Solar panels for your home

Making the change to solar energy can be an easy decision once you have all the facts.  We spoke to Chris White, a solar consultant at AES ( Alternative Energy Southeast Inc. ) in Atlanta  and he provided us with a detailed explanation of how your monthly utility savings and increased home values can add up to an impressive return on your investment that only grows as electric utility rates continue to rise.

For those of you that are not knowledgeable on the topic of solar power panels we want to give you some back ground on how the system works to better help you understand.

The solar panels store energy during the day that is it gets from the sun.  These solar panels have batteries that store this energy.  You can use this energy to run your power needs in the evenings and/ or when there are power outages.  Depending on the size of your home, during a power outage the batteries associated with the solar panels can furnish power to your home for a day or two.

Some homeowners prefer to use generators to power their homes during power outages.  Generators can furnish power for longer periods of time but also will increase your cost of power and natural gas.

Other Benefits of Solar Energy for Homeowners Include:

Lower energy costs – Solar panels pay for themselves within the time frame of 7 to 10 years and they have a warranty of 25 years, which means for you, years and years of free energy from the sun.

Increased value of your home – Besides the incentive of lower energy costs to attract buyers – “Researchers found that buyers were willing to pay a premium for a home with the average-size solar power system… compared with a home without one.”

Tax incentives – There are a number of financial incentives to installing solar systems.  When you purchase a solar system for your home you immediately get a 30% tax credit on your federal income tax. This credit will start disappearing in 2020.  Also, if you are putting a new roof on, we sometimes can roll the cost of the roof into the cost of the solar panels as well and you can get a 30% tax credit for your roof as well.

Energy-independence – A solar panel system with battery back-up can keep the lights on when storms and other conditions knock your neighbors “off the grid”. Solar power is independent of oil pipeline breaks, gas shortages, and world politics that monopolies use to increase your energy costs.

Environmental friendliness – Switching to solar energy will have a positive impact on our environment and the one our children will inherit. Together, we can reduce harmful emissions (like sulfur dioxide), reduce poisonous waste products (like arsenic and mercury) and keep more clean water for drinking.

If you need anything else, we are here to help. Contact us today if you have any further inquiries.

The post Is Solar Energy Right For You? appeared first on Eco Custom Homes.

A rain garden is a garden of local shrubs, perennials, and flowers planted generally on the downside of a slope on your property. They are a fun family project and can be created in one afternoon.  You can do it yourself or use your landscaper to help you create your rain garden.   By using local and native plants you avoid the use of fertilizers and pesticides.  Rain water gardens are designed to hold and soak in rain water runoff that flows from roofs, driveways, patios and your lawns. Rain gardens are effective in removing up to 90% of nutrients and chemicals and up to 80% of sediments from the rainwater runoff. Compared to a conventional lawn, rain gardens allow for more water to be absorbed into the ground and require minimal care.

A rain garden is not a water garden or a pond. A rain garden is dry most of the time. It typically holds water only during and/ or following rain.

Every time it rains, water runs off impermeable surfaces, such as roofs or driveways, collecting pollutants such as particles of dirt, fertilizer, chemicals, oil, garbage, and bacteria along the way. The pollutant-laden water enters storm drains untreated and flows directly to nearby streams and ponds. The pollutants carried by rainwater runoff account for 70% of all water pollution.

Rain gardens collect rainwater runoff, allowing the water to be filtered by vegetation and percolate into the soil recharging groundwater aquifers. These processes filter out and reduce the pollutants into our lakes, streams and ponds.  They are very Eco friendly and are becoming more and more popular in landscaping alternatives.

The City of Atlanta has more information about rain gardens, download a free copy today for your reading pleasure!

If you need anything else, we are here to help. Contact us today if you have any further inquiries.

The post Rain Gardens 101 appeared first on Eco Custom Homes.

Fans, Fans, and More Fans

According to Energy.gov, the use of a ceiling fan will allow you to raise your AC cooling temperature by about 4°F. Over the course of the month that could lead to big savings. However, keep in mind that the cooling effect from a fan is because of the “wind chill effect”, so leaving the fan on while you’re not in the room does not help reduce the temperature.

Also consider ventilation fans for your bathrooms, laundry rooms, in short, any room that traps heat and humidity.

The Right Temperature for Room Temperature

Small differences in temperature can lead to big savings. Set your room temperature to 78°F (ahem not 68°F or 70°F), those extra 4°F to 6°F really start to add up over time.

Be Careful with Those Appliances!

