Part 5: How to Buy a Green Home- Insulation

Part 5
How to Buy a Green Home: Insulation

Here's the short of it.

The more you have here, the better off you'll be.
Insulation levels come with an "R" rating.
Highest usually for a ceiling area is R-40.

Foam does a good job because it doesn't get compressed down.
You want to keep the air pockets in there, which is really what insulation does- make air pockets around your house. Foam insulation is also available in some pretty healthy ingredients.
Cotton is also available, and a very tried and true option.

You may not be checking out the attic when you tour a home, but your inspector should be able to tell you how the insulation looks, what kind it is, and how deep it is. It's fairly inexpensive to buy and install insulation, but it might make you itch! You can hire someone to handle it.

Going Solar and Saving Some Bucks

My husband is a solar installer. He installed panels on our house, and we just got them cleared for operation. We saved $100 last month! I'm really liking this.

Call some installers in your area-If they are good they'll be able to do this:
- tell you all the rebates you qualify for
- handle the rebate paperwork for you or guide you through it
-review your home energy usage and give you tips on how to use LESS before you even put solar panels on your house.
- tell you how much the panels will save you
- tell you when you will break even

Currently there is a federal rebate that gives you a $2,000 federal tax credit.
The City of Austin has the MOST AGGRESSIVE REBATE PROGRAM IN THE NATION.
They will rebate up to 80% of the cost of installing solar panels on your home.
Hurray for city owned utility companies!

Here's some things to remember:
-Southern sun exposure on your roof is ideal. (your roof is facing south and that side gets sun most of the day)
- It usually will not pay to cut down a tree to get exposure on your roof.
- Payback may take a long time if you're city or energy company doesn't offer rebates, on the other hand, you can be off the grid.

Austin Solar Info
Celestial Power


Enjoy!
Your Green Realtor
Patty Sylvana
Realtor
Keller Williams Realty
512-297-5658

Realtor by Trade, Green at Heart

Part 4: How to Buy a Green Home- HVAC

Part 4- How to Buy a Green Home- HVAC

HVAC- that means your heating and air conditioning. You'll need both here in Austin, and the air conditioning will be pretty critical.

Here's some things to look for in a greener home.

1. One story, or zoned hvac for a two story. Heat rises, so unless you have zoned air to control the upstairs temperature separately from the downstairs, you'll end up cooking your sleeping guests, or shivering down on the first floor. A one story home will be more efficient, or a 2 story 'zoned'.

2. Look for a SEER number on the HVAC system. The higher the number, the more efficient it is. 13 or higher is pretty good. The number correlates to the amount of space it can cool.

3. Sheet metal duct work and sealed and tested ducts. This carries your air to where it needs to be. Sheet metal means there is less friction for the air flow. Sealed ducts mean less leakage of your cool air, and tested ducts can tell you how much (or how little) your system is leaking.

4. Duct work within the conditioned space- this means that you can either see the duct work, or it's in the middle of the house. It seems logical now, but back in the day, the air conditioning system was stored in the attic, where it would BAKE all summer. Even if the system wasn't in the attic, the duct work was stuffed up there to keep it out of view. Result? A pretty counterproductive set up.

A/C Pumps out cold air--- Cold air leaks into attic---Cold air warms up from hot attic---- A/C must pump more cold air to keep your house cool.



Your Green Realtor
Stay Tuned and Stay Green
Patty Sylvana
512-297-5658
patty@GreenAustinProperties.com

check out some local green homes here.

Austin is the Best.... No REALLY

Forbes magazine just ranked Austin as the #1- Best Bang for Your Buck.
Rating included: future job growth, affordability, and housing prices!

Forbes Article

Austin is also beautiful, and Mayor Will Wynn has been promoting very farsighted plans for the city's future as a growing, green, sustainable metropolis. Plus, you can have your own urban chickens in most neighborhoods!

Part 3: How to Buy A Green Home- DIRECTIONS

Part 3:
How to Buy a Green Home:
DIRECTIONS

So, in regards to location, you probably have an idea already of where you would like to be located. Ideally close to work and schools and parks and the farmers market.

Here are a few other things to consider- regarding the direction your home faces (no it's not Feng Shui) It's specific to Austin and if you buy an existing home, these features will help you be more green!

1 Catching the Breeze: You want your home to have the longer side with plenty of windows facing South and North.
Why?
In Austin most of the year, a breeze comes from the South (and SouthEast), and if you have windows facing that direction you can catch a great breeze, air out your house and stay cooler than other homes.

2. Keeping Cool: It's easier to shade those windows that are facing North or South. Because of where the sun hits your home, you'll have a much easier time shading windows with overhangs if they are facing North or South. This is because the sun will come in at an angle and hit the East and West windows from the side- catching them off guard.

