Get Your Home Ready for Fall With These 10 Maintenance Tips

Get Your Home Ready for Fall With These 10 Maintenance Tips

With summer wrapping up, now is the perfect time to prepare your home for the fall. These 10 simple tips will help you make quick fixes around the house to ensure your home is ready for the cooler season. Preparing both inside and outside will make your home feel clean and organized for the fall.

Inspect your roof
Check your roof for any damage that may have been caused by summer storms. Replace shingles to avoid leaking or further damage.

Wash all rugs and carpets
Give your home a clean feel by washing the carpeting and rugs.

Check your smoke detectors
Replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and test to make sure they work properly.

Clean out the refrigerator and freezer
Go through the refrigerator and freezer to get rid of any expired food. Also, clean the shelves and reorganize the food.

Check your home’s insulation
Inspect the insulation and replace any wet or damaged pieces.

Test your garage door
Ensure that your garage door opener reverses when it hits an obstruction or when its sensor beam is interrupted.

Clean out the dryer vent
Clean the clothes dryer exhaust duct and space under the dryer. Remove all lint, dust and other debris.

Check electrical outlets
Check your electrical outlets for potential fire hazards such as frayed wires or loose-fitting plugs.

Inspect the walls
Touch up the paint on the walls in your home for a fresh, clean look. By touching up the paint occasionally you can avoid having to repaint entire walls at once.

Test your sump pump
To avoid flooding in your home, test your sump pump to make sure it is draining properly.

By following these simple tips, you will be well on your way to having your house ready for the fall!

June Marks 20 Months of Declines for Foreclosure Inventory

07/30/2013

http://www.dsnews.com

BY: ESTHER CHO

Completed foreclosures and distressed inventory continued their downfall in June, CoreLogic reported Tuesday.

Data for last month showed 55,000 homes were lost to foreclosure, down 20 percent from June 2012. The decrease represents the 19th month-in-a-row completed foreclosures have ticked down. However, on a monthly basis, completed foreclosures inched up by 2.5 percent.

Since the financial crisis began in September 2008, about 4.5 million homes have been lost to foreclosure.

The level of foreclosure inventory also came down in June. According to CoreLogic’s estimate, about 1 million homes were in some stage of foreclosure, which represents a 28 percent annual decrease and a 2.9 percent decline from May 2013. The yearly decline marks the 20th consecutive month inventory has trended down.

Serious delinquencies are also posing less of a threat to distressed inventory.

“So far this year, distressed inventories have fallen dramatically, down 14.4 percent, and serious delinquencies are down 15.9 percent,” added Dr. Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic. “In the first six months of 2013, the stock of seriously delinquent mortgages has dropped by 412,000.”

Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic, described June’s improvement as “broad-based,” noting 49 states have posted annual declines in foreclosure rates.

The one state to see a slight increase was Arkansas, where the foreclosure rate rose 0.1 percent from a year ago.

“The housing market is clearly on the mend, but we expect the ultimate conclusion of the present housing down cycle to be another several years away,” he added.

In June, Florida continued to lead as the state with the highest number of completed foreclosures over the last year after 107,000 homes were lost to the process.

California followed, with 72,000 completed foreclosures, while Michigan (63,000), Texas (48,000), and Georgia (44,000) rounded out the top five, which account for almost half of all completed foreclosures nationally.

Again, Florida led with the highest foreclosure inventory rate, at 8.6 percent, which is more than three times the national rate of 2.5 percent.

Also in the top five were New Jersey (6.0 percent), New York (4.8 percent), Connecticut (4.2 percent), and Maine (4.1 percent).

You Can Manage Your Energy Usage to Lower Your Bill

BY: Business Energy Connections

GA POWER

Carl W. Jackson

Commercial and Industrial Marketing Manager

As a valued Georgia Power customer, we want to help you better manage your energy use and help you lower your power bill without negatively impacting your day to-day operations.

Outside of some specialty rates for a few classes of our commercial customers, the great majority of our commercial class customers are on Georgia Power’s Power and Light (PL) tariff. The PL Rate structure has two parts – the actual amount of energy you use (consumption measured in kWh) and the peak amount of energy you use at any given time (demand measured in kW). Both parts are major contributors to your monthly power bill. Simply put, the PL tariff includes how much energy your facility uses as well as the rate at which the energy is used.

Your billing demand is driven by your highest peak demand over a given 30-minute period within the billing month. Once your billing demand is established, it will remain in effect for the next 12 months, or until a new peak demand is established.

