Ideas for Saving a Bundle on Energy Use at Home - Insulation and Windows (mobile home loans)
No commentsBy JT Navary
Insulation
The primary areas in your home that should be well insulated are the walls, attic and floors. Here are a few tips to help you get your insulation project moving in the right direction:
Does your home require extra insulation material? As a general rule, if your home has less than three or four inches of insulation in the attic, it would be a good idea add extra insulating material to achieve the appropriate levels. If none exists in the walls and/or floors, adding insulation is highly recommended.
You will need to determine whether you want to do the insulation work yourself or to use a contractor instead. Take into consideration that some insulation jobs are considerably harder than other household projects.
If you would prefer to have a contractor handle the job, make sure you get several bids. Only hire a bonded and properly certified contractor.
If you tackle the job yourself, be sure to follow installation instructions carefully and pay attention to pertinent safety precautions.
When buying insulating material, note the R-value. It shows the effectiveness of insulation. The larger the R-value the better the insulation.
Determine the type of insulating material you require. There are many different types of insulation products available including sprayed foam, rigid insulation, fiberglass, mineral wool/rock wool, and cellulose. The choice of material will largely depend on the area of the home you are insulating. A knowledgeable salesperson should be able to help determine the best type of insulating material and R-value you need.
Windows
The thermal efficiency of windows is rated by the U-value. This number specifies the window’s ability to insulate. The lower the value, the more efficient the window is at stopping the transfer of heat. The U-value of a window is based on the number of glass layers, the amount of of insulating space between the layers and the design of the window frame. A few tips include:
Inspect windows for broken glass, damaged frames and seals, rotten wood, loose putty, poorly fitting sashes, and air leakage.
For a quick but short-term fix before winter arrives, you can purchase storm-window kits constructed of plastic sheeting that you apply to the interior of your windows. The kits can usually be bought at most building supply stores for $5 to $10 for each window. They generally last from two to four years.
You can reduce heat loss through windows by mounting insulated curtains or drapes on the window’s interior. This will help reduce heat loss during cold weather and keep cool air in during the dog days of summer.
In the winter tie back the curtains if the sun is out to allow passive solar heating, and, during the summer block the sun with your curtains or attach an ultraviolet film to minimize the heating effect of the sun.
During the warmer months, when possible, open two or more windows at night and in the early hours of the morning when there is a breeze. Opening a window on opposing sides of your home will improve the flow of air and provide enhanced cooling.
Caulking & Weather-stripping
In addition to insufficient insulation, air leaks are amongst the leading causes of energy waste in homes.
Check your home for concealed air leaks by using a damp hand or candle flame to detect air leaks. Close all doors, windows and fireplace flues and switch off all ventilating fans to make the air movement easier to locate.
Caulk is most useful on areas that are smaller than 1/4″ wide. When available, use caulking that will remain flexible over a long number of years. If it is not completely hidden, choose a tinted caulk or one that can be painted.
If there are sizeable gaps and holes shielded from sunlight and moisture, use expanding foam sealers to plug them. However, please buy only products identified as ozone safe.
Crack filler or backer rod, is a elastic foam product available in long coils, with a variety of available diameters. It can be used to seal large voids. It also can be used as backing in deep gaps that are to be sealed with ordinary caulking.
Position insulating material behind electrical outlets and switches - potential leaks that are often overlooked.
Jim Navary has been a freelance writer and researcher for more thirty years
covering a broad range of subjects. He is also a licensed real estate salesperson
in the Commonwealth of Virginia specializing in real estate in the
Tri-Cities area of Virginia and, in particular,
Colonial Heights, Virginia, area homes for sale.
Property investment analysis
Invaluable while buying your dream home
By Deed Quest
Do you find yourself looking for your dream home, but do not know where to start? You need to have a plan in place as a first step to owning your own home. When you plan ahead, you can be take more informed investment decisions. After all, purchasing a home is a long term decision, and you need to invest right to make it count. The fact of the matter is that with some property investment analysis, you can take better and sounder investment decisions.
The first step in property investment analysis is to asses your credit. A good credit rating can put you a few steps ahead of other investors and buyers. Sometimes, at this stage, you might find that your credit history a little bit of working upon. You can try and improve your credit rating to ensure that you do not end up paying tens of thousands of dollars as interest on your mortgage.
