gary n smith: Wrap up a 2009 Tax Credit with Insulation - 02/03/09 12:31 AM
Want to save a couple of bucks and continue saving into the future? Take advantage of one of the many energy savings tax credits available this year from Uncle Sam.Home improvement insulation tax credits are available...let's look at how you qualify.The insulation's primary purpose must be to insulate. That means siding does not qualify, but a vapor retarder does.
A vapor retarder is a specially treated paper, thin plastic sheeting, or low permeance paint that prevents condensation of water vapor inside wall or ceiling materials. This trapped moisture can cause damage to the wallboard and paint as well as structural deterioration. … (2 comments)

gary n smith: Growing a Greener Mississippi - 01/31/09 02:42 AM
As co-chairman and on behalf of the entire Building Green Works Committee at the Home Builders Association of Jackson I’d like to thank Mississippi Home Corp for their efforts in promoting affordable resource efficient housing in Mississippi. Our HBAJ Green Committee includes builders, associate members, utility companies and government agencies. We’re proud to have them serve on our committee.As a certified NAHB Verifier I believe this contest will not only promote energy efficient construction, but will offer Mississippi residences affordable homes that help them save water, live more comfortably in cleaner air, save money through lower maintenance cost and will encourage … (0 comments)

gary n smith: Green Building Contest is Growing a Greener Mississippi - 01/24/09 01:00 PM
At 11:00 a.m. on January 29th, 2009 at the Beau Rivage Conference Center in Biloxi, Mississippi, Mississippi Home Corporation will announce the "Growing a Greener Mississippi" green building competition designed to spur affordable green building throughout the Magnolia State.The first of it's kind in the nation, the contest is based on the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Guidelines. The NAHB Green Program is a third party verified system designed to help builders construct healthier and more cost efficient housing nation wide. The program is a points based system offering homes in three categories, Bronze, Silver and Gold.As the first … (1 comments)

gary n smith: Having a Bad Air Day? - 01/13/09 11:44 AM
What is 2 to 1000 times greater inside than out, is impossible to see but at the same time has the potential to damage your eyes, can cause dizziness and nausea, and vaporizes at normal temperature and atmosphere? You guessed it…VOCs or volatile organic compounds.
Many of us spend more than 90% of our time indoors. Clean indoor air is as important as breathing. Some of the most critical factors influencing indoor air pollution concern our ability to eliminate or reduce specific sources such as tobacco smoke, radon, chemical irritants, and pesticides. It’s also as important that you control moisture, which … (2 comments)

gary n smith: A Shield of Protection - 01/08/09 12:31 AM
Before the days of gun powder and lead the mighty shield was used for protection from unwanted elements during battle.In our struggle to save energy consider using one of the most protective and cost effective "shields" developed. The Radiant Barrier.It's a foil backed product that's placed in the attic of your home, foil side down, to help protect you from the sun's radiating heat that drives your energy use up and the size of your pocket book down. A radiant barrier:
is placed foil side down in your attic (opposite of the way you think a shield should face!) will lower … (0 comments)

gary n smith: EM - Energy Mortgage - 01/01/09 11:26 AM
If you were shopping for a home and found one that was…
well-built comfortable had lower-than-average monthly energy costs was easy to maintain required no additional income to pay for it Would you stop shopping? I have good news! This kind of home is being built today.
How can you afford the purchase? That’s Easy!  Get an EM - Energy Mortgage. The mortgage is unfamiliar to many homebuyers and believe it or not to many real estate agents.
How does it work?  An EM increases your buying power by enabling the mortgage lender to count the monthly energy bill savings … (0 comments)

gary n smith: Does Your Job Rely on the Housing Industry? We Should Fix Housing First!! - 12/24/08 11:38 PM
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gary n smith: Q and A From the Field: Leaking Coil Cabinet - 12/03/08 02:27 AM
The following communication and information is taken directly from our reporting methods... 
HVAC Systems and Components Refrigerant Lines: At the low pressure and high pressure lines ...A qualified licensed air conditioning contractor is suggested to evaluate leaking air as the copper lines enter the coil cabinet. I suggest that repairs be made to stop the leak.
_________________________________________________________________________
Dear Gary,
Does that mean that the A/C line is leaking?
Thanks,
Robert
_________________________________________________________________________
Robert, 
 
