Air conditioning the attic?

It is always pleasing to us when we find things that can almost immediately help people save money on utility bills. It also never ceases to amaze us when people will go for a long time without investigating the reason for high utility bills. At House Exam Inspection and Consulting, we are all about trying to help people save money. That is why we offer our version of a home energy audit — the Home Energy TuneuP Inspection.

As you can see from the photo above, the air handler plenum (the silver colored box) had come loose from this attic central air unit. In other words, the unit was heating and cooling the attic. The owner had no idea how long the equipment had been in this condition, but said he had been “noticing higher bills for several months.” It’s not hard to see why heating and air conditioning was so costly in his house, but since this system was for upstairs service and the kids were away at college, it just went unnoticed for a long time.

With a Home Energy TuneuP Inspection from House Exam Inspeciton and Consulting, we take inventory of all the energy-related systems and components in the house, we take note of their age and condition. Then we upload the information into the database and generate a personalized Report giving you a detailed list of recommended improvements which will save you moeny, prioritized by estimated cost and estimated return on your investment. Some of the items will be free or inexpensive to implement. Those items that will be more costly will be listed along with an idea of the energy savings you can expect, and how long it will take to recoup the investment with increased utility savings.

A Sample Report will be made available to you at no cost, if you desire. We can give you a quote for pricing, and we can schedule an inspection for you at your convenience. Contact us: energy@houseexamdfw.com and ask for more information on the Home Energy TuneuP Inspection service, or call now (817) 797-2461, and schedule an inspection.

Give your family the Gift of Saving beginning in 2010. Call or email ASAP.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allows tax credits for energy efficiency improvements. Homeowners may claim up to 30% of the costs of all home-energy-related equipment purchased during the aggregate two-year period of 2009 and 2010, up to $1,500 total.

Tax credits for installations made in 2006 and 2007 are still limited to the previous law’s $500 provision. Purchases made in 2008 are not eligible for this tax credit. But, the legislation certainly makes new improvements more affordable. We’ve included a partial list of eligible improvements for your consideration. And, in a moment, we’ll tell you how a Home Energy TuneUp Inspection by House Exam can help you decide which improvements will save you the most in utility costs and give you the greatest comfort in your home.

Eligible Improvements
Owners of existing homes receive a tax credit worth 30% of the cost of upgrading the efficiency of their home. The following improvements are some of those eligible for the tax credit:
• Insulation materials and systems
• Exterior doors and windows (including skylights)
• Roofs (metal and asphalt)
• Electric heat pumps
• Central air conditioners
• Natural gas, propane or oil water heaters
• Natural gas, propane or oil furnace or hot water boilers
• Electric heat pump water heaters

Performance and quality standards for tax credit eligibility vary by technology. You should check out the Energy Star web site for detailed information on qualifying products.

What is a Tax Credit?
There is an important difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction. A tax credit is subtracted directly from the total tax liability. In other words, whatever tax you would have owed gets reduced directly by the specific amount of the tax credit. On the other hand, a tax deduction is subtracted from income before total tax liability is computed. Maybe you’ve heard the expression “tax bracket.” It simply reflects the percentage of cost of an expense that actually gets deducted from your income before taxes. Bottom line: a tax credit is much more advantageous to you at tax time than a deduction.

At House Exam, we are certified Inspectors for the Home Energy TuneuP program. With this “audit” we take a full inventory of all the energy related features within your home, upload the data and generate a Report which can give you a detailed list of energy-saving improvements you should consider. The Report will list recommended upgrades and improvements, give you fair-market estimates for the costs for each improvement, tell you how much each improvement will save you annually, and tell you how long it will take to PAY FOR the improvements with the projected energy saving.

The money you will save from just the free recommendations within the Report, will more than pay for the cost of the inspection. Call to schedule your Home Energy TuneuP Inspection, and start your energy savings this month.

Call (817) 797-2461