Bel Red Admin

When most people think about cooling their home, they think about about air conditioning. They know that air conditioners blow cold air, and they think that this how they cool. The reality is a little more complex. Air conditioners don't actually cool your house by blowing cold air, they cool by removing heat and humidity from the air - and that difference is important.

With our first real taste of summer weather last week, many people in the Seattle area found themselves uncomfortable in their homes for the first time in a long time. The Puget Sound area is blessed with relatively mild weather, and most people who live here do so without air conditioning. So why should we need it now?

Just as you want to see the energy savings you expect when you invest in home efficiency upgrades, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) wants to make sure that the rebates they are paying on those upgrades will deliver dividends too. In an effort to make sure this happens, PSE has announced several important changes to their rebate programs. If you or your contractor are not aware of these changes, it could cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars in lost utility rebates!

It may be the best-kept secret in home real estate: For a relatively small investment, a prospective buyer can add a formal energy audit to the standard inspection.  According to a story by Ken Harney in the Washington Post, "That audit might save the buyer thousands of dollars in future operating costs by pinpointing features of the house that need correction to improve efficiency. It might also be a tip-off to a sobering reality: This house is an energy guzzler. And that might prompt the buyer to say: Either the asking price comes down, the seller fixes the problems, or I walk."

Congratulations to Brandon Richer and Braxton Tacbian, our installation of the week winners for April 30th. Brandon and Braxton replaced the hot water heater at the Molloy residence in Redmond with a high efficiency tankless water heater, capable of delivering endless hot water.