Article by Marcus Pickett/servicemagic.com

Improving energy efficiency is a great home improvement goal. It can be tackled from several different angles, but the best projects will help you save money on your utility bills and help the local and global environment. Creating and prioritizing a list of projects that will improve the energy efficiency of your home is helpful in knowing where to begin. The general condition of your home, your local climate, and your budget are all important factors in determining how to make the best list possible.

1. Improve Energy Efficiency with Insulation
Inadequate insulation and air leakage are the two leading causes of energy waste. Since the average home uses over half its total energy demand on heating and cooling adding new insulation to your home usually dramatically reduces your utility bill. Given the right circumstances and insulation, the project can pay for itself in just a few short years and will add to the resale value of your home. Often, the best place to start is the roof. As heat rises, a larger percentage of energy is often lost through the roof than any other area of the home. Be careful, though, a leaky roof or attic pests can quickly ruin your roof insulation, and you may also need to add roof ventilation to protect your insulation, your roof, and your attic.

Read more: http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.Improve-Your-Home-Energy-Efficiency.14830.html#ixzz2FPxJTX12

Hang a Unique Wreath

Give your living room a modern spin for the holidays — and focus on the fireplace – with a nontraditional wreath. Fill a wicker basket with freshly clipped evergreen boughs, leafy stems, and berried twigs from the backyard and hang above the fireplace. Tie the decor together with more greenery in a rustic urn by the chair and on the mantel as a simple garland.

Try an Unique Color Scheme

Punch up traditional red and green with a zing of an unexpected hue, such as fuchsia. Introduce the color in small doses: a throw on the couch, ribbon on a wreath, trim around a lampshade, or even gift wrap on the packages. Here, miniature white feather trees are bedecked all in pink to bring the color center stage. For more color schemes, click here.

We recommend that if you are costing out a new HVAC system, or even just one condenser, you should consider looking at your whole building envelope. Make sure you talk to an expert not only in HVAC systems, but a holistic energy and building contractor. If we can be of any assistance, we invite you to request a free site visit with one of our professionals.

Fred Altmann is a unique character; unassuming, friendly, obviously an avid outdoorsman and extremely active just shy of 68 years old. I met Mr. Altmann for lunch at Yosh’s Unique Deli in South Meadows (I might need to write a post about them soon, the Tri-Tip Sandwich on Dutch Crunch was awesome) to hear his story. After talking with him, chances are most Reno residents have run across one of Fred’s companies in the past 30 years: Altmann Construction, Altmann Ott Homes, or today’s Better Green Building. His current venture, Better Green Building Company focuses on green construction practices, renewable energy and energy efficient buildings in Reno and Lake Tahoe.

35 years ago Mr. Altmann got his start in construction after he and his father built Fred’s (and his wife Jill’s) first house in the Santa Cruz mountains. Fred said, “It was a disaster of an experience, but you know, I really realized that I loved working with my hands and I enjoyed seeing the whole idea come together.” Growing up Fred’s father had been a Ranger in … READ MORE (Original) ->

The Federal Housing Authority’s Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) Program allows new home buyers or existing homeowners to roll the cost of energy efficiency projects into their FHA insured mortgage. Through the EEM program, you can finance 100% of the cost of an “energy package” which includes things like:

• Furnace or air conditioner repair/replacement
• Insulation or Windows
• Solar or Geothermal energy

It’s frustrating enough that as a nation we are having such a tough time embracing a forward-thinking energy policy, but it’s unnerving when Nevada seems to ignore what the rest of the US (and world) is doing. There must some type of information filter in the Sierra Nevada range because in 2011 Sacramento completed more EEM’s than anywhere in the nation, while Reno, Nevada completed less than 5!

We need to get the word out to the real estate community here in Northern Nevada. EEM’s are an incredibly effective way to help homeowners save on their long-term energy expenditures! This also increases the total value of the mortgage and helps close the deal by putting the home buyer at ease. The savings are self-financing — this is a rare occurrence these days that needs to be leveraged.

The median home price in Reno, NV is $143,000, and homeowners are eligible to finance up to 5% of the total closing costs toward the energy efficient mortgage. This means that if we were able to convert 250 (a modest effort) of these average home mortgages into EEM’s that would result in a city-wide residential energy efficiency investment of $1.78 million!!!

This is something we can do right now…so let’s do it.

For more information:

• Attend the Reno/Sparks Association of Realtors’ Seminar on EEM’s: April 19th from 9-10:30 am at 5650 Riggins Court, Reno, NV 89502
• Download the Energy Efficient Mortgage Fact Sheet

Thank you for reading our blog
If you are interested we invite you to  Subscribe in a reader

2.) A typical residential solar energy system is connected to the power grid and is referred to as “grid tied” or “net metered” solar. Grid tied solar energy systems feed any surplus electricity back into the power grid. Here in Nevada, any excess energy will effectively spin your meter backwards so that you get a credit toward future usage.