Timing is everything for when you use your appliances. Avoid using your oven between 2pm to 8pm during the summer. If you insist on having to cook during those times, consider using an outdoor grill or microwave to heat or cook your food. Also, avoid having your thermostat be in close proximity to your appliances.

You should also consider washing your clothes with cold water and running the dryer at night, when the air temperature is cooler.

Cell phone and battery chargers that are plugged in but not in use are often referred to as energy vampires. According to Energy.gov, the average charger consumes 0.26 watts of energy when not in use and 2.24 watts when connected to your phone. Alone, one charger won’t make much impact, but collectively energy vampires can be responsible for 10% of your energy bill. So, unplug your chargers when not in use.

Warm Water is Hot Water

Set your water heater at 120°F. That is still quite warm and colder showers are better in the summer anyway!

If you have other energy efficiency goals get in touch with us today and we’ll be glad to provide you with a free assessment on how to replace aging materials with new, modern, energy efficient alternatives that will ultimately boost the value of your home.

Seal All Windows

Go the extra mile by sealing the air leaks in and around the windows in your home. If your windows are drafty, consider adding weatherstripping around the frames. Add a bead of silicone caulk over any cracks in your drywall or apply a sheet of shrink film to your windows. Sealing gaps and cracks is an easy and inexpensive way to lower energy costs.

Add Insulation to your Home

Adding insulation to your attic can help seal air leaks and improve your home’s heating and cooling costs. The amount of insulation needed to cover your attic depends on your home’s size.

Are you interested in learning more about how Eco Custom Homes can help you provide a better home or commercial environment to save on your energy costs? Contact us today to schedule a free consultation!

The post Tips for Energy Efficiency This Summer appeared first on Eco Custom Homes.

Eco Custom Homes has helped countless clients upgrade their kitchens and bathrooms. Being that we are now half way through the year (gulp!), we thought the timing was right to share some of the kitchen and master bathroom trends for 2018 and beyond.

Hello Quartz and Brass

For many years granite tops were a must have in the latest and greatest kitchens. Newer kitchens are starting to use alternative materials, such as Quartz, that aren’t so porous which make them more sanitary. Brass on the other hand is making a strong come back. Home owners are making use of brass for staple items like faucets to give a modern, yet comforting look to their environment.

Color Reigns

At Eco Custom Homes we are noticing that designers and home owners alike are asking for more color in their kitchens. This gives kitchens a fun look and yet helps retain a high-end appeal. Blues and grays, in particular, are the big trending colors.

Master Bathrooms Are Getting Smaller

It turns out that one of the more interesting trends is that master bathrooms are actually getting smaller, not larger! Home owners understand that using more of their square footage for the areas where they spend most of their time makes sense. Therefore, one of the common denominators that we see in our projects is to put a lot of emphasis on managing a smaller space efficiently with luxury materials, good ventilation, and space saving techniques.

Smart Bathrooms

Bathrooms are not a stranger to the smart home trends. Some of the items home owners are adding to bathrooms include small refrigerators that are integrated into the cabinetry to keep medicines cool. Others are more familiar, such as faucets that turn on and off automatically, or showers that kick off fresh tunes once they are turned on. Yes, toilets are becoming smart too! The range of options for smart toilets is almost overwhelming. Some of the features include heating toilet tops, deodorizers, integrated fans, multiple cleaning options, and more.

Let us know if you would like more information on how we can help you achieve your kitchen and bathroom goals, both in residential and commercial environments!

The post A Curated List of Kitchen and Bathroom Trends for 2018 appeared first on Eco Custom Homes.

These outdoor living spaces do not just consist of a table and some lounge chairs but instead homeowners are turning their backyards into entertainment areas that consist of pools, kitchens, fire pits and / or fireplaces, ceiling fans, comfortable lounge areas with outdoor chairs and couches and TV´s, sound systems, dining areas, and bars.  People are wanting to take the indoor comfort of their homes outdoors.

Homeowners are realizing that this is also a way to increase square footage of their home.  It is extending your indoor living space to an outdoor living space.  With outdoor entertainment area and living places people also seek privacy so you see noise canceling barriers, outdoor blinds, and decorative walls.

The Eco Custom Home Team has recently just finished some outdoor living spaces that would meet all of the criteria of extending your homes outward. Take a look at some of our most recent projects below. If you would like to know more about these outdoor additions, get in touch with us to talk about your options.

Project designed by Jones Pierce Archeticts.

