https://activerain.com/blogs/energypro en-us https://activerain.com/blogsview/1845489/is-your-house-ready-for-fall--winter- With high temperatures in the upper 70's and lows at night in the upper 50's, I can almost see the leaves changing colors. Pull out your utility bills from last fall and winter and take a look. Your house(NOR YOUR WALLET) is ready for winter. Now is the time to have an Energy Audit done by a Certified HERS Rater or a BPI Certified Building Analyst. Find out where your home is losing energy and get it fixed now. No one can give you savings estimates or a time-line to recoup your investment without first TESTING YOUR HOME. Online energy audits, clipboard walkthroughs, and Internet software audits are not going to find out where your house is losing energy, or the best repairs to spend your money on to get the most for your money. Have your home tested by a professional, and let them go over where you need to concentrate your repairs. Then you can be assured you're putting your money to good use. Then sit back and enjoy better indoor air quality, lower utility bills, and less wear and tear on your equipment, which saves you money on maintenance. If you have your home up for sale, or are going to put it on the market. There is no better time to get an energy audit and repairs. A certified HERS Rater can show you how much your monthly savings are. Set your home apart from the others, and have a healthier indoor environment. Phillip Richardson (Energy Pros) Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:02:10 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/1845489/is-your-house-ready-for-fall--winter- https://activerain.com/blogsview/1818662/i-keep-hearing-housing-demand-is-down--supply-is-up--i-don-t-agree I do agree that the supply of existing homes is up, which will effect pricing to an extent. What I disagree with is that demand is down. Just about everyone who wanted to purchase a home 3 to 5 years ago, still does. The problem is that the companies that supply mortgages went from loaning money if you could 'fog a mirror'. To not loaning money to anyone whether you could pay it back or not. I believe that when the banks, that received my tax money to bail them out, start loaning money again you will see the demand come out of hiding. I do not want the banks and mortgage companies to get in to the bad loan habits of late, but i do think that the way they look at credit worthiness will have to change. there are a lot of people who lost jobs, and were out of work or took lower paying jobs just to have work and had problems paying bills. The banks and mortgage companies were part of the reason these people ended up in the situation they were/are in. Now they need to revamp their system to accomodate people who had good credit  for years until this recession. I hope that everyone(outside the real estate and construction industry) has learned from this, the housing industry is the driving force of the American economy. Phillip Richardson (Energy Pros) Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:47:53 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/1818662/i-keep-hearing-housing-demand-is-down--supply-is-up--i-don-t-agree https://activerain.com/blogsview/1755835/erosion-control--good-silt-fences-make-good-neighbors I was at a new construction site today as part of an Energy Star/ NC Healthy Built Home Certification Inspection, when I noticed several building sites that had erosion problems from these late afternoon downpours we have been having. Now my dad used to tell me, 'if you don't live at the top of the mountain, someone's runoff will come across your property whether you like it or not'. But that does not mean you have to put up with excessive or silt filled runoff. Make sure that your site or your neighbors site is properly protected and will contain the silt on site. Areas of runoff must be slowed or stopped so that silt will sink and collect at the bottom of the ditch or silt pond and let the clean water flow out. There are many eco friendly erosion control options other than the standard silt fence. There are mulch sox, Biodegradeable fabric wrapped around mulch. This will slow the runoff and allow the silt to settle, and when your done just spread the mulch. There are many other options, check with your local merchants, or go to the Western North Carolina Green Building Council website for mor information and a list of merchants and contractors that can help. Not only will your neighbors be happy, but our creeks, streams and rivers will remain clear, clean, beautiful and full of life. Phillip Richardson (Energy Pros) Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:23:28 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/1755835/erosion-control--good-silt-fences-make-good-neighbors https://activerain.com/blogsview/1747832/do-not-build-or-remodel-your-home-to-building-codes Read Further before you call me CRAZY! Building codes (in most cases) are a MINIMUM requirement. You do not want your home built to minimum requirements. When you work with a builder/contractor require that all materials and products used be installed/applied to MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS unless