Howie from Connecticut asks: “My wife received an e-mail the other day about an in-home energy audit   Below are excerpts from the email.  Are you familiar with this program or others like it that say they can help with energy efficiency and saving money on heating and cooling bills?”

• We perform In-Home Energy Audits (on behalf of various Power Companies).  This great program was created to save you money on your energy bills and make your home more comfortable. How do we do that?
• We spend time removing leaky drafts and by caulking, foam insulation and adding weather-stripping
• Check your duct work to make sure they are working properly and repairing them when needed
• Replace light bulbs, shower heads and aerators.
• If you are ready to replace older heating equipment, windows, and appliances; or add insulation we have rebates from the utility companies so those upgrades will cost you less.

Please call to schedule your appointment or for more information. There’s a $75.00 co-pay but that does not compare to the over $700.00 value of the audit plus the year over year savings you will have after our visit.  The audit typically takes 4 hours.

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Howie, This would be a good opportunity even if it weren’t getting colder where you live.  The in-home energy audit is something any homeowner, or renter who pays for their utilities, should consider.

We are not familiar with this particular group but are aware and support these types of in-home energy audit programs.  Over the years, friends of ours have had these home energy audits performed and had only positive experiences.  

Recently, for example, a friend had heard about a program through his local Power Company where they would subsidize an In-Home Audit, just as it was described in your email.  He took advantage of the offer and the professionals came out to give them a full audit.  Programs asking for a $75 fee have since replaced free in-home energy audits.  The time spent in your house and the information and advice you receive should be well worth the money paid for your energy audit.

If the group that contacted you do what is typical, they will come in and do a full "energy audit" of your house and find where you are losing heat and wasting electricity or fuel needed to heat (or air condition) your house.  The home energy audits that I have heard of, take 3 or so hours and are worth it.  

In addition to suggesting things to save on lighting bills and hot water bills, my friend said that his 15-year-old house had severe leakage issues.  The recommendations that are made could include replacing some showers with low-flo shower heads and simple caulking work to seal your doors and window sills.  Or, the bigger projects that could be recommended include insulating our attic or basement or possibly getting new windows.  

They should give you estimates of each possible energy saving project, big and small, and even tell you which projects qualified for local or federal government tax credits or rebates.

There is no obligation to say yes to any of their recommended projects and there should be no obligation to use any of the contractors they suggest if you go ahead with any one or more energy saving projects.
 
I am sure the group that comes to perform the in-home energy audit makes their money when someone saying yes to any of the projects recommended to save me money. Regardless, if they do the job right, you will find ways to save money on your heating or AC bills.  My friend knew that his home needed insulation in the attic before they walked into his home, so he was ready and willing.

Although, I would always suggest to someone to speak to the contractor and get a reference before they come to your house to start work, I have only heard very positive experiences with these home energy audits and would expect you to have the same.

Best of luck and if you have more questions, don't hesitate to Ask The Contractor.        Thanks, Bruce

"My wife and I wished we had an outdoor deck or patio for this past summer and want to make sure we have a deck area to enjoy next spring and summer.  As you can tell, we are in the early planning stages so what questions do we need to ask ourselves?"    Brad Delio, Flint, Michigan

Good for you, Brad.  Any successful home renovation project, outdoor patio or otherwise, starts with good planning so it is good you are asking the questions now before any contractors are called, lumber is purchased or even measurements are made.

Let’s focus on the most important thing.  As the old real estate adage goes: “location, location, location” so first ask yourself where you want to locate your deck?  Assuming you want to create an area that accommodates a barbeque or any kind of dining, you will want easy access to the house and preferably easy access to your kitchen.  This may or may not be easy and, of course, cost will come into the picture.  For example, it may be easy to open a wall for your outdoor deck from the kitchen but the slope of your land may necessitate a bit more engineering.

For the vast majority of Americans, the best and possibly only practical location for the outdoor deck or patio layout will be in the back behind the kitchen.

But if you have more flexibility with this home renovation project, you should consider other elements.  In addition to proximity to the kitchen, you will want your outdoor deck to get the right sun and shade at the right times of the day.  

If you are content to have a freestanding flat patio, you will have much more flexibility to take advantage of the sun, shade and natural terrain.  It is important for you to walk around the house during different parts of the day to see where the sun and shade are.  Just saying the sun shines on that spot is not enough.  You need to know whether the area is comfortable or is the sun so strong you will want to plan a canopy or tables with umbrellas.  Also, try to get a sense of whether areas around the house are particularly wet or windy.  

How much landscaping or exterior lighting do you want or need?  Some lighting decisions will likely depend on whether the sun is rising or setting over your deck.  The deck may be used at breakfast time but certainly be used in the afternoon and early evening.  Are you getting direct light late into the day?  Plan your exterior lighting with that in mind.

I recommend that you make your deck no bigger than it needs to be.  You should certainly keep the outdoor deck in proportion to the house. And try to avoid picking a spot for your deck that is within site lines of your neighbors deck or other entertainment area.  Privacy for them is almost as important as privacy is for you.  Of course, if the only good place for your deck is in the site line of your neighbor outdoor patio, you can always design some privacy back into your deck.  Shrubbery is often used for just this purpose.

