Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
If you own your own home, or if you are thinking about buying a home, you probably know there are all sorts of custom upgrade packages you can look into for your dwelling. A typical real estate developer will build homes to local specifications and then offer a few amenities or incentives to compete in the local new housing market. But homebuyers often find that the “standard” features of new homes are not very plush, durable, high quality, whatever. That’s just part of the cost of doing business, and real estate developers price their homes according to the income ranges of the consumers they want to sell to.
Therefore after-market improvements are often considered when purchasing new homes. Some people plan to add decks, patios, additional rooms, garages, and other features once they take possession of their houses. But this happens even more when older houses are resold because they have rarely been updated in the past 5-10 years. If you’re thinking of buying an older house and upgrading it, you may want to consider how you can make it more climate- and energy-efficient.
You of course want to begin with appliances as refrigerators, washers, dryers, stoves, and dishwashers may use a lot of power. The higher your power use, the higher your energy bill — and the worse global warming becomes, too. But after you have replaced the older appliances with new energy-efficient models, what else can you do? Well, you might want to upgrade your heating and cooling systems as well. Newer central air systems may be more effective and efficient than old window units if you can solve the venting issues.
And assuming you free up some window space from air conditioners you might just want to see if those old panes can be replaced by a more energy-efficient set of windows. Now that can be an expensive option, make no mistake about that. So you want to be sure you check out several companies that offer replacement windows. One such company in the Northwest is Penguin Windows but that’s just an example. There may be better companies to look at, though Penguin Windows has been in business since the early 1980s.
High quality merchandise is often sold directly to the consumer because retail stores offer much lower-priced (and lower-quality) items. Before you contact a company that sells direct to consumers be prepared for a case of sticker shock. You’re making an investment, not buying a consumable item. Vacuum cleaners, cars, expensive tools, and windows are not things you should replace lightly. A company like Penguin Windows may have a good reputation but be sure you speak with more than one provider before making a purchase decision and also be sure that you keep a written copy of all promises and special arrangements.