3. Trees: You will want most of your trees on the north side to lose their leaves in the winter. That way, when it feels colder, you'll have more sun on your home. For the South side, you can have trees that stay green year-round.

This is your Green Realtor
Stay Tuned and Stay Green
Patty Sylvana
512-297-5658
patty@GreenAustinProperties.com

Your Roof, It's so... COOL

Your Roof, It's so... COOL

The color of your roof can make a big difference in your energy bills.
Just think of how much energy and moola you'll be saving!

What's the key?
A white roof or a reflective metal roof.

Here's how it works :
Heat hits your roof
Your roof is white
Heat bounces off the roof
Your house stays cooler
You use less energy
You put less CO2 in the atmosphere
More heat is able to escape the atmosphere

(ok, I think that's how it works... I'm a non-scientist!)
White Roof Article

When you are switching your roof, think about metal. It's much longer lasting and is very reflective to heat. Otherwise look the lightest possible shingle you can find.

Your Green Realtor
Stay Tuned and Stay Green
Patty Sylvana
Keller Williams Realty
512-297-5658
patty@GreenAustinProperties.com

Check out Green Homes in Austin

Part 2: How to Buy Green- LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

Part 2:
How to Buy A Green Home:
Location Location Location

This factor is pretty critical. You can get a home, you can renovate it, you can remodel it, you can make it super green, but you can't really move it somewhere else. This is my weak spot- learn from my mistakes- I live in a great house, in a great neighborhood where I have to DRIVE to get anywhere other than my neighbors house. The schools also suck. It's so close, and it sucks. Now I've got to look at driving my daughter somewhere else EVERY day of the work week.

There is a great tool out there that will actually SHOW YOU THE MONEY!
It takes your commute and tells you how much you'll save each month by living close to your job. COOL BEANS!! This means that it really pays out when you buy a more expensive home next to your job and walk to work. Generally you save more on gas and commuting and time than you would pay for a better location. Not to mention the trips to the gym.

What makes a green location? Here are some tips and tricks:

1. Think about where you go the most- work/ schools/parks

2. Use this great tool to figure out how much it costs to commute. This one is the best because it figures in your hourly value from your job, and it pulls that time lost commuting into the equation.
Commuting Calculator

3. Get a walkability rating for neighborhoods. This handy tools rates the neighborhood based on how many things are within walking distance.

Walk Score

4. Where is the public transportation- will you be near a commuter rail or bus line?
Austins Commuter Rail

5. Schools- If you don't have kids, this will effect your re-sale value. If you have kids, then good schools will also save you the drive to schlep your kiddos to another location.
School Info

Your Green Realtor
Patty Sylvana
Realtor
Keller Williams Realty
512-297-5658
patty@GreenAustinProperties.com

Austin's Zero Waste Plan

Austin has a plan to become ZERO WASTE!
I'm thrilled about the idea. We will be one of the first in the nation to implement such plan. I know that Vancouver is implementing one right now. Thank you to Mayor Will Wynn for his progressive thinking and long-sightedness about the sustainability of our city.

Here's the plan

"Austin wastes an estimated $40Million annually by not re-using or recylcling products "

My husband was dropping some things off at the dump and literally brought back a completely perfect 'Pier 1' style coffee table, and dominoes still in the wrapper that someone was also dropping off at the dump. The re-use of amazing things there is really an untapped resource!

We should integrate those folks that find deals and sell them on ebay!


Your Green Realtor
Stay Tuned and Stay Green
Patty Sylvana
512-297-5658
patty@GreenAustinProperties.com

Realtor by Trade, Green at Heart

Part 1: How to Buy a Green Home- NEW OR OLD

Part 1
How to Buy a Green Home
New or Old

Forget all that jazz about new is better- upgraded state of the art yadda yadda.
Think about an existing home that was remodeled, or a new home which is in an older neighborhood. (this is called in-fill when a builder creates a new home on an existing lot)

Not only will you get tried and true techniques, but you'll often have mature trees to boot!
Now, in saying that, there are some AMAZING things being done out there. Really beautiful and green. I'm a sucker- but get a NEW HOME in an ESTABLISHED neighborhood.

Having a home that has been remodeled green means that less resources were used, less materials were shipped, many times the home is closer to town and you also benefit from mature trees and the shade they bring. The home is also 'broken in'. No surprises here. These walls have been holding up for years, and many more to come.

You could even look at getting a home that is just BEGGING to go green. They are out there- they ask me to bring them buyers. We'll go over what is important in finding a Green Location next!

Your Green Realtor
Stay Tuned and Stay Green
Patty Sylvana
Realtor
Keller Williams Realty
512-297-5658
patty@GreenAustinProperties.com