Jan Green

DRE: SA537646000


(602) 620-2699
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Ways to Lower Your Energy Bills!

Posted On: April 28th, 2017 6:14PM

Energy bills are important to homeowners so says an article dating back to 2013 by the National Association of REALTORS®.   I'm sure there are older and newer articles, but the point is the same - there are added costs to homeownership that need to be considered.  So it stands to reason that lowering those energy bills on existing homes is equally important.  

 

Swapping out incandenscent bulbs to CFL's or LED's is a great first start.

 

Change your HVAC, furnace, AC filters regularly to lower static pressure on your system so it doesn't work so hard!

 

Turn off lights when leaving a room.  Don't use a ceiling fan if you aren't in the room to enjoy the breeze.  Learn your utility rate for the least expensive time of day to operate large appliances.  

 

Keep your refrigerator and freezer fuller to keep temperatures static. 

 

Turn off your cable box AND your television when not in use. 

 

Install sunscreens during summer months on south and west facing windows.

And many more helpful ideas! 

 

 

So where do you start if you've done all of the above?  A planned method to start reducing your bills would be having an Energy Audit performed on your home.  What is an Energy Audit?  

 

To paraphrase from EnergyStar.gov: 

 

Home Energy Audits

A home energy audit is often the first step in making your home more efficient. An audit can help you assess how much energy your home uses and evaluate what measures you can take to improve efficiency. But remember, audits alone don't save energy. You need to implement the recommended improvements. ENERGY STAR provides extensive information about home improvement projects to enhance energy efficiency, lower utility bills, and increase comfort.

You can perform a simple energy audit yourself, or have a professional energy auditor perform a more thorough audit.

Do-It-Yourself Audits

If you have five minutes and your last 12 months of utility bills, use the ENERGY STAR Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home's energy efficiency to similar homes across the country and get recommendations for energy-saving home improvements from ENERGY STAR. You will also need to enter some basic information about your home (such as zip code, age, square footage, and number of occupants). If you don't have your bills, contact your utility for a 12-month summary.

Hire a Professional Home Energy Auditor

If you are interested in getting specific recommendations for improving the efficiency of your home, consider contacting a professional Home Energy Auditor. A professional auditor can use a variety of techniques and equipment to determine the energy efficiency of your home. Thorough audits often use equipment such as blower doors, which measure the extent of leaks in the building envelope, and infrared cameras, which reveal hard-to-detect areas of air infiltration and missing insulation.

Your first step should be to contact your utility to see if they offer free or discounted energy audits to their customers. If not, you can hire a home energy professional, such as a certified Home Energy Rater, to evaluate your home's energy efficiency.

An energy audit is a great way to check the efficiency of a system, age of appliance, learn how leaky your home is, how long it takes to recoup your investment, and which items to add for the best return on investment.  Some of these items are eligible for Federal, State and local rebates and incentives. 

Check your state for more information.  And call me if you are interested in buying or selling homes with energy efficient features.  I'll work to get you the most money possible at the point of sale and explain these features to you if you're buying a home with energy efficient features. 

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Jan's Green Blog

Posted On: April 5th, 2017 1:30AM

Today, one of my buyer clients' contract was accepted even though there were 4 other offers.  Our offer wasn't the highest offer, but it was one that made the seller comfortable with the buyer's terms and price.  The seller kew that we had spent a full hour at the second showing.  

 

The buyer's parents were in town and this home happened to become available for sale.  It just so happened to also be in a GREAT neighborhood.  This Central Phoenix home is in an area my buyer client had been hoping to find their very first home! 

 

We had also written 3 other offers on homes and had either been out-bid or the home didn't come to fruition.  

 

The buyers are excited to move forward and I'm very happy that our clean offer was accepted!  

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