|
|
|
Windows let sunlight in and help us feel connected to the outdoors, making our homes feel welcoming. However, they can also be ways heat can escape, impacting both heating and cooling costs throughout the year. By making informed decisions about your windows, you can reduce energy consumption while maintaining comfort and style in your home. This article aims to provide practical insights into energy-efficient window solutions tailored to homeowners.
Tips for Efficient Windows That Save EnergyWindows let sunlight in and help us feel connected to the outdoors, making our homes feel welcoming. However, they can also be ways heat can escape, impacting both heating and cooling costs throughout the year. By making informed decisions about your windows, you can reduce energy consumption while maintaining comfort and style in your home. This article aims to provide practical insights into energy-efficient window solutions tailored to homeowners. Tackling Air LeaksAir leaks around windows can result in significant energy wastage and temperature fluctuations. Addressing these leaks is paramount for improving energy efficiency. One of the most economical methods involves caulking and weather stripping. Caulking entails using specialized compounds to seal gaps and cracks around window frames. Prior to caulking, it's essential to remove any old caulking or debris. Apply the new caulk along joints in dry conditions with temperatures above 45°F (7.2°C) to ensure optimal adhesion. Weather stripping, on the other hand, is a narrow material applied to seal the contact area between different sections of a window joint. It enhances the seal without impeding window functionality. Considering Window Frame OptionsThe choice of window frame significantly influences energy efficiency. Different frame materials offer varying levels of insulation and durability. Common options include: - Fixed-pane windows: These are cost-effective and airtight but lack ventilation. Reducing Heat Loss and CondensationIt's important to understand window ratings, like u-values and r-values. Higher r-values indicate better insulation, while lower u-values signify reduced heat loss. Factors affecting a window's rating include glazing material, the number of glass layers, air space size, frame materials, spacer materials, and installation tightness. Glazing materials like Low-E glass, heat-absorbing glass, reflective glass, and plastic alternatives offer improved energy efficiency and condensation control. Multiple glass layers with inert gas fillings further enhance insulation. Selecting the Right Frame and SpacerWindow frames made from aluminum, wood, vinyl, or fiberglass each have their pros and cons in terms of insulation, durability, and maintenance requirements. Similarly, spacers play a crucial role in reducing heat loss and condensation, with newer materials offering enhanced performance. Exploring Additional OptionsFor homeowners seeking cost-effective energy-saving solutions, movable insulation such as insulating shades, shutters, and drapes can provide added insulation during winter and summer months. Exterior shading devices like awnings and shutters offer further protection against heat gain in warmer seasons. Enhancing window energy efficiency involves a combination of improving existing windows and considering replacements. Cost-effective measures like caulking and weather stripping can be complemented by retrofit window films and treatments. When opting for replacements, weigh factors such as frame styles, materials, and glazing options against energy efficiency and budget considerations. Remember to prioritize your specific heating, cooling, and aesthetic requirements to find the best solution for your home.
|
9 Buyer Traps and How to Avoid Them" A systemized approach to the homebuying process can help you steer clear of these common traps, allowing you to not only cut costs, but also secure the home that's best for you." No matter which way you look at it buying a home is a major investment. But for many homebuyers, it can be an even more expensive process than it needs to be because many fall prey to at least a few of the many common and costly mistakes which trap them into either:
A systemized approach to the homebuying process can help you steer clear of these common traps, allowing you to not only cut costs, but also secure the home that's best for you. 9 Buyer TrapsThis important report discusses the 9 most common and costly of these homebuyer traps, how to identify them, and what you can do to avoid them: 1. Bidding BlindWhat price should you offer when you bid on a home? Is the seller's asking price too high, or does it represent a great deal. If you fail to research the market in order to understand what comparable homes are selling for, making your offer would be like bidding blind. Without this knowledge of market value, you could easily bid too much, or fail to make a competitive offer at all on an excellent value. 2. Buying the Wrong HomeWhat are you looking for in a home? A simple enough question, but the answer can be quite complex. More than one buyer has been swept up in the emotion and excitement of the buying process only to find themselves the owner of a home that is either too big or too small. Maybe they're stuck with a longer than desired commute to work, or a dozen more fix-ups than they really want to deal with now that the excitement has died down. Take the time upfront to clearly define your wants and needs. Put it in writing and then use it as a yard stick with which to measure every home you look at. 3. Unclear TitleMake sure very early on in the negotiation that you will own your new home free and clear by having a title search completed. The last thing you want to discover when you're in the back stretch of a transaction is that there are encumbrances on the property such as tax liens, undisclosed owners, easements, leases or the like. 4. Inaccurate SurveyAs part of your offer to purchase, make sure you request an updated property survey which clearly marks your boundaries. If the survey is not current, you may find that there are structural changes that are not shown (e.g. additions to the house, a new swimming pool, a neighbor's new fence which is extending a boundary line, etc.). Be very clear on these issues. 5. Undisclosed Fix-upsDon't expect every seller to own up to every physical detail that will need to be attended to. Both you and the seller are out to maximize your investment. Ensure that you conduct a thorough inspection of the home early in the process. Consider hiring an independent inspector to objectively view the home inside and out, and make the final contract contingent upon this inspector's report. This inspector should be able to give you a report of any item that needs to be fixed with associated, approximate cost. 6. Not Getting Mortgage Pre-approvalPre-approval is fast, easy and free. When you have a pre-approved mortgage, you can shop for your home with a greater sense of freedom and security, knowing that the money will be there when you find the home of your dreams. 7. Contract MissesIf a seller fails to comply to the letter of the contract by neglecting to attend to some repair issues, or changing the spirit of the agreement in some way, this could delay the final closing and settlement. Agree ahead of time on a dollar amount for an escrow fund to cover items that the seller fails to follow through on. Prepare a list of agreed issues, walk through them, and check them off one by one. 8. Hidden CostsMake sure you identify and uncover all costs - large and small -far enough ahead of time. When a transaction closes, you will sometimes find fees for this or that sneaking through after the "sub"-total - fees such as loan disbursement charges, underwriting fees etc. Understand these in advance by having your lender project total charges for you in writing. 9. Rushing the ClosingTake your time during this critical part of the process, and insist on seeing all paperwork the day before you sign. Make sure this documentation perfectly reflects your understanding of the transaction, and that nothing has been added or subtracted. Is the interest rate right? Is everything covered? If you rush this process on the day of closing, you may run into a last minute snag that you can't fix without compromising the terms of the deal, the financing, or even the sale itself.
|