that conflicts with code, which it seldom does. Most manufacturers talk about what great warranties they have. And if you read the fine print, they talk about how their product must be installed/applied as per their specifications or that voids the warranty. I am not advocating their specifications to assure the warranty is good, I am advocating using their specifications because this is their product, they have tested it under certain parameters, and they know the best way to install/apply their product. The manufacturer knows the best installation methods and the best tools to use for installaion. So take advantage of their knowledge, and require it be installed the way they say it should be installed. This wording in your contract with your builder/contractor will eliminate the problems arising from poor workmanship, and will not give them the opportunity to say 'that standard in the industry'. You are not asking the builder/contractor to do anything above and beyond what they are supposed to be doing, you are just putting it in writing. Phillip Richardson (Energy Pros) Fri, 16 Jul 2010 07:00:13 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/1747832/do-not-build-or-remodel-your-home-to-building-codes https://activerain.com/blogsview/1735461/sustainable-building-means-many-things Sustainable building means different things to different people, but the underlying principles all come back to a few core items. Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation Green(sustainable) building practices aim to reduce the enviromental impact of buildings. Buildings account for a large amount of land use, energy and water consumption, and air and atmosphere alteration. Considering the statistics, reducing the amount of natural resources buildings consume and the amount of pollution given off is seen as crucial for future sustainability, according to EPA.The environmental impact of buildings is often underestimated, while the perceived costs of green buildings are overestimated. A recent survey by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development finds that green costs are overestimated by 300 percent, as key players in real estate and construction estimate the additional cost at 17 percent above conventional construction, more than triple the true average cost difference of about 5 percent. Everyone has heard about most of the principles of Green or Sustainable building practices, but one is not discussed much is Universal Design. Universal Design techniques include ground level entry, wider interior doorways, low or no threshold showers, and many other design items that allow ease of use by all inhabitants regardless of age or abilities. This will allow the owners to 'age in place' and be able to grow old in their own home as opposed to a nursing home or other similiar type facility. So as you can see green or sustainable building is not just about bamboo floors and recycled material in your carpets. Sustainable building is about how the home or building effects the enviroment from the idea stage through demolition, and how that home is used during its lifetime. So if your building a new home or renovating the home your in now, look at how you will be able to use that home in the future and what your needs will be down the road. Make sure the decisions you make now take into account what you will need in the future, and how those decisions will affect your children and their children and so on. Phillip Richardson (Energy Pros) Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:26:54 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/1735461/sustainable-building-means-many-things https://activerain.com/blogsview/1734789/my-wife-takes-care-of-4-kids-all-day--my-work-is-easy- After a long, hot, and what I thought was a bad day at work, I came home and saw what my wife deals with 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I love my kids more than anything in the world, but with two boys Peyton 2, and Jesse 4, and two girls Ainsley 8 and Brooke 11, I don't think I would make it as a stay at home dad. My wife shows patience and calm in the midst of a 4 child tornado. She keeps the kids occupied with crafts and games, cooks amazing meals, keeps the housework up and the bills paid, and puts up with her fifth child(me). I don't think there is a harder job around. And my wife doesn't read my blogs, so I not trying for brownie points. I am just amazed at the way she can handle everything in our lives, and I was going to complain because I had a bad day at work. I just put on a big smile and dove in the middle of the tornado and let my wife sit back and laugh at her 'five' kids. Phillip Richardson (Energy Pros) Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:56:10 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/1734789/my-wife-takes-care-of-4-kids-all-day--my-work-is-easy- https://activerain.com/blogsview/1734428/know-how-energy-effecient-a-home-is-before-you-buy- There are many things to consider when buying a house. Some are personal preferences that differ from person to person and family to family. Others are things that every buyer should take into consideration on every house. Is the foundation sound? Are there