MyGreenKC is a proud Evergy and Spire partner, and we’re here to help homeowners improve the efficiency and comfort of your home.

As temperatures begin to rise for the Spring and Summer season you may realize that your home needs improvements to maintain comfort and keep costs low. As much as you wouldn’t want cold air to enter your home in the winter, you don’t want your cooled air escaping when it’s hot outside. In either of those situations you are wasting energy and money.

When working with a preferred authorized contractor like MyGreenKC, you may also be eligible for rebates and discounts on the upgrades you make to your home. If you are considering a new thermostat check for discounts direct from your energy company. For long term overall savings, make sure you are selecting the most efficient lighting for your home.

The most helpful thing a homeowner can do, though, is make sure the structure and void spaces of you home are properly insulated and sealed. Our employees offer five star service and have the knowledge to protect you home and your wallet from the elements. If you want to find out where you stand as far as your energy consumption, contact us for an energy audit. Properly insulating your walls, basement, crawl spaces and attic, will prepare you for whatever mother nature has in store.

Now is the time to get the jump on summer heat, and be sure that you have a comfortable space to come home to. Be sure to check with your energy provider for tips, discounts and rebates for your home improvements.

Many of us would like to know what kind of impact we are having on our environment and what we can do personally to protect our planet. While it may be difficult to pinpoint just how much energy we are using, an energy audit on our homes is often enlightening. Having an audit done on your house can give you a good idea of how much energy you are using, especially on a periodic basis. A professional audit can show you different ways your home is using energy, particularly with heating and cooling systems, but also energy used by your household appliances. More importantly, an audit will show us where energy is being wasted, and give us an idea of how to make improvements.

There are several possible solutions to this problem. Your heating and cooling systems may need cleaning or maintenance. An auditor can help find the proper settings for appliances to make our homes more efficient. It’s often beneficial to upgrade appliances and equipment to newer ‘energy-rated’ models. Audits will also show you where heat is escaping or cold is entering your home. Properly sealing and insulating your home is one of the best ways to improve our energy usage.

Having an audit done is educational for a homeowner, and improvements will help decrease our impact on the environment. Also, it can save homeowners money. Auditors can direct us towards possible rebates from programs that promote energy savings and reducing carbon footprints. Most improvements will reduce utility bills 5-30%. Your home’s overall value can increase as well. Helping reduce the strain on the environment in this way can impact homeowners in many ways.

See www.energystar.gov for helpful energy saving information, and energystar.gov/campaign/improvements/how_it_works/home_performance_assessment, for some pertinent information on home energy assessments.

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns: 

Check out: MyGreenKC.com
Call: 8163014448

A burst pipe would cause a lot of damage to your plumbing, walls, floors and foundation of your home. It’s important to make sure the pipes themselves and the voids where they exist are properly insulated. Your crawl spaces, basements, and attics may need extra insulation to help protect your water pipes.

Prior to having professional assistance, homeowners can do a few things to protect themselves from frozen pipes. First, keep your heat on, even if you are going to be away from home for awhile, it is important to keep your heat around 60 degrees. The pipes under floors, in walls, and in cabinets rely on the air circulating in your home to help keep them from freezing. And for that reason make sure you are not closing of rooms or areas in your house where water lines run.

Our professional technicians can offer further assistance. They’ll help homeowners find and check all those places that you might not think about. We can seal inner and outer areas where air gaps are present. They are knowledgeable about how to find and asses areas where pipes are entering your home and make sure that cold air is not entering in the same area. MyGreenKC specializes in insulating those areas where pipes and air ducts run. We can insulate your pipes and those difficult areas such as crawl spaces, walls and attics.

Protect your Home from Freezing Pipes

The water lines in your home have the potential to freeze if they are not properly protected. This will lead to big and expensive issues for homeowners. Frozen pipes can rupture and burst causing damage to the pipes itself but also to the walls, floors and structure of your home. In some instances even valued personal items can be damaged. 

Kitchen and bathroom pipes are often not insulated against the freezing temperatures that can cause damage. They then rely on the same heat intended to keep your living spaces comfortable to keep them from freezing. 

Your pipes likely rest in colder parts of your home like crawl spaces, basements or attics and may need extra protection. Here are our recommendations for avoiding the potential issues with freezing water lines:

1. Keep the heat on – Even if you want to save energy while you’re away, it is best to keep the ambient temp in your home above 60 degrees. Some landlords require that residents leave thermostats at this range or higher to avoid potential damage to the property.
2. Allow warm air to circulate through the house – Make sure that you are not closing off areas where pipes exist (bathrooms, kitchens/cabinets) from heat. If there are not proper heat sources in these areas make sure not to close any doors that would cut them off.
3. Seal the areas surrounding pipes – Cold air can get through foundations and circulate in walls and cabinets where pipes are running. Be sure to have sealed the inner and outer areas where air gaps are present. If possible check floors, walls and cabinets where pipes enter areas of the home. The outside air can seep through these gaps to make the vulnerable areas even colder.
4. Insulate the vulnerable areas – Pipes in crawl spaces, basements and attics can be further protected by being sure that these areas are properly insulated. Adding insulation in walls and above ceilings can add efficiency to heating systems while preventing cold air from entering the home. 

In some cases of extreme cold it may also be a good idea to leave the bathroom or kitchen faucet on at a drip in order to keep water moving through the pipes and less likely to freeze. Homeowners may also want to install heat tape directly to pipe. These are elements that can be turned on or be automated to add heat directly to pipes in extreme cold temperatures. Contact MyGreenKC for any of your Air Sealing and Insulation Needs.

