We at Home Energy Solutions of the Triad, LLC have compiled some of the best online tools to help you calculate your home's energy efficiency and learn how to improve it. They're free to use, and provide a valuable first step to improving your home's energy efficiency. For a more comprehensive evaluation, schedule a home energy audit with one of our certified auditors.

Energy Improvements

Home Energy Saver

http://hes.lbl.gov/

Computes your home's energy use and estimates how much energy and money you can save, and how much emissions can be reduced by implementing energy-efficiency improvements.

Insulation Tool

http://www.ornl.gov/~roofs/Zip/ZipHome.html

Find out the most economic insulation level for your home, based on the climate you live in.

Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=refrig.calculator&screen=1

Find out how much your fridge or freezer costs to operate - in money and energy - and how much you can save by replacing with an ENERGY STAR model, or by retiring your extra one.

Water

Faucet and Showerhead Cost Calculator

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/technologies/eep_faucets_showerheads_calc.html

Find out how much you can save with water-saving faucets and showerheads of varying efficiencies.

Water Heating Systems

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/calculators/water_heating.html

Evaluate the efficiency of your water heating system or pool heating system, and determine the feasibility of more energy efficient solutions.

Home Energy Options

Energy Efficient Rehab Advisor - for Remodeling Projects

http://www.rehabadvisor.pathnet.org/index.asp

Using guidelines from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD), this tool provides recommendations for incorporating energy efficiency into your remodeling project.

Renewable Energy Systems

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/calculators/renewable_energy_systems.html

A variety of tools to help you evaluate your options for generating your own electricity, using small renewable energy systems including solar, wind, and microhydropower.

Space Heating and Cooling

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/calculators/space_heating.html

Evaluate the cost and efficiency of various space heating and cooling systems for your home.

The above calculators and tools are a great source for remedial home energy savings. In order to maximize one's full potential for long-term energy savings and to achieve customized solutions to your particular home, it is necessary to have a full diagnostic home energy audit performed on your home. Call Home Energy Solutions of the Triad, LLC at 800-724-4841 or 336-587-8345 for all of your home energy audit needs.

Are you ready to improve the efficiency of your home? There are several ways you can get the money you need to upgrade your home's energy systems. Making such property improvements offers many environmental benefits, and can also help you save a significant amount of money in the long run.

About Energy Efficient Mortgages

Homeowners can add an energy efficient mortgage on to their current home loans. Under the terms of these federally recognized home loans, borrowers are able to utilize mortgage funding for the purpose of launching an energy efficient remodeling project. Consumers can also get these types of loans to fund the purchase of homes that are already energy efficient. These types of mortgage loans are available in both conventional and government loan programs.

Benefits of Efficient Mortgages

There are many benefits to seeking an energy efficient mortgage. When you use proceeds from an energy efficient home loan to upgrade the appliances and energy systems in your home, you are able to make changes that will reduce your monthly utility expenses while providing you with tax deductible interest payments, in most cases.

Getting Ready for an Energy Efficient Home Makeover

Before you apply for an energy efficient home loan, it's a good idea to get a certified home energy rater to perform an energy audit on your house. This will generally cost between $100 and $400, depending on the size of your home. In some cases, the energy audit cost can be financed into the mortgage, just like any other closing costs. In other instances, homeowners must pay for the audit out of pocket, or sometimes the lender will foot the bill.

The information you obtain from the audit will provide you with sound data to use to demonstrate to your lender why and how your property will benefit from improved energy efficiency. When you're able to show that your power bills will go down as a result of improvements funded via the energy efficient loan, lenders can clearly see where you'll get the money to fund the additional mortgage loan expense.

Who is Eligible for an Energy Efficient Mortgage?

The criteria for qualifying for energy efficient mortgages are no different than for any other type of home loan. If you are able to qualify for a mortgage loan, you won't have any trouble qualifying for an energy efficient loan. These types of loans are open to all qualified home owners, regardless of where the house is, how much it is worth, or how the utilities are currently configured.

Benefits may vary based on the energy rating assigned to your home during the energy audit process. The lender utilizes the audit to determine the specific benefits for which each borrower is qualified to receive. New homes, older homes, and even new construction properties are able to qualify for energy efficient mortgages. Reducing environmental impact and conserving energy is important no matter what the age or condition of the home. Homeowners can utilize energy efficient mortgages to help make sure that they are as environmentally sound as possible.

