Building Consultant
An energy efficient home allows you to take control of your investment. Today, it is possible and practical to have it all – a more comfortable and durable home while doing your part for national energy independence and environmental protection. It’s a win-win situation for everyone – now and for future generations.
I’m sorry to say that there are some builders in the market place who attempt to deal with less than acceptable practices. I recently visited a home owner in central MS who has hired one such contractor. See how out of level this one week old room was. She simply let go of the wheel chair:
As the single largest housing expense after a mortgage payment, your utility costs can have a direct impact on how large a mortgage you can afford. You can save money on the cost of utilities by purchasing new energy-efficient heating and cooling systems or by making home improvements, such as weatherizing and insulating older homes and these investments can end up saving you money through lower utility bills.
What if you went to the grocery store each day or each week and at the end of the month the store sent you a bill for all the food you’d bought. No specifics details on how many gallons of milk or boxes of cereal, just a big bill and a thank you. Well, that’s how we buy electrical power. One bill, you have no idea which room or appliance used the product or if your meter has made a math error. How can you effectively manage something you don’t measure? It’s simple…you can’t.
Statistics show that lowering home energy usage directly improves value. This notion is supported by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, ENERGY STAR, FHA and VA financing instruments. When you increase the value through energy savings the increase is recognized in the new loan. A potential buyer will consider cost to operate the home, but only if informed. Information and education is the key to using the homes energy consumption as a sales marketing tool.