Keep The Cold Out And The Money In!

Everyone knows that home insulation provides warmth for your home, and some know that it can provide huge energey savings, but still most homeowners have questions about it. How do you know if you need more insulation? What can you do to improve it—without tearing your home apart? Is the initial cost worth it for the savings? Does it increase the value of your home on resale?

The first thing to know is that for homes built before the 1970s, insulation was not a high priority in construction. Even in the last few years building codes have changed and minimum R-Values are going up. Older homes can benefit from adding insulation as well as filling the window and door gaps that naturally occur as the house settles over time. The good news is it’s easy to improve your home’s energy efficiency, no matter what its age.

Start at the Top:
One of the first places to insulate is the attic. You can add loose-fill or batt insulation easily and cost-effectively. Just remember that if you think you may have vermiculite insulation, don’t disturb it—it may contain asbestos, so call a professional.

Fill the Spaces in the Walls:
For your walls, you can simply blow loose insulation directly into the wall. It’s fast and you’ll only have to patch the wall afterwards, rather than replace the entire surface. On the other hand, if you’re remodeling, you may have open walls and an opportunity to choose from many insulation options including blankets, rolls, rigid insulation and others.

Go Beyond the Walls:
Many homeowners see savings from insulating electrical outlets, crawlspaces and doors. A rule of thumb is: a 1/8" space between a standard exterior door and the threshold is equivalent to a two square inch hole in the wall. Realigning your doors and replacing the door sweep are easy fixes.

Consider Replacing Windows:
Weather-stripping your windows can reduce energy loss. However, up to 50% of a home’s heating and cooling needs results from heat gain and loss through windows, so actually replacing your old windows may provide the most savings. Replacing and upgrading your windows will also add great value to your home. Keep the receipts and warranty documents.

Insulation Adds Up to Big Savings:
When you insulate, not only do you start saving money on your energy bills. That and added value to your home at resale make it a no brainer if you're contemplating updating. In the past the government has also provided financial benefits to homeowners who make their home more energy efficient. That has currently halted but perhaps they will again.

Improvements like adding insulation can often add large amounts to the resale value of your home. Potential buyers will want to know all about the updates. Try to hold onto some of your receipts. Even if you’re not quite ready to move yet, you can still enjoy a cost savings and a comfortable home. If you're thinking of selling your home, give me a quick email and we can discuss how we can put in a few updates and get you some higher sale prices for your home! amiller@kwottawa.ca

How about saving some money this winter?

If you've been reading my blogs at all over the years, you know the one thing that I harp on is the efficency of your home. Right about now most of you are starting to pull out your Canada Goose jackets, the ugly Christmas sweaters, and that old warm quilt your grandma made for you. How about prepping your home for the winter as well. In my last blog I gave you a good overview of winterizing your home. Now its time to take it a little bit further and spend a few dollars to save a bundle more.

Give your furnace some lovin! Many people don't realize that a furnace should be maintained once a year. A furnace is like a car, the better maintained it is, the longer it will last you and the more efficient it will run. Enbridge has some great service plans, look into it. Also, it may be time to change that filter again. I try to change mine 4 times a year at the change of every season. Dirty filters will make your furnace run a little harder. Don't forget to clean your duct work as well. There are a ton of deals these days for duct cleaning through dealfind, groupon, koopon etc.

Programmable Thermostat. $50-$200. and it will save you about 15% a month on your bill. Here's the catch though people, you HAVE to use it! In about 70% of the homes I see, the programmable thermostat is never running on a program. Take the time, read the manual if you have to(guys I know we won't read it) and set the programming features to turn down the heat when you don't need it cranked up.

Heat only the rooms that you use. The guest room that you never use, the extra bathroom, storage areas etc. All of these rooms that aren't really used that often should have the vents closed or if electric heat, turn the baseboards off. If you have a fireplace and spend most your time in there in the evenings, turn the furnace off or down for those hours, and let the fireplace heat for you.

Check for Drafts!!! Windows and doors are the devil. The majority of heat loss in a home will come from the doors and windows. In a previous blog I talked about wrapping your windows properly and I will repost that sometime soon as well. In short, ensure all weather stripping is intact and if older windows, consider upgrading the windows, and/or check for upgrading insulation around windows.

Energy Audit? I'm sure you have heard of them already and probably had someone you know have an energy audit performed. If know some people that do them and if you need a reference please let me know. Have an energy audit done on your home, and upgrade where you can. The government probably has some great rebates that you aren't aware of and you can retreive some of the money spent. Local, provincial, and federal governments frequently offer tax breaks or rebates for energy-saving upgrades, as do many utility companies.

Take the time, make the changes. Not only are you doing your part to help the environment, but you will finish off the winter with more money in your pocket. Win win.

Insulation and your home

I know it seems that I have been talking about how cold it is here in Ottawa a lot but, well it is damn cold! Due to our cold winters, and some pretty chilly homes that I have been in, I decided that it's time to talk about insulation. Everybody knows that insulation is a key factor in energy savings for your home, but not everyone knows how to improve it, if it even needs improving, and whether or not you have to tear your home apart to improve it. Let's see if I can help out a bit.

The bad news - With homes built prior to 1970, insulation was not a major concern for builders. Older homes can benefit by adding some more insulation, as well as tending to gaps by windows and doors that have occurred through settling over time.

