealing the attic and furnace ducting using materials that cost less than $50 on average will slash up to 30 percent off your energy bill. See the FULL ARTICLE.
A study in The
Cold Snaps are an Opportunity to find Energy Savings, increase the real estate value of your
Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings Home Energy Checklist for Action Home energy checklist for action Here's a simple checklist to give you an idea of the things you can learn about in the Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings. This Week
Twenty Things You Can Do to Conserve Energy to lower your utility bills: If you may be selling your home in the next few years, one way to add value to your home on the real estate market and dollars to your bank account today is to lower your utility bills. Whether you live in an all brick home in RTP or a two-story home in
More and more home buyers are asking questions about utility costs and energy efficiency.
Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable, they can yield long-term financial rewards.
This booklet shows you how easy it is to reduce your home energy use. It is a guide to easy, practical solutions for saving energy throughout your home, from the insulating system that surrounds it to the appliances and lights inside. Please, take a few moments to read the valuable tips in this booklet that will save you energy and money and, in many cases, help the environment by reducing pollution and conserving our natural resources.
Save money while you increase the value of your
By using a few inexpensive energy-efficient measures, you can reduce your energy bills by 10% to 50%, and at the same time, help reduce air pollution.
Looking for information on insulating your
Insulation Tips • Consider factors such as your climate, building design, and budget when selecting insulation R- home . • Use higher density insulation, such as rigid foam boards, in cathedral ceilings and on exterior walls . • Ventilation plays a large role in providing moisture control and reducing summer cooling bills. Attic vents can be installed along the entire ceiling cavity to help ensure proper airflow from the soffit to the attic to make a home more comfortable and energy efficient . • Recessed light fixtures can be a major source of heat loss, but you need to be careful how close you place insulation next to a fixture unless it is marked “I.C.”—designed for direct insulation contact. Check your local building codes for recommendations . • As specified on the product packaging, follow the product instructions on installation and wear the proper protective gear when installing insulation .
The easiest and most cost-effective way to insulate your home is to add insulation in the attic. To find out if you have enough attic insulation, measure the thickness of insulation. If there is less The answer is probably “yes” if you: • Have an older home and haven’t added insulation: in a recent survey, only 20% of homes built before 1980 were well insulated • Are uncomfortably cold in the winter or hot in the summer— adding insulation creates a more uniform temperature and increases comfort • Build a new house or addition, or install new siding or roofing • Pay excessive energy bills • Are bothered by noise from the outdoors—insulation helps to muffle sound • Are concerned about the effect of energy use on the environment. Should I insulate my home? than R-22 (7 inches of fiber glass or rock wool or 6 inches of cellulose) you could probably benefit by adding more. Most If your attic has ample insulation and your home still feels drafty and cold in the winter or too warm in the summer, chances are you need to add insulation to the exterior walls as well. This is a more expensive measure that usually requires a contractor, but it may be worth the cost if you live in a very hot or cold climate. You may also need to add insulation to your crawl space. Either the walls or the floor above the crawl space should be insulated.
Considering building a new home or adding on to your
Warm air leaking into your home during the summer and out of your home during the winter can waste a substantial portion of your energy dollars. One of the quickest dollar-saving tasks you can do is caulk, seal, and weatherstrip all seams, cracks, and openings to the outside. You can save 10% or more on your energy bill by reducing the air leaks in your home.
