HOW TO SAVE

MONEY AND ENERGY

IN YOUR HOME

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That’s why we’re all looking to save energy and money when and where we can—especially when it comes to our homes.

A large part of that effort comes from properly ventilating your home. This not only protects your family’s health and increases their comfort—because you’re ridding the air of moisture and indoor pollutants—it ensures you’re saving money.

LET’S REVIEW A FEW WAYS YOU CAN VENTILATE

YOUR HOME TO REACH MAXIMUM SAVINGS.

MONEY JUST DOESN’T STRETCH

AS FAR AS IT USED TO

Effective structural ventilation helps control the heat levels in your attic and curbs dampness in the crawlspace or basement. What’s more, it keeps moisture out of uninsulated walls so it doesn’t take more energy to keep your flat heated.

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STRUCTUR AL VENTIL ATION

Believe it or not, too much heat and moisture can damage your home. That’s why it’s important to have proper ventilation in the attic. When insulation or other rotting materials block vents, or if there aren’t enough vents in the first place, rot can start to develop due to the moisture build up.

This moisture than soaks into the insulation, which makes it ineffective and causes you to lose heat, expend more energy, and waste more money. Condensation can also form, which has an increasingly negative effect on floors and ceilings, walls finishes, and even electrical wiring.

Moreover, when summer rolls around, and your attic starts heating up, it’s a good idea to hire a professional to install vents at the eaves and ridges of your roof. This will help expend heat more efficiently and effectively, which helps your home create an upward airflow, balancing the cool air and heat through cross-ventilation.

Moisture doesn’t merely affect your attic and walls, but also your basement and crawlspace. Dampness will create mildew and rotting in your crawlspace which puts the house out of balance. Because it’s extremely difficult to install new ventilation in lumber, concrete, or brick, it’s important to contact a mason or carpenter if you need additional work done.

YOU SHOULD NOTE THAT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS INSPECT YOUR HOME OR FLAT ON A REGULAR BASIS— ESPECIALLY AFTER INCLEMENT WEATHER. You never know when an animal, pile of leaves, or other debris is blocking exterior ventilation.

MAKE SURE YOU CHECK ALL YOUR VENTS REGUL ARLY FOR AIR FLOW AND BLOCK AGES.

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HOW D OES THIS A FFECT YOUR ENER GY AND MONEY S AV INGS ?

SIMPLE .Filters in your kitchen and other parts of your house begin to suck up the greasy, airborne residue—which has attached to the dirt and dust in the air—and start to line your system through your house. You can imaginev the effect this has throughout your current home ventilation system.

You should be cleaning your filters every few months and installing new charcoal pellets whenever possible. You should also be cleaning your range hood with soap and water regularly; a spray-on degreaser will help break up the existing residue.

Bathrooms also have a habit of generating large amounts of moisture—and unpleasant odors that go beyond the toilet. Mildew forms from shower heat which causes lingering smells and the peeling of walls. These exhaust fans need to be powerful to pull out the bad air and keep these small, enclosed spaces clean and clear. Cleaning them twice a year will ensure that foundation and eave vents stay unclogged and that air flow stays consistent.

INTERIOR VENTIL ATION

Think about the places in your home that already have built-in ventilation—your kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room, in particular. These areas offer ventilation in the form of exhaust fans or range hoods, respectively. But just because they have ventilation, doesn’t mean it’s actually helping your cause.

Many range hoods aren’t actually ventilating heat out of kitchen; they’re simply filtering the smoky or dirty air above the stovetop. If you really want to rid your kitchen of thick, hot, steamy air, you need ductwork that expels it outside. You’ll notice you have a ventilation problem if your kitchen smells, or if the walls are covered with a thin film of grease.

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HEATING SYSTEM EFFICIENCY

Ensuring your boiler is performing at full efficiency is extremely important. Not only does an annual tune-up save you money, but when it’s running at its peak performance, your furnace is wasting less heat. That means you can stay warm in the winter, without paying through the nose for energy bills.

The secret to staying warm while saving money is simple;

YOUR HEATING SYSTEM SHOULD BE ON AN ANNUAL CONTRACT SO IF IT

BREAKS DOWN YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR A LARGE REPLACEMENT

OR REPAIR COSTS.

Why? Because when it comes to boilers, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Between an annual contract and an annual inspection, you’re ensuring that your equipment is performing optimally and will save you energy and money in the short and long term; not to mention the heartache if something were to happen.

That way, if your heating system happens to break down during the coldest day of the year, you aren’t scrambling to put together money to get someone to help. It also allows you the peace of mind knowing that you’re protected from untimely breakdowns of equipment.

WHEN IT COMES TO BOILERS, IT’S BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY

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SURVEYS ARE THE BEST FIRST STEP

Before having to do any of those things, you can protect your investment decision by having a survey done to ensure that you have a good understanding of the condition of the property. You see, when you’re buying a new house, it’s all too easy to overlook the needs of the home, because you’re too excited about the possibilities. This is completely natural, but you should always protect yourself first.

According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), many buyers unknowingly set themselves up HUGE repair bills on their new home, thanks to a wide range of hidden problems such as “structural defects, rot, and subsidence.”

Excited first-time homebuyers are often the most at risk, because they’re both anxious to get into their first home and because they believe their budget is already at its max. Unfortunately, they’re risking the financial stability by not knowing what they’re walking into, which makes it harder to sustain if unforeseen problems rear their ugly heads.

It’s important that when you’re buying property you do so objectively. A surveyor can do that for you. When you spend a few hundred pounds on a survey, you’re not only getting someone that’s siding with you on a financial and business scale, you’re getting someone that’s looking out for your best interests.

A SURVEYOR’S REPORT ALLOWS YOU TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PROPERTY YOU WANT TO BUY IS WORTH WHAT YOU’VE AGREED TO PAY FOR IT, OR IF IT NEEDS SUBSTANTIAL CARE. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO COVER YOUR BASES AND YOUR ASSETS. THIS REPORT NOT ONLY ALLOWS YOU TO EFFECTIVELY JUDGE THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY, IT GIVES YOU A REAL PICTURE OF ITS CONDITION.

As you can see, a surveyor acts wholly on your behalf. This gives you crucial impartiality which allows you to make better, more informed decisions on your prospective property. Moreover, it gives you the confidence you need to commit to the purchase, fully knowing what to expect. This goes doubly so if you’re investing in an older home.

Don’t risk making a poor decision that results in thousands of pounds in unexpected bills, when all you had to do was get a relatively inexpensive inspection. Protect yourself; protect your property; and prevent maintenance issues before they become a problem.

T +44 (0)800 197 1248e info@surveyors-valuers.com

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