Here’s an example;

Imagine you own a large office space which is currently vacant and you are showing it to potential lessees on June 1. While showing off the space, you come in, flip on all the lights, crank up the air conditioning and turn on ALL the business equipment in the building. You have everything running for one hour and then turn everything off as you leave and do not return to the property for the rest of June. During that one-hour period you set your billing demand for the next 12 months (through May of the following year)!

In this example, during the entire billing month minus one hour, there was almost zero demand. Therefore, the one hour of instantaneous use created a clear-cut spike in demand, thus setting your billing demand for the entire month. For the month of June, you will be charged for the actual demand. If this remains as the highest demand, then 95 percent of the demand will be charged for up to the next 11 months. At the end of this 12-month period, if no new peak demand has been set, the highest demand from the previous 11 months will set the billing demand for the next 12-month cycle or until a new peak demand is established.

Since a PL peak demand is customer specific, there is no precise time period to focus on for reducing usage. Typically, though, business customers witness higher energy demands during the summer months (June – September) on weekday afternoons.  Being more aware of your energy demand during peak operating hours and learning a few tips to reduce some of your demand use is the best way to manage your PL account.

Some easy ways to help you save energy and money: Run less equipment longer hours rather than running all your equipment for shorter hours. If reasonable, add more shifts and avoid seasonal usage to have more consistent demand. Year-round customers generally have lower unit costs. If you set a peak demand during off-peak months and times energy can be very inexpensive. Only 60 percent of winter peak (October – May) is considered for the billing demand as opposed to 100 percent of summer peak. Turn on only necessary lighting and equipment. Set your thermostat in the summer to 78° Fahrenheit or higher and in the winter to 68° Fahrenheit or lower. Use motion sensors or bi-level operation for lighting in larger warehouse areas. Contact our Business Energy Experts at Georgia Power’s Business Solutions Center 1-888-655-5888 to discuss your business needs.

Energy Star Homes Program Spurring Demand for High Performance Windows Too

April 18, 2012
FEATURE ARTICLE | Codes & Standards, Energy Efficiency, Segments

A growing number of new home builders have found a point of differentiation in the marketplace by offering Energy Star-qualified homes. Studies reveal that homebuyers feel good about being good stewards of the environment—but they feel even better about saving money on energy bills.

Consequently, with more people staying in their homes longer, energy-rated homes are becoming an easier sell for builders. When given a choice between a run-of-the-mill track home and a home that offers long-term savings, it becomes a no-brainer. And the projections prove it. According to McGraw-Hill Construction’s Green Home Builders and Remodelers study published in February 2012, green homes comprised 17 percent of the overall construction market in 2011. Conservatively, that number is expected to grow to 29 percent to 38 percent by 2016.

	MI is finding more builders that want levels of window performance beyond current Energy Star criteria.

Redesigning, retooling, recertifying and remarketing all add up to time and expense. And, with the way new construction is getting greener by the year, hitting these numbers is no longer just for players in the remodeling market. It’s anyone’s concern who wants to remain competitive.

In 2008 and 2009, when many companies were scrambling to meet the .30/.30, along with the latest Energy Star requirements, MI Windows, a national company primarily focused on residential and light commercial new construction, already had its sights on 2013 and beyond. In 2011, the company officially launched a full line of window products that well exceed future Energy Star requirements, R-5 requirements and virtually any other currently existing rating system with U-factors that range from 0.18 to 0.20–across a full catalog of styles, sizes and glass options.

“Our goal was to offer a simple solution to help builders meet their energy-efficiency goals without sacrificing aesthetics and design flexibility,” say Mike DeSoto, president of the company’s western division. “By collaborating with our suppliers, doing a lot of research and talking with our window dealers, we created a complete product line that exceeds the Energy Star standards, plus meets other important features for the architect, such as high sound transmission ratings, high design pressures and durable exterior color options.”

This article is a sidebar to an articleprepared by Ric Jackson at Quanex Building Products, examining coming changes in the Energy Star Windows, Doors and Skylights program.

MI Windows’ foresight is paying off as builders and developers evolve into a greener way of thinking. In the six months since launching its new product line, the company has scored a number of high-profile new construction projects and the interest continues to grow. “The new Energy Star requirements for windows are still a year and a half to two years away, but so are the completion dates for many projects and developments that are being specified now,” DeSoto reports. “When you ask a builder or architect if they want to build homes using technologies that will be obsolete by the time they are finished, they really listen. Most opt to adopt tomorrow’s technology today–giving them a great marketing tool and the competitive edge.”