And remember to check local building codes, regulations, and restrictions. You'll likely need a building permit from your town.  The more complicated the design, the more likely you need to get the OK.  You may also need an inspection if you are adding electrical outside and/or creating a multi-level deck on stilts.  These administrative things are usually not terribly painful to execute they just take some time.

Once the location is decided upon, the design part of the process begins and you will have plenty more fun decisions to make.  But it all starts with location, location, location.

Best of luck and if you have more questions, don't hesitate to Ask The Contractor.  
Thanks, Bruce

“My house is old and drafty and I need to replace my windows.  I want to stop paying more for heat and energy and need to do something before winter hits.  I consider myself handy.  Is this a DIY project or do I need to hire a windows installer?” says Michael in Colorado

Windows… this is a topic near and dear to my heart.

Unless someone has the requisite skill – I do not suggest installing windows on your own because a great window with a subpar installation is worthless.  In fact it could cause water damage to the house that may not manifest itself for years and might leak air to the point of making the window purchase worthless.   I recommend hiring a contractor you have confidence in that is skilled in window installation or hiring a window installation company.  
If your home has uniquely shaped windows or the frames may be out of square and/or plumb (you did mention that the house was old), you will want to make sure that you have expert installers. And make sure windows are energy star rated by the US govt.  In order to meet Energy Star requirements windows must have a u-value of .30 or less. 

There are so many variables to consider. Is that a full frame or pocket style installation? Is that a vinyl window, composite window, fiberglass window, solid wood window or wood window clad in aluminum on the exterior?  (See below for a list of some of the more common types of windows.)

Buying your windows from installers could also help because many installers have contracted with window manufacturers and the installers might receive and pass along to you better pricing on some window models.  Be advised that there are many types of windows (see below for a quick listing of some more common types.)

Thanks for your question, Michael.  Good luck getting those new energy saving windows in soon.  If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to Ask The Contractor.  
Bruce

For those who visit EERE’s Energy Savers Window Installation page, I will again caution that window replacement is a job that requires a higher level skill and if the job is not done well, will come back to haunt you.
(http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/windows_doors_skylights/index.cfm/mytopic=13470)

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Here is a quick guide to the many types of windows.

The most common window styles are the Double-Hung and Casement:

• Double-Hung – These windows are basically stacked on top of each other and open by sliding in front of or behind each other. This is a very standard design.
• Casement – Another cranking window; this time it comes from a side.

Other window styles include:

• Awning – An awning window resembles a store or deck awning in that it cranks open from the bottom.
• Bay – A bay protrudes out from the wall plane. A compass or radial bay is very similar and called a bow, and is noted by smoother angles than the bay.
• Fixed – These windows are designed to stay in place and never open.
• Hoppers – These windows are very similar to awnings, but they swing open from the top.
• Jalousie – Jalousie windows are a series of louvers that overlap one another. These windows are very popular in the south as they allow for great ventilation, but not so good in the north because they’re just not airtight enough.
• Oriel – Oriel windows are much like bays and bows, but they’re supported by brackets or cantilevers and are usually much smaller. A very small oriel placed higher up is sometimes referred to as a garden window.
• Palladian –Palladians are a pair of double-hung windows on either side of a single double-hung that has a semicircular window above it.
• Rotating – Rotating windows have a center pivot and can open from either side or top and bottom. These windows aren’t very popular because they don’t easily allow for screens when in the open position, but they’re very easy to clean and a reflective coating can be applied to manipulate the sun’s heat.
• Single-Hung – Much like their brother, the double-hung, these windows open by sliding up and down, but these feature a fixed top half.
• Sliding – Sliding windows slide from side to side to open.
• Windowscapes – To take advantage of a view, windowscapes are entire walls made of windows.

"I have a single family home with a basement.  It's around 100yrs old. It needs leveling because it is leaning toward the rear. What type of contractor do i need and approximately what's the cost of the project?" asks Christopher of Chicago.
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OK, Christopher, after much thought this is what I think based on what little we can gather from your question about your 100 year old single family home that is currently leaning.  As you might imagine, it is a big undertaking that demands that you take the appropriate precautions and hire the team with the expertise to make sure the project is done right.

The house likely needs to be jacked up in the back. There are probably structural beams in the basement that are sagging or have shifted over time and the process is to use hydraulic jacks to raise the house from front to back.

Once level, new structural beams will need to be set in place with new columns set in new concrete footers holding the structure in place.

A job like this would take a few days and would cost anywhere from $10k to $25k depending on the severity of the existing conditions in the house and around the impacted yard.  A structural engineer would need to be consulted to determine the live and dead loads so that the proper beams could be specified.

Additional costs to be considered will be the repair or replacing of shifting of molding, plaster, sheet-rock, windows and doors on the floors above which may occur doing the process of raising the house.

As I mentioned earlier, all of this work should only by done by experienced contractors.

I hope this description of the work needed gives you some context with which to decide how to proceed with your project.

Best of luck and if you have more questions, don't hesitate to Ask The Contractor. 
Thanks, Bruce