Flat Fee MLS Blog

                                                                                                         If you want to decrease your cooling expense, install some awnings. Awnings are great for summer and for winter. By blocking incoming solar rays, they decrease cooling loads, which are among the biggest expenses for buildings. In summer, awnings can intercept the near vertical solar rays, while letting in the low-angle rays of winter.

Awnings make rooms more comfortable and save money on high air conditioning bills. They can add value to your home because they ”dress-up” your home and smooth out the structural lines. If you are marketing your home to potential buyers, you can show them how awnings result in lower bills, and this is a memorable talking point.

Install some awnings over your windows and your home will be more energy efficient with less air conditioning use. You will save money while also adding value and curb appeal to your home.

thanks for visiting why6percent.com

                Quiet as the evening breeze and almost as green-installing an attic fan can bring the ancient wisdom of natural ventilation to your home with modern technology. Man has harnessed natural ventilation to keep his dwellings cool, yet the contemporary house ignores this idea, relying instead on creating a sealed and expensive conditioned environment.

Summer temperatures in an attic can get up to 220 degrees, and fans can bring that down to 100 degrees, cooling your whole house. Make sure you have venting fans in your attic, the temperature controlled type being the best. The cold air your air conditioner produces is being heated by the hot ceiling, making your AC much less efficient.

Air conditioning is the biggest electricity user in many homes. An AirScape whole house fan (WHF) can reduce or even eliminate the need for A/C and dramatically lower home energy use and the cost by up to 50%. In dry climates where evenings cool off, it just makes sense to harness the cool air that mother nature provides, rather than expensively manufacturing your own.

AirScape whole house fans are much more sophisticated than the old whole house fan: modern, energy-efficient and very quiet using advanced noise -reduction strategies. They are designed to run all night, steadily drawing cool fresh air in through open windows while exhausting hot stale air out through the attic roof vents. This flow creates a comfortable, natural living and sleeping environment while drawing heat out of the structure to reduce A/C load for the next day.

Conserve energy, save money, and help the planet….You’ll be thrilled you did!

thanks for visiting www.why6percent.com

                                Ceiling fans do a nice job of circulating air in the rooms that you occupy most, and they use only about 1/30th the electricity of a room air conditioner.  But if you can’t live without air conditioning, there are some greener options out there.

A single window unit that  keeps one room cool is far less energy intensive and polluting than central air conditioning that keeps all the rooms in the  house (including those you’re not using) cool. Look for new models that display the federal Energy Star label,  which marks units as energy efficient.

By investing in an Energy-Star certified air conditioner, you will see substantial savings in your energy bills, as well as enjoying high quality. Maximizing energy efficiency is a great way to relieve stress on the over-taxed power grid. Room air conditioners must be a t least 10% more efficient than typical models to achieve Energy Star, and central air must be at least 14%.

When the heat is sweltering , cooling costs really add up across the country. Home buyers and sellers, FSBO, and those listed on the MLS are all interested in saving money and decreasing our carbon footprint while staying cool.

Thanks for visiting www.why6percent.com

         The simple act of planting trees can decrease the energy you need to cool your space…as well as provide a place to hang a   tire swing!

According to research by the Department of Energy and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, shade trees can reduce the need for air conditioning by 7% to 40%. Shaded walls are 9 to 36 degrees F cooler at peak temperatures.

Trees raise property values and provide many other benefits, according to the U. S. Forest Service. A 1985 study estimated the values of an average 50-year old shade tree as:

1. Air conditioning worth $73.

2. Soil erosion and stormwater management worth $75.

3. Wildlife shelter worth $75.

4. Air pollution control worth $50. 

5. This totalled $273.

In 1989, a total value of $57,151 was estimated for the life of a typical tree.

You can get the best results by planting trees to the west and southwest of buildings. Deciduous plants work well in temperate zones, because they block sunlight in summer but let it in during chilly months. Spring and fall are the best times to plant them.

Check with your local garden center to find the best plants and trees for your zone.  Shady spaces are some of the best joys of summer and the swing is fun, too!

thanks for visiting www.why6percent.com