any major repairs needed now or in the near future, such as new roof, expensive repair or replacement of the heating and air conditioning system, any structural issues with the floor or roof. And one issue that is just as important is how Energy Effecient is the house. An energy effecient home impacts the occupants lives in more ways than just saving money on utility bill. An energy effecient home is sealed better to keep conditioned air in the house and outside air(and the pollutants it carries) out of the house. This means better indoor air quality inside the home. Also , air leaking into or out of the house(depending on the season) will leave moisture in the walls. This happens when warm humid air passes through your wall, air will pass through the wall but moisture is trapped inside. The last thing you want is moisture in the wall, this can lead to many problems. In an energy effecient home, the heating and air conditioning system will not have to run as much to keep the interior of the house at the desired temperature. This means a longer life for your equipment and less maintenace cost during that life. Then there is the money saved each month on utility bills. This can be 20% to 40% for the average house. If the home averages $200 per month in utility bills, that could mean a savings of $40.00 to $80.00 per month. An Energy Audit, performed by a certified professional(currently there are only 2 certifications in this area, BPI Building Analyst, and RESNET Certified HERS Rater)  is required in about 12 municipalities throughout the country now. Quite a few more are looking at this type of legislation. Every buyer should have an Energy Audit done along with a Home Inspection. You would not buy a car without knowing the MPG. Why buy a house with out knowing its MPG. Phillip Richardson (Energy Pros) Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:28:17 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/1734428/know-how-energy-effecient-a-home-is-before-you-buy- https://activerain.com/blogsview/1723600/how-to-really-go-green We have been bombarded with Green over the last few years, some of the green products and advice are great, and the only green in some of the products and advice is the green going in someones pocket. The first place we can start to Go Green, and encourage clients to Go Green is through Energy Effeciency. Reducing the energy use in a home has a multitude of benefits. Most power plants in the southeast burn coal to produce electricity, less electricity use equals less coal burned equals cleaner air, lower electric bills. Studies show that the efficiency upgrades that will give a homeowner the biggest return on investment are not very expensive to accomplish. Duct leakage from the heating and air conditioning system is one of the first things you want to check, your unit is producing conditioned air(hot or cold depending on the season) but all of that air is not getting into your living space. So your unit has to work longer and harder to get enough conditioned air in to bring it to the temperature you have set on the thermostat. If your house is not properly insulated, it will not keep your living space at the temperature you have set for very long, so your heating and air unit kicks on again and again to keep dumping conditioned air in to maintain the temperature you desire. Air leaks AROUND windows and doors and other areas of the house also let air and moisture in and out of the house when you don't want it to. Resolving these items are the least expensive of all the energy efficiency upgrades you can do. Cheaper than a new heating and air unit, cheaper than new windows. But they will achieve the BIGGEST PAYBACK not only in money saved on your monthly bills, but your home will be more comfortable, usually eliminating hot and cold spots, your equipment will operate less, which will increase the life expectancy of your equipment and reduce the maintenance cost during that time and increase indoor air quality. If you want to Go Green, Go Energy Efficient, have a professional Energy Audit performed by a RESNET Certified HERS Rater or a BPI Certified Building Analyst. These Auditors can perform duct blaster(Heating and air duct system leakage) testing along with a blower door test(finds where and how much air leaking into and out of the house). You can help save your clients money, enjoy better indoor air quality and be more comfortable in their home. Phillip Richardson (Energy Pros) Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:24:21 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/1723600/how-to-really-go-green https://activerain.com/blogsview/1697956/introducing-energy-pros We offer Home Inspections that include Thermal Imaging, Commercial Property Inspections, Energy Audits, and new construction Green Certifications. We also offer consulting services for new construction and existing homes to help homeowners reduce unnecessary energy use in their homes and locate health hazards such as moisture and infiltration and leakage. We offer well testing, Radon Gas testing and Mold Testing. Phillip Richardson (Energy Pros) Wed, 16 Jun 2010 05:04:58 -0700 https://activerain.com/blogsview/1697956/introducing-energy-pros