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Saving Money by Saving Energy
With rising gas, energy and food costs, I am taking steps to reduce our energy consumption.
Who would have thought that leaving your toothbrush, camera, cell phone and other chargers plugged in could cost so much money? Did you know that leaving your computer, monitor, television etc. in STANDBY mode (ready to come on as quickly as possible) could cost up to $200 more on your electric bill per year?
I bought and installed the new “smart” power strips. In addition to protecting your electronics from power surges, these power strips also turn off all accessories when the “main” appliance is turned off. In my case, I have the stereo tuner plugged in as the “main” device. When I turn it off (using the remote), it removes all electrical power from the main and all other devices…CD, DVD, Video, and TV. (I took our satellite box off the controlled outlets when I discovered it must go through the entire “transponder” thing each time it starts up.) It takes only slightly more time to wait for all the devices to come on.
Compact fluorescent bulbs and Solatubes have reduced the cost to light our home.
A thermal imaging scan targeted areas of energy loss in our home, so we sealed gaps. We also had additional inches of insulation blown into our attic to bring it up from code required R-25 to the recommended R-49. (BTW – you don’t want your home to be too “tight” – mold and mildew could grow more quickly.) Make sure you have a professional assess your home and blow in the insulation. You don’t want insulation in the eaves blocking attic air flow and you definitely don’t need to breathe the insulation.
My next steps:
- Buy, install (and program) programmable thermostats for each zone of my house
- Buy a plug-in Watt meter to measure my refrigerator’s energy consumption…seems like the compressor comes on a lot more than it should.
“Short sales” are homes on the market listed for a price lower than the amount needed to satisfy the lenders who hold the mortgage(s).
If you MUST sell your home because you simply cannot afford the mortgage payment, be sure you find a short sale real estate expert. This real estate expert must be able to contact your lender on your behalf to make advance coordination for a short sale.
Many lenders to do not “pre-approve” a short sale price, but an experienced real estate agent will be able to guide you through the steps necessary to determine a fair market value.
Some real estate agents will also provide an appraisal to the lender to validate their or another Broker’s Price Opinion/Broker’s Market Analysis. (Most lenders will require an independent Broker’s Market Analysis to verify price once an offer has been made.)
In most states, purchase offers are ratified contracts once the seller signs off on the offer. The “third party” approval is treated as a “contingency” that is removed when the lender approves the contract.
The parties may be released from the contract in the event the lender does not approve.