Seasons Change and So Will Your Home’s Heating and Cooling Needs

As the end of winter nears concerns for energy usage and loss are not greatly diminished. Home owners don’t want to run heating systems later in the season than necessary and don’t want to turn on the AC too early. As the temperatures fluctuate you may want to crack a window during the day but retain heat in the evening. Here in the midwest we tend to expect some unseasonably cold days as spring approaches as well. MyGreenKC has tips and solutions for all your heating and cooling concerns.

Our main concern for your home is energy loss in general. Your home may benefit from an Energy Audit performed by our trained technicians. MyGreenKc can perform Blower Door Testing, Infrared Scans and Duct Testing to find the inefficiencies of your home. We will check your whole system from attics to basements and crawlspaces.

Attic Insulation is often the most affordable and effective way to improve your home’s energy efficiency. MyGreenKC specializes in this home upgrade. We offer several options and trained professionals to help stop the loss of energy through your attic space.

If any gaps in your home appear to be letting the heat out or the cold in, we can perform Air Sealing maintenance to stop your energy loss. Your ducting may also have gaps at connections and registers, be damaged or need cleaning. MyGreenKC can repair, seal and insulate to improve the efficiency of your system.

As the winter moves on and the season begins to change it’s still necessary to monitor, maintain or possibly upgrade your heating and cooling equipment. Be sure to check air filters and schedule regular maintenance for the longevity of your home’s heating and cooling equipment. ACs should be checked for proper refrigerant charge as well. Any outdoor units should also be cleaned and maintained before they are put into use.

During all seasons of the year drafty windows (link) may be a source of energy inefficiency. If you decide to replace them be sure that they meet the recommended energy star rating. Window gaps can be repaired and sealed as well to help maintain the comfort in your home.

In all, it is important to maintain your systems throughout cold and warm seasons. But it is also important to anticipate changes in weather and think in advance to get maintenance schedule and done before it is time to use your heating or cooling systems.

Rule Your Attic! (and save on energy costs)

Temperatures are dropping and it’s time to turn on the heat in your home. Your real concern is likely the cost and use of energy. One of the best things a homeowner can do is make sure your attic is properly insulated. Take a peek up there. If you can see your ceiling joists, you likely need to add insulation.  

At MyGreenKC we specialize in Attic Insulation. Getting into your attic may be a difficult or dirty job. We are happy to do the work for you. Our trained technicians can check your attic levels, and check for air leaks and inefficiencies with professional methods such as infrared scans, blower door testing and duct testing.

If we find you home to be inefficient we also provide the solutions. MyGreenKC offers Attic Insulation and Air Sealing as low cost/quick payback solutions for your home’s needs. We specialize in Blown In Insulation for attic spaces. Find more information on our website: MyGreenKC

Find more informations about the Rule Your Attic campaign by Energy Star.

1. Energy Audit – An Energy Audit is a complete assessment of your home from top to bottom. Our Auditing includes the use of Blower Doors to measure air leakage in your home. MyGreenKC also uses infrared cameras to find areas where the air is leaking. We’ll measure your attic insulation, and assess exterior wall and framed floor insulation.

2. Draft Proof – We can help with our Air Sealing services. Our trained staff use caulk, foam and weather-stripping to seal your house making it more comfortable and affordable. You may also add rubber seals for the bottom of doors, and treat your windows with heavy window curtains.

3. Windows – Swap out window screens or install storm windows(Link) to add layers of protection. You may need to repair or replace any cracked or broken window panes and inspect wood frames for rot.

4. HVAC Tune-Up – It’s important to hire someone to inspect the overall system twice a year, in spring for cooling and fall for heating This measure prolongs life of units, and saves on energy bills. Don’t forget to change the filters in the unit as well.

5. Winterize AC Units – For window units especially, this step will lengthen the life of your unit. You may want to remove window units and store them in  a cool dry place, or install specialized covers on them. This helps keep out drafts. Again, clean and replace the filter while you’re at it.

6. Update Insulation – Your home’s insulation can deteriorate over time. If an energy audit finds that you are losing energy, you can greatly reduce the cost of heating/cooling your home by properly insulating. Foam, fiberglass and blown are different types available. Blown insulation is most popular for the attic area. Foam is not recommended in attics because of problems with moisture. Although, foam insulating the walls can give you a better air seal barrier, but the cost is greater. Our professionals can help you with deciding which improvement will benefit your home the most.

7. Seal Garage – This step preserves heat in home and keeps the car a little warmer. You should caulk fissures and use tube shaped stripping for door bottoms. Having an insulated door where you enter the house from the garage is beneficial. Also, you should have insulated garage walls where they are shared with the house.

8. Ceiling Fans – One of the easiest things you can do to Go Green this Fall is change your ceiling fan direction. The switch is usually located on the motor housing of your fan. They should spin clockwise in winter to push warm air down.

9. Programmable Thermostat – For efficiency, installing or being sure to use your programmable thermostat will help keep cost down and comfort up. Program your energy usage for when you come and go. Set them to increase temps in the morning, and lower them at bedtime. 

10. Insulate Hot Water Pipes – This helps keep warm water in the pipes longer, so the boiler in your water heater doesn’t have to work as hard, and water gets hotter faster when it’s needed. Use sleeves or wraps to add insulation to your pipes.