3.) The main components of a residential solar system include: solar panels, an inverter, and a meter. The solar panels can be mounted directly on the roof or on ground-mount racking systems. The panels produce DC electricity which feeds into the inverter. The inverter changes the DC electricity into household AC electricity. A meter records the system’s production and ensures you get credit for all the electricity produced.

4.) Solar electric systems require little to no annual maintenance and last up to 30 years. Most solar panel manufacturers have a 25-year power tolerance warranty, and most inverter manufacturers have a 10-year warranty, with optional 15-20 year plans.

5.) While there is no direct study for home value impacts here in Reno, Nevada, there are several studies that show how solar electricity can increase the resale value of your home. One study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab shows that both new and existing homes with solar electricity fetched a premium of up to $6 per DC Watt ($18,600 for the average system).

6.) The average residential solar power system in Reno, Nevada will offset 8,370 lbs of CO2 emissions every year!! That’s 209,250 lbs over a 25-year period!!

7.) While every home in Reno is different, most homes will require a 5 kW of solar panels. The total installed cost of this system will be around $25,000-30,000 before the federal and state incentives. The system will produce about $680 worth of electricity in the first year.

8.) The federal tax credit applies to residential solar energy systems and will return 30% of the total system cost. 30% of the total cost will get you credit toward whatever is owed on federal taxes.

9.) NV Energy’s SolarGenerations Rebate Program will provide residential clients with up to $1.30 per AC Watt.  That’s about $5,590 for the average 5kW system.

10.) There are many different options for financing or leasing a solar electricity system in Reno, Nevada. Most banks will offer a home equity loan or line of credit, and there are several solar-specific same-as-cash and loan programs.

Thanks for reading through our solar electricity breakdown. Be sure to contact us for more information!!

Thank you for reading our blog
If you are interested we invite you to  Subscribe in a reader

1.) The basic idea is to pre-heat water with the sun’s energy so that your water heater – whether gas or electric, storage or tankless – uses less energy to get your water up to 120 degrees. We install 3 major components in line with your existing water heater: solar hot water panels, a solar storage tank, and a circulation system to move the water.

2.) Solar hot water has the best payback if you have an electric or propane water heater, or if you are a commercial client consuming more than 250 gallons of hot water per day.

3.) Tankless, or on-demand, water heaters can be cost-effective, and they have a higher efficiency than conventional storage-based water heaters. However, tankless systems are best if the home uses less than 50 gallons per day…then you have no reason to store 50+ gallons of hot water. Like most homes, however, 50 gallons of hot water goes fast…and so does the fuel through a tankless system.

4.) Residential systems can be installed in less than two days, and the system will last more than 20 years. Solar hot water panels are typically mounted on the roof or on the ground, as close to south-facing as possible. A solar storage tank is hooked up in parallel to the existing water heater to provide extra storage and a buffer in the event that the solar collectors overheat.

5.) While there’s no direct study on the effect of solar hot water on home prices here in Reno, Nevada, one study from the Lawrence Berkely National Lab shows that solar energy boosts the resale value of both new and old homes.

6.) A residential solar hot water system should offset 60-80% of the fuel needed for domestic hot water. This translates to huge environmental impacts! Depending on the type of fuel being offset, the typical 4-person solar hot water system will displace 2000-5000 kg of CO2 per year!

7.) The bottom line is that residential solar hot water will cost about $7,000-10,000 installed. There is a federal incentive which provides a tax credit for 30% of the total installed costs, and there are other various state and local incentives to sweeten the deal.

8.) Both NV Energy and Southwest Gas have state rebate programs for solar hot water that provide about $2,500 for the average residential solar thermal system.

9.) There is financing available for residential and commercial solar hot water! There are many forms of financing to explore including 180-day same-as-cash, home equity loans, unsecured loans and much more.

10.) Solar hot water systems require very minimal annual maintenance and they’re designed to last 20+ years. Most systems only require a few hours of annual maintenance, and the major equipment (tank and collectors) has a 10-15 year manufacturer warranty.

Thanks for reading about solar hot water. If you have more questions please contact us!!!

Thank you for reading our blog
If you are interested we invite you to  Subscribe in a reader

Stay tuned for more updates as we further our roll out of new products and services. We will be offering free site assessments for energy upgrades, solar electricity, solar hot water, and ground source heating. We are extremely proud of our company and our brand; and we are be proud to be your Better Green Building Company.

Thank you for reading our blog
If you are interested we invite you to  Subscribe in a reader