The good news- improving energy efficiency is pretty easy to do regardless of the age of your home.

First the Windows: I have talked about windows in previous posts so I won't go into great detail here. Basically, if you can't afford to replace those old windows, properly weather strip them, or wrap them. Up to 50% of a home’s heating and cooling needs results from heat gain and loss through windows.

Next the Attic: If you have an older home, you may have vermiculite insulation and it could contain asbestos so you may want to call in a professional. Asbestos is hazardous once airborne so don't disturb it once up there. You can add more insulation by blowing some more into the attic, and then rake it all up so it's evenly distributed. Or by simply adding more batt insulation. Blown is a tad better than batt as there are no seems between sections that allow air escape through. You can do this yourself by renting the machine to blow the insulation. Pretty easy, and kinda fun to do.

The walls: Ok so its a bit of a pain to do, but you will notice the difference and it will be a great selling feature when you sell your home. If you are planning on remodelling, this is a great time to add insulation or more of it since the walls will already be exposed. If not, you can blow in more insulation and then you will just have to do patch ups in the areas you do as opposed to redoing the whole wall.

The extra mile: So, we touched on windows and doors, attic, and walls. Where else can we get some savings for our energy costs? How about electrical outlets, exterior lighting attached to your home, even crawl spaces? Get out that caulking gun and walk around the exterior of your home. Remove any old caulking around light fixtures and replace with new. Don't cheap out either on the caulking as you get what you pay for. Ensure all electrical outlets are properly insulated as well. If you have a crawl space, check to see if insulated, if not, why not?

This all seems common sense i'm sure, but it's something that is often over looked. With the ever increasing costs of heating your home, more people are looking for energy efficient homes, why not have that selling feature in your favour? Like most home maintenance, it is more labour intensive as opposed to costly. So get off the couch and make your home a bit more efficient already! Unless you don't want extra money in your pockets of course.

10 TIPS TO HOME OWNERSHIP

Owning a home is a fantastic thing, yet sometimes a great responsibility that gets over looked. To assist you, here are 10 things to try to keep in mind during your home ownership.

1. Take good care of your home
-as a rule try to budget 1 to 3% of your home’s value for maintenance and repairs each year.

2. Build your homes equity
- By Making an extra principal payment here and there when possible, one can decrease the interest paid over the life of the loan.

3. Your home should have a good first impression
- By Keeping your front entrance clear and welcoming you will increase the curb appeal of your home which improves your homes value.

4. Be properly insured
- In most cases you only need to insure the replacement value of your home and personal property, not the land.

5. Love your neighborhood--not just your home
- If you’re not happy with your current neighborhood, start thinking of where you would be happier and let's get planning to get you there.

6. Make improvements
- Statistics show that updated kitchens and baths are the number 1 key selling features in most homes, so spend your dollars there first.

7. Safety is a must
- Install not only smoke detectors but with most homes now having natural gas furnaces it is also important to install carbon monoxide detectors to ensure the security of your family.

8. Go green and improve your monthly costs.
- More and more these days, buyers are looking for more energy effecient homes. Improvements in the insulation of windows, doors, and storm doors can save energy costs and increase your home’s resale value.

9. Stick to Neutral Colours
- If you’re thinking of moving in a year or so, choose light, neutral paint colors, what looks great to you does not always look appealing to all.

10. Know when it's time to move
- Over time people often outgrow a house or neighborhood. If you’re thinking of making a change, please call or email to discuss the next steps.

Insulation

Everyone knows that home insulation provides tremendous energy savings, but most homeowners have questions about it. How do you know if you need more insulation? What can you do to improve it—without tearing your home apart?

The first thing to know is that for homes built before the 1970s, insulation was not a high priority in construction. These homes may benefit from adding insulation as well as filling the window and door gaps that naturally occur as the house settles over time. The good news is it’s easy to improve your home’s energy efficiency, no matter what its age.

Start at the TopOne of the first places to insulate is the attic. You can add loose-fill or batt insulation easily and cost-effectively. Just remember that if you think you may have vermiculite insulation, don’t disturb it—it may contain asbestos, so call a professional.

Fill the Spaces in the Walls

For your walls, you can choose to blow loose insulation directly into the wall. It’s fast and you’ll only have to patch the wall afterwards, rather than replace the entire surface. On the other hand, if you’re remodeling, you may have open walls and an opportunity to choose from many insulation options including blankets, rolls, rigid insulation and others.

Go Beyond the Walls

Many homeowners see savings from insulating electrical outlets, crawlspaces and doors. A rule of thumb is: a 1/8" space between a standard exterior door and the threshold is equivalent to a two square inch hole in the wall. Realigning your doors and replacing the door sweep are easy fixes.

Consider Replacing Windows

Weather-stripping your windows can reduce energy loss. However, up to 50% of a home’s heating and cooling needs results from heat gain and loss through windows, so actually replacing your old windows may provide the most savings.

Insulation Adds Up to Big Savings

When you insulate, not only do you start saving money on your energy bills, the government also provides financial benefits to homeowners who make their home more energy efficient. Be sure to save your receipts.

Improvements like adding insulation can often add to the resale value: potential buyers will want to know all about them. And even if you’re not quite ready to move yet, you can still enjoy a cost savings and a comfortable home.