(Courtesy of Energy Star)

An Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) is a mortgage that credits a home's energy efficiency in the mortgage itself. EEMs give borrowers the opportunity to finance cost-effective, energy-saving measures as part of a single mortgage and stretch debt-to-income qualifying ratios on loans thereby allowing borrowers to qualify for a larger loan amount and a better, more energy-efficient home.

To get an EEM a borrower typically has to have a home energy rater conduct a home energy rating before financing is approved. This rating verifies for the lender that the home is energy-efficient.

EEMs are typically used to purchase a new home that is already energy efficient such as an ENERGY STAR qualified home. The term EEM is commonly used to refer to all types of energy mortgages including Energy Improvement Mortgages (EIMs), which are used to purchase existing homes that will have energy efficiency improvements made to them. EIMs allow borrowers to include the cost of energy-efficiency improvements to an existing home in the mortgage without increasing the down payment. EIMs allow the borrower to use the money saved in utility bills to finance energy improvements. Both EEMs and EIMs typically require a home energy rating to provide the lender with the estimated monthly energy savings and the value of the energy efficiency measures - known as the Energy Savings Value.

EEMs (and EIMs) are sponsored by federally insured mortgage programs (FHA and VA) and the conventional secondary mortgage market (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac). Lenders can offer conventional EEMs, FHA EEMs, or VA EEMs.

Conventional Energy Efficient Mortgages

Conventional EEMs can be offered by lenders who sell their loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Conventional EEMs increase the purchasing power of buying an energy efficient home by allowing the lender to increase the borrower's income by a dollar amount equal to the estimated energy savings. The Fannie Mae loan also adjusts the value of the home to reflect the value of the energy efficiency measures. For more information about Fannie Mae's EEM you can call 1-800-7FANNIE (732-6643). Visit Fannie Mae's web site to find a Fannie Mae-approved lender in your state. A PowerPoint presentation Power Point Presentation is available with more information about Freddie Mac's EEM .

FHA Energy Efficient Mortgages

FHA EEMs allow lenders to add 100 percent of the additional cost of cost-effective energy efficiency improvements to an already approved mortgage loan (as long as the additional costs do not exceed $4000 or 5 percent of the value of the home, up to a maximum of $8000, whichever is greater). No additional down payment is required, and the FHA loan limits won't interfere with the process of obtaining the EEM. FHA EEMs are available for site-built as well as for manufactured homes. Applications for an FHA EEM may be submitted to the local HUD Field Office through an FHA-approved lending institution. HUD has a searchable list of approved lenders. Information about the FHA EEM can be found on FHA's web site. Additional information is available from HUD's Office of Single Family Housing by calling (800) 569-4287. There is also a fact sheet about FHA's EEM PDF (70KB). The Manufactured Housing Research Alliance Web site has information about FHA EEMs for ENERGY STAR qualified manufactured homes.

VA Energy Efficient Mortgages

The Veteran's Administration (VA) EEM is available to qualified military personnel, reservists and veterans for energy improvements when purchasing an existing home. The VA EEM caps energy improvements at $3,000-$6,000. Borrowers should ask their lender about a VA EEM at the beginning of the lending process. More information about VA EEMs can be obtained from the Web site for the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs or by calling (800) 827-1000. Chapter 7 of VA Pamphlet 26-7 (Revised) PDF (1.5MB) contains lender guidance on the VA EEM.

To learn more about EEMs contact Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA or the VA. Additional information about writing energy-efficient mortgages can be found on the Web sites for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET).

ENERGY STAR Mortgages

An ENERGY STAR mortgage pilot program is underway to demonstrate that financing can be a useful tool for enhancing the success of investing in energy-efficient homes by lowering borrowing costs, as well as demonstrating the importance of utilizing a network of qualified energy auditors and contractors to ensure that cost-effective energy efficiency improvements are realized.

By incorporating the costs of energy efficiency improvements into the loan itself, an ENERGY STAR mortgage allows borrowers to pay for those investments over the life of their loan and deduct the interest from their federal and state income taxes. One of the key benefits of an ENERGY STAR mortgage is that a borrower can finance and make energy-saving improvements to their homes without paying more for financing than they would for a typical mortgage. Participating lenders also offer borrowers an additional financial benefit above and beyond the value of the home energy savings, such as discounted mortgage rates, reduced loan fees, or assistance with closing costs.

Save money now and into the future

If your energy bills are high and you want to save money each month, a home energy audit is a wise investment. With increasing energy costs, your energy bills are likely to increase dramatically in the coming years, so getting your energy use under control now is a smart decision.