Insulation and Weatherization Weatherization Tips • First, test your home for air tightness. On a windy day, hold a lit incense stick next to your windows, doors, electrical boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, ceiling fixtures, attic hatches, and other locations where there is a possible air path to the outside. If the smoke stream travels horizontally, you have located an air leak that may need caulking, sealing, or weatherstripping. • Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows that leak air. • Caulk and seal air leaks where plumbing, ducting, or electrical wiring penetrates through exterior walls, floors, ceilings, and soffits over cabinets. • Install rubber gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on exterior walls. • Look for dirty spots in your insulation, which often indicate holes where air leaks into and out of your house. You can seal the holes by stapling sheets of plastic over the holes and caulking the edges of the plastic. • Install storm windows over singlepane windows or replace them with double-pane windows. Storm windows as much as double the R-value of single-pane windows and they can help reduce drafts, water condensation, and frost formation. As a less costly and less permanent alternative, you can use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Remember, the plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration. • When the fireplace is not in use, keep the flue damper tightly closed. A chimney is designed specifically for smoke to escape, so until you close it, warm air escapes— 24 hours a day! • For new construction, reduce exterior wall leaks by either installing house wrap, taping the joints of exterior sheathing, or comprehensively caulking and sealing the exterior walls. For more information on insulation, weatherization, and ventilation, contact the US Department of Energy Considering building a new home or adding on to your
Efficient Home energy use in Durham Chapel Hill NC contributes to the real estate value of our homes. In our moderate climate in Durham Chapel Hill NC, our heating and cooling energy use should be near the national average. Energy Saving tips from the US Department of Energy
Tips for Saving Energy and increasing the real estate value of your Carrboro, NC Ducts are one of the most important systems in your home, though it’s hidden beneath your feet and over your head, may be wasting a lot of your energy dollars. Your home’s duct system, a branching network of tubes in the walls, floors, and ceilings, carries the air from your home’s furnace and central air conditioner to each room. Ducts are made of sheet metal, fiber glass, or other materials.
Unfortunately, many duct systems are poorly insulated or not insulated properly. Ducts that leak heated air into unheated spaces can add hundreds of dollars a year to your heating and cooling bills. Insulating ducts that are in unconditioned spaces is usually very cost-effective. If you are buying a new duct system, consider one that comes with insulation already installed.
Sealing your ducts to prevent leaks is even more important if the ducts are located in an unconditioned area such as an attic or vented crawl space. If the supply ducts are leaking, heated or cooled air can be forced out unsealed joints and lost. In addition, unconditioned air can also be drawn into return ducts through unsealed joints. In the summer, hot attic air can be drawn in, increasing the load on the air conditioner.
In the winter, your furnace will have to work longer to keep your house comfortable. Either way, your energy losses cost you money. Although minor duct repairs are easy to accomplish, ducts in unconditioned spaces should be sealed and insulated by qualified professionals using the appropriate sealing materials. Here are a few simple tips to help with minor duct repairs.
Duct Tips • Check your ducts for air leaks. First look for sections that should be joined but have separated and then look for obvious holes. • If you use duct tape to repair and seal your ducts, look for tape with the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) logo Heating and Cooling One Btu, or British thermal unit, is roughly equivalent to burning one kitchen match. That may not sound like much, but a typical home consumes about 100 million Btu per year. • Remember that insulating ducts in the basement will make the basement colder. If both the ducts and the basement walls are uninsulated, consider insulating both. • If your basement has been converted to a living area, install both supply and return registers in the basement rooms. • Be sure a well-sealed vapor barrier exists on the outside of the insulation on cooling ducts to prevent moisture buildup. • Get a professional to help you insulate and repair all ducts. Energy Saving tips from the US Department of Energy
Heating and Cooling Tips for Saving Energy and increasing the real estate value of your Hope Valley Durham NC Home • Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter and as high as is comfortable in the summer. • Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed. • Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they’re not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes. • Bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators once or twice a season; if in doubt about how to perform this task, call a professional. • Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators. • Use kitchen, bath, and other ventilating fans wisely; in just 1 hour, these fans can pull out a houseful of warmed or cooled air. Turn fans off as soon as they have done the job. • During the heating season, keep the draperies and shades on your southfacing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows. For more tips, consult the US Department of Energy web site. |
|
Copyright 2003-2010 © Piedmont Preferred Realty Carrboro NC Carrboro NC townhome Carrboro NC real estate Chapel Hill real estate Chapel Hill townhome Updated: 8/19/2009; 12:13:21 PM. |
||