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First, let’s look at where we are today. To achieve air tightness in the Under 2 ACH (air changes per hour) range, manual ventilation must be supplied to prevent bad, stale air from building up in a home. The most common way of doing this in Georgia is to add a fresh air vent to the HVAC unit, but when the HVAC unit is not operating, no fresh air is being changed. Also, this method does not really supply an accurate amount of fresh air to the areas that need it the most, and in our climate, just the latent humidity load required for ventilation equates to close to 12,000 BTUs on an average home.

The current trend and best solution we have right now is adding another system to the home. An Ultra–Aire dehumidifier handles both ventilation and dehumidification. Depending on the size of the unit, it’s $4,000 to $5,000 with install.

Looking to the future, all-in-one units are starting to come on the market. One of the newest is the Minotair, a nice, compact unit that almost does it all. The Minotair provides 12,000 BTUs of cooling, 6,000 BTUs of heating, HEPA filtrations and sensors for VOC and CO2 levels. Earlier this year, Eco Custom Homes completed a two-story, 3,000-square-foot home that had a cooling load of 29,000 BTUs. We used a zoned mini-split system and added energy recovery ventilation (ERV). In the not-too-distant future, three Minotair units (one per floor) could be the answer.

As homes become more airtight and efficient, we will continue to see less heating and cooling needed. While the Minotair is a step up from what we have seen in the past few years, it still does not provide enough heating or cooling for our climate. Within the next decade, we believe all-in-one systems will be the norm and the answer we’re looking for here in Georgia.

The post Takeaways from the 12th Annual North American Passive House Conference appeared first on Eco Custom Homes.

1. Add an addition: whether you need more room for guests to stay or another living space, adding a guest house or living area can sometimes be the perfect solution.

2. Finish the basement: the unfinished space in your basement can be a great place for an extra bedroom, living space or media room.

3. Add a bump out: if a little extra space in your kitchen, dining room or living room is what you are looking for, adding a bump out can be a minimally invasive way to add more space to your home.

4. Create an outdoor living space: the addition of outdoor seating, an outdoor table or a fire pit with a little landscaping can add the perfect new living space you have been looking for.

5. Add a second story balcony: a second story balcony can add a private outdoor living space that opens up and adds more light to the second floor of your home.

6. Convert the Attic: the unfinished attic you have can be the perfect space to transition into a playroom, media room or office.

7. Take down an interior wall: if the wall dividing your kitchen and dining room makes the space feel cramped, taking that wall down can do wonders to the feel of the space.

8. Repurpose a room: that room in your home that you never use can be repurposed to add new, fun and more comfortable living space.

9. Convert the garage: a garage has a lot of space that most people do not take full advantage of. Converting the garage to also include storage space can free up a lot of room in your home that you want to use for other purposes.

The post Nine Ways to Add More Space to Your Home appeared first on Eco Custom Homes.

Home automation also gives you remote access to programmable devices, such as thermostats and sprinkler systems, from your mobile device anywhere in the world. The system can also be applied to lights, electrical outlets, appliances, doors, windows, locks, smoke detectors, etc. Its two main functions include:
• Wireless Remote Control – Enables remote access to your connected home appliances and home automation systems from smartphones, tablets and computers.
• Programmability – Allows you to program your connected home appliances and home automation systems to perform functions based on preset conditions. You can have lights on or off at certain times of the day, set the HVAC to fine-tune the temperature of the house depending on when family members are at home, or program all lights to turn on if security alarms are set off.

Today, the adoption of home automation systems is driven by a number of factors, such as desire for convenience, energy efficiency and home security. With that in mind, what are some factors to pay attention to when selecting out of numerous providers? To start, we need a simple understanding of the components of the system.

Home automation requires at least two, but typically three components to function properly:
• Control Software – Home automation systems used to be discreet, often wall-mounted control devices. Today, they are software applications that turn your smartphone into a control device or a remote control for a separate control device, to communicate with wirelessly connected smart household appliances.
• Control Device – Many home automation systems still include a control device.
• Smart Appliances/ Peripherals – These are the end devices that are automated and communicate wirelessly with the control device. Peripherals include automatic door locks, thermostats, cameras, speakers or even smart electrical plugs that are programed to shut off at certain times during the day.

In general, the average HAS ranges from $5,000 to $15,000, depending mainly on the characteristics of your property. You may also want to start with a few peripherals at a time to avoid a large upfront investment. For example, installing 10 smart lights would cost roughly $600 dollars.