How does one do that? You can maintain your scores by paying your bills on time and using your credit care wisely. You need to have less credit than you can afford. A poor credit rating could mean that your applications for mortgage would be rejected.
The second thing you would need to do is start saving. After all, while buying a home, you would need money for a down payment, closing costs, as well as for repairs and maintenance. Creating a budget to know how much you can afford as monthly expenses often helps in this regard.
As part of the property investment analysis, you would also need to have some idea about the property taxes you would be required to pay and the maintenance and moving expenses you would need to shell out. Then, there is the homeowners insurance and private mortgage insurance. You need to be mentally prepared for these expenses while going for property investment.
Once all these groundwork is done, you can go house hunting. You can take the help of online real estate investment forums to decide on the location, and other aspects of the investment. Taking the help of people who are experts in property investment analysis and getting advice from other homeowners can put you on the right road to procure a home.
Armed with this knowledge, you can go ahead and make that much desired investment in property you have been looking at for a long time. To know a bit more about some other aspects of real estate investment analysis, you can visit deedquest.
DeedQuest will offer you serious insights into the Real estate investment is a complicated process. Proper assistance and Real estate investment advice are the keys to smart real estate property investment. Real estate market analysis is what a smart investor would always prefer!
Your Source For Home Loan Consultation
Hiring a Decorator for Your Kitchen Renovation
By Carrol Wagner
Are you interested in remodeling your kitchen? If so, have you decided what you would like remodeled? When it comes to kitchen remodeling, there are some individuals who know exactly what they would like done and others, honestly, have no clue. If you know that you would like to remodel your kitchen, but you aren’t exactly sure how, you may want to think about using the services of a professional decorator. When it comes to receiving assistance with the design of your home, there are a number of benefits to seeking assistance from a professional decorator.
Before you can begin to examine the benefits of using the services of a professional decorator, it is important to keep one thing in mind. Different individuals have different definitions of professional decorators. There are many who feel that a professional decorator does just that, decorate. While this is true, there is more to decorating than just changing your wallpaper or hanging up new picture. Professional decorators can also help you redesign your kitchen, all of it. That is why if you are looking to remodel your kitchen, you may want to seek assistance from a professional, as previously mentioned, there are a number of benefits to doing so.
One of the many benefits to seeking assistance from a professional decorator, when you are looking to remodel your kitchen, is the expertise you are given. Professional decorators are individuals who not only have a large amount of experience, but also individuals that have a decent amount of training. Many professional decorators went to college or at least took a few decorating courses. This experience and training often means that they know what works and what doesn’t work. If you are looking to change the design of your kitchen, with a little bit of remodeling, you may want to know what does and doesn’t work, from a professional standpoint.
Kitchen remodeling is nice, but it is also expensive. Even if you are looking to remodel your kitchen, all of it, you may still want to save money. In addition to giving you information on the hottest kitchen designs, such as cabinets, lighting, or countertop trends, a professional decorator can also help you find supplies and materials that are affordable. One of the nice things about professional decorators is that they usually know where to shop for the best deals. This means if you are looking for an new elegant stainless steel kitchen sink, a professional decorator can not only help you choose the prefect fit, but they may also help you find the best place to purchase the sink and sink accessories from.
One of the reasons why a professional decorator may be able to point you in the direction of a supplier is because they tend to develop contacts along the way. This could definitely work out to your advantage, especially if you are looking to hire a professional contactor to do your kitchen remodeling for you. You will find, in many cases, that professional decorators can offer you contractor suggestions or recommendations. If, by some change, they are unable to connect you with a local contractor, there is a good chance that they know someone who can. One of the hardest parts about having your kitchen professionally remodeling is finding a trusted individual or company to do the job for you. With recommendations from a professional decorator, you may not have to worry anymore.
Although you may be able to benefit from using the assistance of a professional decorator, you may not want to pay for it. If you are looking to remodel your kitchen on a budget, you may want to use the internet to your advantage. Online, with a standard internet search, you should easily be able to find the latest trends in kitchen remodeling. These trends may give you ideas as to exactly how you want or do not want your kitchen to be remodeled.
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Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 7:00 pm and is filed under realestate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