DeSoto foresees Energy Star as here to stay as an important part of both the new construction and remodeling markets. “When investing in a home you intend to stay in, you want to make sure it’s the highest quality you can afford,” he concludes. “The Energy Star label is an added assurance that you are buying a high-quality product designed to give you the best performance for many years.”

Energy-Efficient Appliances: Where to Find Real Savings

April 16th, 2012 by gaelite

In the average U.S. home, the electricity used to power household appliances and electronics can amount to as much as 20 percent of your annual utility costs. The energy costs associated with a single device may not seem significant, but together, providing power to our TVs, DVD players, computers, stereos, dishwashers, fridges, washers and dryers, water heaters, air conditioners, and more can really add up. Read on to learn which of your home’s appliances and electronic devices consume the most energy and what you can do to try to bring your electric costs down.

Furnaces and Water Heaters

These two products consume more energy than any others in your home, making it especially important to consider efficiency when you choose which models to install.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ENERGY STAR qualified oil and gas furnaces have annual fuel utilization ratings of 85 to 90 percent or greater, which makes them 15 percent more efficient than standard models. Water heaters are next in terms of energy consumption, and the average household spends between $400 and $600 each year to run them. Again according to the EPA, today’s new ENERGY STAR qualified water heaters include smart design enhancements that increase efficiency and can cut your water heating costs in half.

Refrigerators

Next to your furnace and water heater, your refrigerator is the biggest energy guzzler in your home. To help cut costs, be sure that the fridge you select is the smallest it can be while still providing adequate storage space for all of your family’s food needs. Note that models with freezers on the top or bottom are generally more efficient than side-by-side models. Here, too, look for the ENERGY STAR label, which can reduce an energy expenditure of more than $100 a year to run the fridge to just half that.

Stoves

Consider how often you really cook when choosing between ovens and stovetops. Today, there is little difference between gas and electric stovetops in terms of cost. You should make your decision between the two based on your cooking comfort – but do bear in mind that gas stovetops require less energy than electric stovetops. In the case of ovens, though, an electric model makes more sense if you do a lot of baking or other oven cooking. You might consider purchasing the units separately, which gives you the flexibility to choose a gas range and an electric oven.

Clothes Washers and Dryers

According to the EPA, front-loading horizontal-axis washers use 50 percent less energy, less water, and less soap, which can translate into savings on average of about $95 a year for the average household. And by choosing an ENERGY STAR qualified washer, you’ll save enough over its lifetime to cover the cost of a matching drier. ENERGY STAR does not label dryers because most consume around the same amount of energy. But to cut costs and energy waste, look for one with a moisture sensor that will cause it to shut off automatically as soon as clothes are dry.

Air Conditioners

Once again, ENERGY STAR is the label to look for when selecting room air conditioning units. Models that bear the label consume 10 percent less energy than models that don’t. In fact, the EPA reports that if every room air conditioner sold in the United States were ENERGY STAR qualified, it would prevent 1.3 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, or the equivalent of 115,000 cars. Also be sure to select an air condition that is the right size for the room you are trying to cool and not too big.

More Energy Tips

Increase Comfort. Increase Savings.

Residential Energy Consumption at a Glance:

The average household spent $1,873 on energy in 2005.

Where do the energy dollars go?
Appliances and lighting account for over 45 percent of the average household’s energy costs. Space heating accounts for another 30 percent. Water heating and air conditioning account for the remaining energy expenditures in the average household.

Households spent more money on electricity than on all other fuels combined.

Households spent a total of $225 billion on energy in 2005 — almost two-thirds of that ($141 billion) was used to purchase electricity. The remaining amount was spent on natural gas ($60 billion); fuel oil ($13 billion); propane ($11 billion); and kerosene ($1 billion).

Simple conservation measures can reduce energy use as much as 20% for little or no up-front cost.

Insulation:

• Adding insulation to your attic, floor, and/or walls reduces the amount of heated (or cooled) air that escapes to the outdoors.
• Fiberglass batts are readily available at local lumber supply stores and can be installed by either a homeowner or building professional.
• Be sure the paper facing is placed towards the warm side of the cavity.
• Blown insulation usually requires a professional, but is a great choice for attics as it ensures a great insulation and gets into even hard-to-reach spaces.

Air Sealing:

• Although you can’t always see them, there are dozens of tiny gaps in your ceiling, walls, and floors where air flows in and out of your home. Run your hand around the windows and doors in your home or in front of an electrical outlet on an exterior wall on a cold, windy day. If you can you feel cold air coming in, you should improve your air sealing.
• Select a 50 Year or Lifetime silicone based acrylic caulk. These are available in several colors and many are paintable. Cost runs at about $3.00 per tube.

