Home Features January 15, 2013

Keep your Heat Bill from Going through the Roof

While the rest of the country thinks that it rains here all the time, we do get cold in the winter and hot in the summer. I can tell that it’s winter now because my heat is running all the time! For eight months of the year in our rainy city, our low temperatures don’t get out of the 40s at night.

So now is a great time to evaluate how we’re doing at keeping our homes warm on a budget. As Puget Sound Energy says, it’s all about improving your home’s energy efficiency. There’s a long list of things we can do to keep warm air in and cold air out, and most energy-saving moves are inexpensive when compared to how quickly they pay for themselves.

Saving home energy can be as simple as turning down your thermostat when you leave the house. Another way to cut your heating bill may be to add insulation in your attic.  Most houses in our area have insulation levels specified by R-Value. R-Value is a measure of insulation's ability to resist heat flow. The higher the R-Value, the better the thermal performance of the insulation. The recommended level for most attics is to insulate to R-38 or about 10 to 14 inches, depending on insulation type.

Keeping your house energy-efficient is one more way you’re also keeping it market ready. If you’d like to learn other ways to stay on the “market ready” track, please call. I’m happy to help you prepare for your future real estate needs!