There are several home automation systems on the market today, all with different functionality, compatible peripherals, help & support, home control technology and supported configurations. A great provider to starting your exploration is Control4.

Control4 puts lighting, shades & windows, climate and home entertainment at consumers’ fingertips with the integration of home automation. Whether it’s waking up, traveling, movie time or retiring for the day, they strive to assist you throughout each part of your day and to personalize each aspect to your needs.

The home automation market is in a state of flux now that Google, Amazon and Apple are releasing Voice recognition HUBs for the home. Currently, these system really only control lighting, HVAC, locks and a few other features. They do not control TVs, surround sound systems or whole home media systems. But the cost and self-programming features may be worth the wait. If you are in the market for a full smart home now, brands such as Control4, Crestron and Savant may be the route to go. These systems do require an “authorized” dealer to program these systems and make any future changes.

Home automation is making its way into more and more homes, providing an easier way of life, reducing utility costs and offering homeowners peace of mind. If you have any thoughts or questions on a system that you own or are looking into, feel free to reach out to us at info@ecocustomhomes.com or call 404-303-7280.

The post Let’s Talk Home Automation appeared first on Eco Custom Homes.

1 – Mold spores (they are just about everywhere)
2 – Nutrient sources such as dust, wood, drywall, cotton (all of which are ubiquitous)
3 – Proper environment: oxygen, darkness, warmth and, last but not least, moisture

Moisture is key to prevention. As long as you properly control the humidity, your home will likely stay mold-free. Some common sources of moisture in the home include:

Water Leakage
Regularly inspect your home for even minor leaks that may not be obvious. Mold can grow in unsuspected places, such as under wallpaper and insulation, inside your walls, on the carpet or even on ceiling tiles. Your HVAC coolant lines likely run inside your walls, if your HVAC is in the attic – damaged insulation on those coolant lines can produce just enough condensation for mold to flourish inside your walls.

Air Humidity
In the South, when you open the windows in the spring, humidity inside your home can quickly rise above the 55% threshold necessary for mold growth. Use a de-humidifier to keep humidity within the house low (especially the basement). Some home thermometers and home monitoring security cameras (such as Flir FX) have humidity sensors that alert you when humidity crosses a certain level.

Lack of Sunlight
A final general prevention tip is to keep sunlight exposure high. The ultraviolet light from the sun inhibits mold growth. If possible, open all the blinds and curtains to let the sun keep you safe!

In the case that you have already discovered mold, these common household items can help you remove it: bleach, borax, vinegar, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, detergent, baking soda, tea tree oil, and grapefruit seed extract. For detailed instructions on when and how to use each of the above solutions visit here.

Mold can lie dormant for long periods of time without completely dying so it is imperative that treatment and prevention is an ongoing process. With summer approaching, keep your family healthy by taking care of your home.

The post April Showers Bring…May Mold appeared first on Eco Custom Homes.

Change the filter – most HVAC systems need a new filter at least once every three months.
Visually inspect the key parts of your HVAC – frozen coils, water leaks, dirty evaporators or condenser coils may all require the assistance of an HVAC professional. Finding the problems early can reduce your repair costs later, when you need the HVAC running the most.
Pay attention to your thermostat: If it takes too long to cool or to heat up your home, it may be a sign that something is not working properly.

Aside from performing DIY inspections, if you are technically inclined, Energy Star provides a list of additional maintenance items:

1. Check the thermostat settings – Installing a programmable thermostat is a great way to ensure your home’s HVAC system cools and heats the home at the most efficient and opportune time. During a seasonal tune-up, an HVAC company should check the settings to make sure the system is heating or cooling as programmed.

2. Inspect electrical connections and test voltage on system components – Broken, loose or disconnected connections can mean your system isn’t operating properly, efficiently or safely, which will also increase the likelihood of component failure.

3. Lubricate moving parts – Moving parts without the right amount of lubrication increase friction and decrease your system’s overall efficiency. Without regular lubrication as needed, moving parts will also wear out more quickly.

4. Inspect the condensate drain – If the drain for condensation in your home’s air conditioner, furnace or heat pump becomes obstructed, water damage, high humidity levels and possible mold or bacteria growth may result.

5. Check system start-up and shutdown controls for proper operation – The startup and shutdown cycles, usually based on the thermostat settings, should be checked to make sure the system is operating properly and safely.

6. Check, clean or replace the air filter – This should be a part of the regular service, but if you don’t check or change your filters yourself, the HVAC contractor should be able to show you how to perform this essential task.

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