Energy Efficiency Information

 

Did You Know? 

     

Do you know what critical component is missing in this air return? Is it possible that this simple and inexpensive item can drastically increase your indoor air quality?

 

Did we not learn in kindergarden that a round peg cannot fit into a square hole? This common and typical installation will have a huge impact on your utility bills! Do you know why?

 

What are we looking for in this photo?  Low-E glass is often incorrectly installed or performs poorly.  Are your windows properly installed?

 

Insulation is one of the largest factors in determining comfort throughout the home. Is this insulation properly installed? How would you know?

 

This is called a jump duct. Why is it necessary in today's new homes?  Should every bedroom have a jump duct or just the master bedroom?

 

Is it possible that all of these penetrations into the attic (in a typical home) can bring more than 2000 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) of 160 degree dirty attic air into your home? 

All of these questions and more can be answered by any member of My Arizona Home Team. If you have been told that the superintendents and local municipal inspectors are carefully monitoring the building process for these common and typical mistakes, you may be working with the wrong person. Please give us a call for more details.

 

Look no further than your recent utility bill and health insurance premiums to understand the importance of building a house as a system or a home that is energy efficient. You may not realize that the two are closely related. Indoor air quality is becoming a major issue and has been around for years, more commonly known as Sick Building Syndrome. The typical home can see air infiltration from the attic at a rate of 2000 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) or more depending on when the home was built. In the summer time, you could be breathing 160 degree unfiltered, dirty insulation fibers every second of the day. The home building process is now seeing the opposite problem of building a home too tight with no ventilation. This means that we are using household cleaning agents, burning scented candles, spraying for insects, and many others, with no fresh air at all circulating throughout the home. With all of the building issues we are facing today, it’s the 1970’s approach of the industry as a whole that is allowing these problems to continue. The answer to all is to simply build tight and ventilate right.

 

At My Arizona Home Team, we are addressing these issues head on and have been for years. We have spent over 1000 hours educating our team on the benefits of building science and energy efficiency. We have been involved with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Energy Star for Homes program since its inception in the late 1990’s and have consulted with hundreds of home buyers and builders since then. We continue to hold onsite classes for various new home builders and teach numerous classes relating to energy efficiency, proper building techniques and overall quality control.

 

If you’re looking for a qualified Realtor to represent you in the purchase of your next new home, look no further than My Arizona Home Team. We have received local and national recognition for our involvement with several energy efficiency programs and have performed hundreds of detailed quality control consultations with our clients. If you’re looking for someone to drop you off at a sales office then only call when the check is ready, please do not call us. If you’re looking for unparalleled service, Realtors that completely understand the building process, have extensive knowledge of windows, air conditioning systems, insulation, framing techniques, and are experts in quality control and energy efficiency, then you have found your agents at My Arizona Home Team. We have taken our service and knowledge to the next level.