Weatherization Programs Available
Filed under: Air Sealing, Doors, Energy, Insulation, Windows
DTE Energy, MichCon and Consumers Energy are offering several programs including rebates for energy efficiency upgrades. For example, DTE offers up to a $750 rebate for having your windows replaced with qualified, energy efficient windows or up to $500 for attic insulation. Consumers Energy has similar offers to its customers including up to a $750 rebate for installing a high-efficiency, natural gas boiler.
Some other offers include:
· Appliance Recycling – The utility will pick up your old, working refrigerator and pay you for it.
· Instant, in-store rebates on lighting at participating retailers.
· Free, online energy audits including a free gift just for using the service.
And these are just a few.
There is also energy efficiency assistance for those who qualify and always programs to help with the bill. Want to get started? Visit:
http://dteenergy.com
http://consumersenergy.com
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Get the Best Bang for Your Remodeling Buck
Filed under: Bathroom Remodeling, Home Remodeling, Kitchen Remodeling, Windows
Your home is your castle, but sometimes that castle may need a facelift. Remodeling is a great way to create a home environment that can meet your family’s changing needs and tastes without you having to spend a lot of money.
Before you spend your hard-earned dollars, however, make sure that the changes you make now will have longer-term benefits for you when you look to sell your home in the future.
You should find out what features are standard for homes in your neighborhood. If you only have one bathroom but most of the other homes average two or more, you will want to bring your house up to that standard. On the flipside, do not make changes to your house that are too extravagant or out-of-place for your neighborhood.
Make sure you are not making changes that will turn off prospective buyers. Keep in mind what future home buyers would like to see in their next home. It is often wiser to add an additional bathroom or bedroom rather than a sunroom or sauna, for example, which are costly and will not necessarily be a priority for anyone else.
The size and cost of your project matter as well. The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University advises that smaller or midrange jobs overall will tend to recover a higher percentage of their cost than larger, higher-end projects.
For example, replacing old windows will generate a higher payback ratio than adding a high-end kitchen with all of the bells and whistles and it costs significantly less, according to Stephen Melman, an economist with the National Association of Home Builders.
Maintenance-related projects, such as siding and window replacement, are especially popular because they are repairs that are seen as needed, but can also help improve curb appeal at fairly low costs in relation to other projects.
The top-ten midrange projects cited in Remodeling magazine’s “Cost vs. Value Report” that provide the highest percentage return are:
- Deck Addition (wood) - 81.8 percent
- Siding Replacement (vinyl) – 80.7 percent
- Minor Kitchen Remodel - 79.5 percent
- Window Replacement (wood) – 77.7 percent
- Window Replacement (vinyl) – 77.2 percent
- Major Kitchen Remodel - 76.0 percent
- Bathroom Remodel - 74.6 percent
- Attic Bedroom - 73.8 percent
- Deck Addition (composite) – 73.7 percent
- Basement Remodel - 72.9 percent
These numbers represent the national average and percentages may vary in your region. To get information on projects that are the best investment for your area, check out the Remodeling magazine’s “2009-2010 Cost vs. Value Report” published by Hanley Wood online at www.costvsvalue.com. If you would like a copy of the Detroit area Cost v Value report contact P & B Finishers and we will send you one.
Whether you are looking to sell your house soon, or are just looking to remodel for yourself, it makes sense to keep an eye on how the changes you make now will reflect on your biggest investment down the road.
To find a professional remodeler in southeast Michigan, contact your local home builders’ association at http://www.biaremodelor.org/ or visit www.nahb.org/remodel.
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HOME REMODELS, RETROFITS ARE KEY TO AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT FUTURE, NAHB PANELISTS SAY
by the National Association of Home Builders
LAS VEGAS, Jan 21 – As the nation’s home builders embrace green building in growing numbers, industry research indicates that even the most aggressive efficiency goals for new homes won’t make a dent in overall energy consumption.
Instead, remodeling and retrofitting the nation’s older homes is by far the more efficient solution, industry experts said at a press conference today at the International Builders’ Show® in Las Vegas.
The panelists spoke as the National Association of Home Builders commemorated Green Day, drawing attention to the green education and certification programs offered by the association and the many green products, supplies and materials on display this week in the world’s largest home building industry show.
The home building industry can combat the potential effects of global climate change by providing additional training to its members and by encouraging home owners to alter some of their habits – and make energy-efficient improvements to their homes, the panelists said.
Federal energy officials estimate that Americans consume about 21 percent of the energy produced each year to operate and maintain their homes: for heating, cooling and electrical appliances, from stoves and refrigerators to televisions, computers and hair dryers. “By just making thoughtful choices, we can reduce that impact,” said Ray Tonjes, chair of the NAHB Green Building Subcommittee and a green home builder in Austin, Texas.
“Energy efficiency is absolutely key to our nation’s continued security and to our economy. Additionally, we know that building with energy conservation in mind is practical and profitable. My industry has stepped up to the plate to prevent the effects of global warming – but we call it responding to market demand,” he said.
The greatest energy savings can be achieved by making changes to existing housing, which is less energy efficient than today’s new homes. “We obviously can’t solve the problem by tearing down all our inefficient housing stock and replacing it with new. We need to make some significant improvements to our existing homes,” Tonjes said.
Mike Hodgson, president of the California energy consulting company ConSol, revealed the results of a study conducted for the California Homebuilding Foundation last fall. Seventy percent of the greenhouse gas emissions related to single-family envelope energy consumption can be attributed to homes built before 1983, the study found.
Further, the study demonstrated that pending $10,000 retrofitting a 1960s home could save 8.5 tons of carbon, a cost of $588 to $1,176 per ton depending on tax credits and incentives. On the other hand, increasing the energy efficiency of a new home 35 percent over current state requirements would cost about $5,000 and would reduce emissions by 1.1 tons at a cost of $4,545 per ton.
“Simple arithmetic demonstrates how retrofitting existing homes with energy-efficient features is four to eight times more carbon- and cost-efficient than adding further energy-efficiency requirements to new housing,” Hodgson said.
Remodeler Devon Hartman of HartmanBaldwin, a Claremont, Calif design/build firm, said his customers are heeding the call. By adding insulation and sealing and tightening the duct system in one recent large home renovation project, Hartman was able to replace four older heating and air conditioning units totaling 16 tons to a new 6-ton system. “We’re no longer talking about just putting on sweaters or lowering the thermostat. We’re talking about creating energy through efficiency measures,” he said.
As more people turn to retrofitting and remodeling, demand increases for so-called green jobs, skilled employees to either manufacture or install components in the energy-efficient homes of the future.
Frederick Humphreys is President and CEO of the Home Builders Institute, which is the workforce development arm of NAHB, discussed new initiatives to prepare and train these workers, including major revisions of popular industry textbooks and other training materials to reflect today’s improved knowledge of building science and green technology.
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ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing more than 200,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. Known as “the voice of the housing industry,” NAHB is affiliated with more than 800 state and local home builders associations around the country. NAHB’s builder members will construct about 80 percent of the new housing units for 2009.
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