Requires special equipment

A home energy audit will show you where you can save on your home's energy use, and recommend the best ways to achieve significant savings. Using state-of-the-art equipment, home energy auditors can diagnose where you're losing energy through walls, windows, doors, ductwork, attic and chimney, and where your insulation isn't insulating sufficiently. A home energy audit will also uncover ways to improve energy use through more energy efficient appliances, hot water heaters, energy-saving shower heads and light bulbs.

Home is more comfortable

While a home energy audit can save you money on your energy bills and help the environment by reducing energy consumption, there are other benefits to a home energy audit that you may not have considered. A home energy audit can lead to improvements that make your home more comfortable to live in. For example, by improving the air sealing of your home, you can reduce the draftiness in your home that keeps you chilled in the winter - or reduces the air leaks that make your house feel hot in the summer (while making the air conditioner work overtime).

Discover issues before they become major problems

A home energy audit can uncover repairs that need to be made before they cause massive problems - and lead to even larger expenses. For example, if your attic isn't ventilating properly, it can lead to rotting of roofing and joists. A home energy audit will uncover this problem so appropriate action can be taken in a timely fashion.

Increased home value, more attractive to buyers

A home energy audit can increase the value of your home, and help it sell faster. Savvy buyers and real estate agents look at a home's monthly expenses when determining if a home is a good value. A home energy audit report goes beyond the monthly bills to show the prospective buyer all the details of the home`s energy use. You can show the buyer which improvements have been made and the impact they've had on the monthly expenses. Also, having a home energy audit report shows the buyer that you've taken care of the house, which can sway their decision in your favour.

As you can see, a home energy audit can save you significant money on your energy bills now and into the future, makes your home more comfortable to live in, increases your home's value and makes it more attractive to buyers when the time comes to sell, and can uncover issues before they become big problems and expenses. And don't forget that you'll be doing your part for the environment.

Call Home Energy Solutions of the Triad at 800-724-4841 or 336-587-8345 for your home energy audit needs. We are the only auditor in the Triad with dual certifications of Building Performance Institute and RESNET.

Today's home buyers increasingly prefer energy efficient homes. An energy efficient home not only contributes toward cutting your utility bill, but can also increase the value of your property.

An Appraisal Journal study shows that for every $1 saved on a home's energy bill, that home would appreciate by approximately $20. Not only is it additional money in the homeowners pocket in terms of appraisal value, but also for the numerous tax incentives available for these home improvements (usually less than $1000). How could we forget the additional commisions that these improvements provide for the real estate agent as well. In other words, "x" % of a higher appraised home is more than one of lower value.

Many features go into making a home energy efficient. Energy efficient products are available for almost every part of a house such as the plumbing system, water heating system, appliances, air conditioning, electrical system, roofing materials, windows, insulation, etc.

So where do you start to learn about ways to make your home more energy efficient? Start with an Internet search. There are numerous web-based tools for home owners to help you calculate the power consumed by the various appliances and systems in a home. Armed with information from these sites, you will be able to make your home more energy efficient. For a more comprehensive, customized analysis of your home, schedule a home energy audit with a certified professional home energy auditor.

Here are a few things you can implement now to make your home more energy efficient.

• Improve insulation of attic, exterior and basement walls, ceilings, floors and heating ducts.
• Use energy recovery ventilators.
• Install solar power systems.
• Block air leaks from holes or cracks in walls, doors, windows, etc.
• Use lighting control systems such as occupancy sensors, timers and dimmers.
• Keep the fireplace damper closed when not in use.
• Install a programmable thermostat to change the settings automatically.
• Test your ducts for air leakage.
• Provide shading for the air conditioning condenser.
• Wrap the water heater with a thermal blanket.

An energy efficient home helps everyone. Prospective home buyers benefit from buying properties that have lower utility costs. Sellers may be able to charge a premium for homes that are energy efficient. And society benefits because there is less utilization of scarce energy resources which contribute to global warming and environmental pollution.

If you are considering buying a home, condo, or any other type of real estate, seek out the services of a real estate agent who is knowledgeable about energy efficient homes. This agent should be able to help you find a home that not only meets your housing needs, but also offers the benefits of energy efficiency.

Set your home aprt from the rest of the competition....call Home Energy Solutions of the Triad, LLC to schedule a home energy audit today. 800-724-4841 or 336-587-8345