How to Be Energy Efficient

There are so many ways to improve your home, whether it is during new construction or after construction has been completed. There are simple, inexpensive ways to make your home more efficient, which will not only save you money on your utility bills, but also minimize your carbon footprint. Here are a few tips on how to be energy efficient.

Let's break it down.

The four basic categories we need to look at are: insulation, air sealing, HVAC, and baseload. We'll take a look at what we can do to help, as well as what you can do on your own. All these steps will get you well on your way to a more energy efficient home with lower utility bills.

Insulation and Air Sealing

Over the past 20 years, Affordable Comfort has made over 10,000 homes more energy efficient. Of those 10,000, we can count on one hand how many houses had the proper amount of insulation installed before we began working on them. Chances are, your home could use a serious insulation update. The issue is, building codes are not really up to par with what would make your home energy efficient. The builders rarely want to go the extra mile and spend the extra money to provide your home with quality insulation.

It's the same story for air sealing. You may notice that certain areas of your home are draftier than others. Many people write this off as something that cannot be helped, but that is far from true. If you invest in updating the insulation and air sealing in your attic, you will feel an immediate difference in your home's comfort level. Plus, you'll see lower bills within the first billing cycle after your repairs.

Band sill insulation is another area of your home that has a very high return on investment. Band sills are the set of boards that sit on top of a foundation wall and run around the house. To better insulate band sills, we use a closed-cell 2-part spray foam insulation.

HVAC

HVAC equipment often comes with the home and simply sits there until it ceases to work. Just because your air conditioner, heater, water heater, etc is functioning, does not mean it is functioning efficiently. HVAC equipment generally has an expiration date of around 20 years, so if you are nearing that mark, you should take a look at how your equipment is functioning. You may want to consider updating appliances early and switching to something with the Energy Star logo, which guarantees a more energy-friendly system. If you don't have the extra room in the budget to replace everything at once, start replacing one or two appliances per year. The return on investment you see from the new Energy Star rated appliances will most certainly help fund any further updates.

What is baseload?

 Baseload is any energy use outside of heating and cooling. Basically, this is the amount of energy you use in your home during the months that neither your air conditioner nor heater is in use. Things such as refrigerators, lighting, small appliances and water heating are combined to create your baseload. Lowering your baseload will, of course, lower your energy use overall, so it's a good idea to take steps towards lowering it. The good news? Lowering your baseload is easy to do on your own.

Once again, switching to Energy Star rated appliances will be a huge help. You can also install energy efficient lighting in place of incandescent light bulbs. In fact, this will soon be mandated and incandescent light bulbs will cease to be manufactured, so you might as well switch over now. To save on water heater costs, you can lower your water heater by a few degrees and install low-flow showerheads and faucets. You will most likely barely notice a difference in your showers, but you will be saving a significant amount of money on water and water heating costs. Even installing a simple insulation blanket around your water heater will have a noticeable impact on efficiency.

What else can you do?

Outside of lowering your baseload, you can also make some simple air sealing changes to help keep conditioned air within your home. Visit your local hardware store and pick up some sealing supplies, then seal up your windows and doors throughout your home. You'll notice that the air near these windows are doors will feel similar to the air in the rest of your home. The sealing keeps the conditioned air in, and the outside air out.

If you are serious about becoming more energy efficient and aren't sure where to begin, give us a call. We can come out to your home and perform an energy audit that will let you know exactly where your home stands, as well as make recommendations. No obligations. Give us a call at 877-526-3202 or send us an email at info@affortablecomfort.biz.

YouthBuild Training Program - Giving Young People a Second Chance

YouthBuild USA has programs around the nation, but Affordable Comfort has a special relationship with the St. Louis chapter, as we currently employee three graduates from the program. We truly believe in this wonderful association and would like to get the word out about it.

YouthBuild is a program that accepts young men and women who might have had a rough time in life. They may be high school dropouts, or simply young people who are having a hard time getting started in the professional world. YouthBuild welcomes these young people into their program and gives them the skills they need to land a good job.

The YouthBuild program focuses on construction-related specialties such as weatherization, BPI, OSHA, and lead safe training. The hands-on training gives the students the skills they need to work in the industry, but the directors take it a few steps further. Young people in this program are also taught about the importance of reliability, respect, and other important life skills. YouthBuild recognizes that their students need to be stand up citizens as well as skilled workmen in order to start their career.

So what are people saying about?

"These guys are polite, that's refreshing," says David Femmer, owner of Affordable Comfort.

Femmer goes on to explain how Affordable Comfort got involved with this program and how it continues to be a trusted source for great employees. "We took 3 or 4 of these guys right away. One of the original guys we got from YouthBuild is now part of our management team."

When asked if he ever worried about the stereotypes surrounding a program that helps at-risk youth, Femmer shook his head and said, "YouthBuild doesn't send anyone they don't believe in. I can put them on the job right away."

How do YouthBuild participants feel about it?

Affordable Comfort currently employs 3 YouthBuild graduates, Rafael, Matthew, and Ricordo.

"I think YouthBuild is an extraordinary program. There are stereotypes about the program, some might say that they're trouble kids. Instead, they're just young men and women who need help," says Rafeael.