Where to Seal

• Around windows and doors
  1. Make sure windows and storm windows close tightly and are locked.
  2. Install door sweep at the bottom of exterior and basement doors.
  3. Install foam weatherstripping at door stops (both exterior doors and doors to unheated basements or attics).
  4. Caulk around window and door trim on the interior or exterior.
  5. Install plastic film or shrink wrap on windows.
• Plumbing and electrical penetrations in the basement and attic
  6. Use caulk or foam such as “Great Stuff” or “DapTex” to fill holes drilled for wiring and plumbing, e.g. around drains and supply lines to the kitchen sink and first floor bath fixtures.
• Receptacles and switches
  7. Put foam gaskets behind receptacle and switch plates on exterior walls.

Where Drafts Occur in Your Home

• Floors, Walls, Ceiling – 31%
• Ducts – 15%
• Fireplace – 14%
• Plumbing Penetrations – 13%
• Doors – 11%
• Windows – 10%
• Fans, Vents – 4%
• Electric Outlets – 2%

Thermostat Settings:

• Turn your thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer when you will not be at home for several hours or when you go to bed.
• You can install a programmable thermostat that automatically raises and lowers temperature settings. Programmable thermostats cost from $40 – $100.

Furnaces and Heat Pumps:

• Change the filter in your furnace or heat pump every month or two. Use a pleated filter rather than the fiber ones. They cost a little more but are more effective and can be changed every two months versus every month in most cases.
• Have your furnace and/or heat pump cleaned and checked by a professional at the start of every heating or cooling season.
• Minimize the use of electric space heaters. Even the smallest models cost about $3 per day to operate — a $90 increase in your monthly utility bill if left on continuously.
• If replacing a furnace or boiler, use an ENERGY STAR® model.

Air Conditioning:

• Use windows, fans, and dehumidifiers to make you feel more comfortable. They use less energy than air conditioners.
• If replacing an air conditioner, use an ENERGY STAR model.
• Remove window air conditioning units in the winter or cover with plastic and insulation.

Ductwork:

• Seal any joints in exposed ductwork with foil tape or mastic. Insulate ducts in your basement or attic.

Water Heaters:

• Wrap your water heater with an insulating blanket, but make sure you don’t cover up the air intake near the thermostat on a gas water heater.
• Insulate hot and cold water pipes within five feet of the water heater.
• Consider replacing your water heater if it’s more than 10 years old. That could increase the efficiency by 10% or more.
• Take more showers than baths. You use 15-25 gallons of hot water for a bath, but less than 10 gallons during a 5-minute shower.
• Turn the thermostat on the water heater to 120°F or medium temperature.
• Turn off your electric water heater if you are away from home for several days.

Hot Water Use:

• Use “cold water only” as often as you can — especially for short draws.
• If you do dishes by hand, fill the sink with wash water rather than washing under running water. If you use a dishwasher, make sure you have a full load — likewise with loads of laundry.
• Use the “energy saver” and/or “water saver” setting on your dishwasher.
• Wash laundry in warm or cold water, not hot.
• Replace your showerhead with low-flow shower head.

Appliances:

• If you are buying a new appliance such as refrigerator, dishwasher, or washing machine, buy an energy-efficient model. Look for the ENERGY STAR logo or the Energy Guide label.
• Dry clothes outdoors.
• Air dry dishes.

Refrigerators

1. Set the temperature for only as cold as you need. Usually, refrigerator at 37°F – 40°F; freezer at 5°F.
2. Allow hot food to cool completely before putting it in the refrigerator.
3. Clean the coils on the back of the refrigerator and the air intake grill about every six months.
4. Do not keep refrigerators or freezers in a garage. The compressor will work harder during hot months.
5. Keep your freezer relatively full as it will operate more efficiently.
6. Defrost your freezer regularly if it is manual defrost. Don’t let ice build up more than a quarter-inch.

Lights:

• Turn lights off when you leave a room.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with fluorescent or compact fluorescent bulbs. A cfl will use about two-thirds less electricity than a standard bulb.
• Consider installing light and motion sensors on outdoor light fixtures.

Landscaping:

• Plant deciduous trees on the South and West sides of the house to help shade windows in the summer.
• Plant evergreens on the North and West sides of the house to help buffer the house from winter winds.

Computers:

• Turn off your computer when you are finished using it. If left on all the time, your computer will use more electricity than a 100-watt light bulb, and cost you about $70 per year.

NAHB (national association of Home Builders)