Energy Efficiency Vlog
I’m here on this god-awful smoky day in Monrovia because of the bobcat fire to remind you about some things you can do to help with your indoor air quality when it comes to situations like this with the fires and extra smoke in the air.
Two things that are most important for indoor air quality to prevent the air from coming inside that’s outside like this are weather stripping around your doors to make sure your doors are sealed up tight right to where air can’t come in when they’re closed. Remember to do the bottom the top and the sides. The other thing is the proper windows, you don’t want to have louver windows, you don’t want to have those old simple aluminum slide windows, you want double pane windows that are properly sealed where air is not coming in and out of your house. This will help with your air quality in both the summer and the winter and especially on smoky days like this it’ll prevent things from getting in when you really don’t want them in. This is part of what’s called the envelope of your house which goes towards not only air quality but the energy efficiency of your house.
The benefits on Energy Efficiency are lower utility bills in the summer due to using the A/C less and lower bills in the Winter due to using your heater less because sealing the Envelope prevents the free flow of air in and out of the home.
Other things you can do besides sealing your windows and doors, and having Energy Efficient windows is to add insulation to your home. The best insulation to use is Cellulose, which in addition to being a great insulator, is also fire retardant and helps repel bugs too! Having a tight Envelope with great Cellulose insulation can dramatically reduce your energy bills year round and is generally much less expensive than improvements like a Solar PV System. It can be put in the attic and the walls.
Now of course you’re always going to ask me as an appraiser is that stuff going to add value to my home? Sealing your Envelope will add value to your home but as appraiser’s we do not calculate it as a line item adjustment, but rather in the overall level of modernization and improvements. In addition to adding some value, the most important thing is the improved indoor air quality, comfort and energy savings you will experience.
If you have any appraisal questions you can call me at eight zero 626-803-4593 or you can email me at gaappraisalsinc@gmail.com and I’ll always be happy to help YOU make INFORMED real estate decisions.
