4 Energy-Efficient Renovations Homeowners Should Consider

HouseMaster, a home inspection organization, urges homeowners to be proactive in making energy-efficient home renovations in order to receive the rebates outlined in President Obama’s new “Home Star Retrofit Rebate” program, recently introduced in Congress. If passed, the proposed $6 billion program could reduce energy costs for middle-class families by hundreds of dollars a year.

HouseMaster provides the following easy check-ups every homeowner can do to optimize the energy efficiency of their home:

Windows and Doors
Holes in windows and doors allow conditioned air to leak from your home and allow outdoor air to infiltrate, which can tax your heating and cooling systems and raise your energy bills. Caulk around windows and doors where there are gaps. Also caulk areas where plumbing lines or electrical wiring extend to the exterior of the home.

Floor and Wall Insulation
Insulation acts as a barrier to heat movement and helps keep any home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter—all while using less energy. Making sure insulation is used at potential gaps such as around an attic stairway or over the attic access door is important as well.

Shedding a Little Light on a Simple Solution
By replacing traditional incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents, you can use up to 75% less energy on lighting alone. A wide assortment of CFLs is now available for almost any type fixture found in a home.

Appliances and HVAC Systems
Your major household appliances are a good place to focus on to make your home more eco-friendly. Start by changing the filters of your HVAC systems regularly and consider upgrading older appliances to take advantage of newer, more efficient designs.

Buy a Programmable Thermostat
This energy-saving step can have a positive and noticeable impact right away. Programmable thermostats are fairly easy to install and once they are set up a homeowner can adjust them as the weather changes. For every degree that a thermostat is set back, you may realize a savings between 1-3% on your heating or cooling bills.

For more information, visit www.housemaster.com.

2-10 Home Buyers Warranty

Starting January 1, 2010, a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandate will change the way your clients' home air conditioners are serviced and repaired. At that time, manufacturing HVAC equipment that primarily utilizes Freon® (also known as R-22 and HCFC-22) will be banned, and the nation will begin using products such as Puron® (also known as R-410A) as the standard refrigerant for air conditioners. This change will affect your buyers and sellers in many ways. Costs will increase
A variety of factors will lead to increased costs:

•R-22 parts may no longer be available.
•Since R-410A parts are not always interchangeable with R-22 parts, replacement of the entire system might be necessary.
•Physical changes to your system may be needed to accommodate the larger equipment required in air conditioners using R-410A refrigerant.
•The supply of R-22 refrigerant will be limited, causing the price to increase.
•Repairs may take longer because you may want to explore your options and wait for less expensive parts, if they are available.
•New HVAC equipment may be more expensive to purchase and install

Manufacturers' warranties may not provide full coverage
Typical manufacturers' warranties only cover parts for one year, in most cases. Labor is a significant part of any repair. Each manufacturer may take a different position if an R-22 system cannot be repaired or parts are not available.
System and appliance warranties/ service contracts typically exclude coverage resulting from government-mandated changes

Most system and appliance home service contracts/warranties contain language that effectively excludes the additional costs resulting from this government-mandated change. Each home service contract may deal with this situation differently.
Your Disclosure Responsibility
You may want to consult a licensed real estate attorney to determine if there are specific disclosure requirements.

You may also want to:
•Consider adding a disclosure form that details the potential impact of the new refrigeration requirements with all home sales.
•Offer a home service contract/ warranty on each transaction that includes R-410A coverage from a company that covers the transition.
•Have the parties to the transaction sign the disclosure form as evidence that they were made aware of the R-410A issue and were offered a home service contract/ warranty.
•Select a company with R-410A coverage in the base plan. This can be far too costly for your home buyers, to leave to chance or options

2-10 Home Buyers WarrantySM has taken proactive steps to address this change by upgrading our coverage to include R-410A covering costly upgrades, reducing your liability and eliminating risk to homeowners. Visit www.R410ASolutions.com to answer all your questions concerning the impact of this new government mandate to you and your clients or call 877-777-3188 to deliver real time answers to agents and homeowners.