No.
As the large and small suction lines enter the coil cabinet (in the attic at the furnace) the lines should be sealed to prevent air from leaking … (0 comments)

gary n smith: How to Chop Your Energy Bill in Ten Easy Steps - #3. The Shower - 11/30/08 11:43 PM
Remember when you were a kid and your mom always yelled, "Are you still in the shower? You're wasting water."? Well not only were sending gallons down the drain but spending hard earned cash heating more water.
Ready-Set-Go ... Get a Timer: Use a shower timer and try to keep your shower limited to below five minutes, the shorter the better – sometimes just being aware of how long you have been in the shower will help you keep your shower time shorter. This may be very difficult, especially since we Americans average close to ten minutes, but any time that … (3 comments)

gary n smith: New Home Building 101 - Window Placement - 11/30/08 12:09 PM
What factors will you consider in selecting, locating, and installing windows in your new home? When selecting windows you should choose those with low potential for condensation. For best results in Mississippi, windows must have a U value less than or equal to 0.50 and a solar heat gain factor (SHGF) less than or equal to 0.40, or must be Energy Star® or NFRC labeled.
The location of windows in your new home is also important. Daylighting is a technique of using natural light from the sun and the sky and incorporating it into your home via the windows. Using daylight … (0 comments)

gary n smith: Clean Energy at National Parks - SmartParks - 11/26/08 02:15 AM

The National Park Service (NPS) has joined with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish an innovative partnership called Energy SmartPARKS. This partnership will showcase sustainable energy practices in national parks and inspire a green energy future for America.See a list of the Energy SmartPARKS proposed projects here.The Energy SmartPARKS program will include such efforts as conducting energy audits, retrofitting lighting, replacing windows and furnaces, upgrading meters and thermostats, purchasing electric utility vehicles, and studying the feasibility of installing wind power.
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gary n smith: How to Chop Your Energy Bills in Ten Easy Steps - #1. The Fireplace - 11/24/08 07:05 AM
Sure, it's romantic, but when comes right down to it, your fireplace is an energy hog. As one of the most energy inefficient features of your home it eats about 24,000 cubic feet of nice furnace warmed air each hour and spits it out the top of the chimney (Department of Energy).  And as a bonus the air is replaced by cold air that comes in the opposite direction through the same opening, causing your furnace to work extra hard to keep your house nice and toasty. Yet, we love gathering round a warm hearth with a nice cup of hot … (0 comments)

gary n smith: Turning Green Building into Green Living - 11/20/08 09:17 PM
There are more important reasons to living in a energy efficient environment than saving money. Unfortunately, we’re mostly motivated by the dollar. So, as green building educators, when we talk about going green it would be smart to focus on showing how building smart can help you save through homeowner education, awareness and participation. The challenge will lie, like it so often does, in change.
Change is hard and more than not, comes slowly. Building or buying green and saving money is in the hands of the homeowner. As we construct new and improved features, designs and components in our homes, … (2 comments)

gary n smith: Value of Going Green - 11/19/08 11:44 PM
McGraw-Hill Construction released a report on Wednesday that found the value of green building construction starts was up five-fold from 2005 to 2008. According to the Green Outlook 2009: Trends Driving Change report, starts were up from $10 billion in 2005 to $36 to $49 billion this year and could triple by 2013, reaching $96 to $140 billion.
The report — based on data found in the McGraw-Hill Construction Network — was released on Wednesday at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Boston. The survey found that, since 2005, the perceived benefits of green building have increased as people become … (0 comments)

gary n smith: Continuing Ed Class - NAHB Green Building Guidelines - 11/18/08 09:48 PM
 
The Building Green Works Committee of the Jackson Association of Home Builders in Ridgeland, MS held a continuing education class on Green Building. Dale Koelher from Purdue University was the guest speaker.
Moisture is no doubt a primary concern to builders and home owners.To help understand the principles of moisture control, you need to understand the basics of how moisture can move through your home.
Moisture or water vapor moves in and out of a home in three ways:
With air currents By diffusion through materials By heat transfer. Of these three, air movement accounts for more than 98% … (0 comments)

gary n smith: Jackson, MS Home Energy Workshop - 11/16/08 12:52 AM
Last Saturday morning I learned how cross flow ventilation can help you save money. The Energy Division of the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) and The Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Hinds & Madison Counties presented a home energy workshop at the AG Museum in Jackson, MS.
Michael Berk with Mississippi State University’s School of Architecture was the featured speaker. He shared his knowledge of energy efficient construction and principals of design that take advantage of solar energy. The audience learned how a building’s components work together naturally to heat and cool itself and how that landscape and site choice can … (0 comments)

 
Gary Smith (SafeHome Inspections)

Gary Smith

Ridgeland, MS

More about me…

SafeHome Inspections

Address: 120 North Perkins Street, Ridgeland, MS, 39157

Office: (601) 691-1496

Mobile: (601) 454-5559

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