"They are more close knit and everyone is family there. Youthbuild has a lot to do with where I'm at in my life today. YouthBuild gave me many opportunities that I would not have received anywhere else. They taught me the leadership and life skills that will take me where I want to be in life. Honestly, I don't know where I would be if I was never a part of YouthBuild," adds Ricordo.

"They believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. They showed me it's OK to makes mistakes, that you can you fix them and, in a way I always knew I could do different things I just needed a little push and now I cant stop!" says Matthew.

This program really works.

This program shatters all the stereotypes that accompany at-risk youth. These men prove that with the right training and motivation, lives can be turned around and put back on track. Affordable Comfort is proud to employ YouthBuild graduates and will continue to look to them for quality employees.

Home Tax Credit Extended

As tax season comes into full swing, many of you are probably looking for any tax breaks you can get. The great news is a home tax credit that was valid through 2012 was just extended through 2013. Homeowners can claim up to $500 in tax credit to cover material costs of energy-efficient upgrades to existing homes. This means that homeowners who made these upgrades during 2012 are also eligible for the credit, along with anyone who wishes to upgrade their home during 2013. \

Great news!

 So what does it cover?

 The tax credit can be applied to any of the following upgrades:

•    Insulation - Additional insulation to walls, ceilings, or other part of the building envelope that meets the 2009 IECC (& supplements) specifications.

• Windows - 10% of material cost, up to $200 for replacement windows and skylights, and exterior doors that meet EnergyStar requirements.
• Windows must be equal to or below a 0.30 U factor and a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of 0.30. Storm windows that meet the IECC in combination with their paired external window are eligible (taking into account the applicable climate zone). Storm doors paired with U-factor rated wood doors are eligible provided they do not exceed the default U-factor requirement for the combination. See the 2009 IECC for details.
• Window Films -The product must meet the requirements of a "qualifying insulation system" and be manufacturer certified.
•   Home Sealing - Sealing cracks in the building shell and ducts to reduce infiltration and heat loss in a manner consistent with the 2009 IECC.
• Electric Heat Pump - Must yield an energy factor of at least 2.0 in the standard Department of Energy test procedure.
• Natural Gas & Propane Furnaces - Credit of up to $150 for furnaces that meet an Annual Fuel Use Efficiency (AFUE) 95 or higher. Oil furnaces and gas, oil and propane boilers must meet an AFUE of 90 or better.
• Central air Conditioning Units and Air-Source Heat Pumps - Credit of up to $300 for units that meet the highest tier standards set by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) as of February 17, 2009, which in most cases requires a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 16.
• Natural Gas, Propane, or Oil Water Heaters - Must have an energy factor of at least 0.82 or thermal efficiency of at least 90 percent.
• Biomass Fuel Property - A stove that burns biomass fuel to heat a dwelling unit located in the United States and used as a principal residence by the taxpayer; or to heat water for said dwelling unit, and must have a thermal efficiency rating of at least 75 percent.

What if I already upgraded?

If you made any of these upgrades during 2012, you can claim the $500 tax credit on your 2012 tax return. Just tell your tax preparer that this is listed under section 25C of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

How can this help during 2013?

 

The tax credit can only be claimed once, so if you plain to claim it on your 2012 taxes, you will not be able to use it again in 2013. However, if you were on the fence about any energy-efficient upgrades before, this should certainly push you in the right direction.

Energy efficient upgrades already have a very high return on investment, as they lower your utility costs and eventually pay for themselves. Now, thanks to this tax credit, you can speed up that return on investment quite a bit. If you make any of the eligible upgrades during 2013, you can expect up to $500 back from your 2013 tax return. Not a bad deal, right?

So how do I know what I need?

You can leave that up to us. We can take a look at your home and figure out exactly what you need to make your home more energy efficient. We can also help make sure that any and all upgrades are eligible for this particular tax credit. Just give us a call at 877-526-3202 or send us an email at info@affordablecomfort.biz.

Are Your Heating Your Home or The Neighborhood?

With the first snow falling just a couple weeks ago, we think it's safe to say that winter is upon us.

Snow is actually a great way to figure out whether your are simply heating your home or all the air around it.

Take a look at these photos:

These photos were both taken 2 days after the snow had originally fallen. The first photo is the home of an Affordable Comfort employee. The second photo shows his neighbor's home. Each house sits in direct sunlight, on the same street - so why is one roof still covered in snow two days after the original snowfall?

That's the difference insulation can make. 

Thanks to proper insulation, home #1 is staying nice and toasty on the inside without letting all the expensive heat escape through the roof. Home #2 is paying much more money just to keep the same comfort level as home #1, simply because their insulation is not up to standards.

There is a good chance your insulation could use an update.

Chances are, the residents of home #2 feel pretty comfortable and haven't put much thought into their home's insulation in years. Their home may feel warm, which gives the impression of a properly insulated home. However, a quick look at these pictures shows that their insulation is not working as well as it could.

So what does your roof look like? 

If the snow melted off your home in no time after the last snowfall - it's time for an insulation update. Give us a call and we'll take a look. With all the financial incentive programs paired with the return on investment you will see on your lower utility bills, the repairs may ring up to a very reasonable rate.

Give us a call at 1-877-526-3203 or send us an email at info@affordablecomfort.biz.