Buying Green - Or Greenish

This year’s energy scare is a taste of what will come. Experts all agree that our use of energy in this country has to change. So if you’re looking to buy a home, how do you choose a home that has a moderate appetite for energy? Although “green” homes are becoming more popular, they come at a price. But there are alternative choices that will provide savings if you are aware when you go looking.

The first thing to look at is the orientation of the home. Passive solar homes are designed to work with the sun. The ideal home is one with most windows facing the south. During the hot summer months, the sun moves over your house but will not directly shine into the south facing windows. During the winter months, the sun is lower and will shine into your south facing windows, providing solar warmth to your home. A home with a lot of west facing windows will have much higher cooling bills as the hot afternoon summer sun will penetrate even double glazed windows.

Next take a look at how the house conserves energy. The existing homeowner may be able to tell you what the energy efficiency rating is on the house. Are the windows double or tripple glazed? Is there insulation in the attic and under the floors (not all areas of the country need insulation under the floors). Do the built-in appliances have an ENERGY STAR rating? Is the home leaking energy? Sealing air leaks is the quickest and cheapest energy improvement you can make. Actual savings vary for each home, but it is possible to reduce energy costs by one-third. Sealing air leaks can save money in other ways, because a tighter home envelop allows for smaller-capacity heating and cooling equipment. The best way to reduce air leaks and implement the right ventilation strategy is to hire an energy analyst to run a blower door test.

Bear in mind that once you buy a home you there are other things you can easily do to increase the energy efficiency of your home. Unplug appliances when not in use, especially chargers. Switch to using energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). Look for ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs by choosing the right lumens (not watts). Use cold water to wash clothes, line dry items, use air dry instead of heated dry on your dishwasher. Invest in thermal shades or drapes.

So with a little forethought, your next home could be a partner in your effort to save both money and the earth’s natural resources!

About Don Clark
Don Clark is affliated with * Brooks-Clark & Associates *, which is located in Lake Havasu City, AZ. For further assistance please use the contact information located on the right.

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	2236 LITTLER LANE, LAKE HAVASU CITY AZ
	3980 WINDOW ROCK, LAKE HAVASU CITY AZ
	4061 Vega Dr, Lake Havasu City AZ
	1402 McCulloch #46, Lake Havasu City AZ

Local Information for Lake Havasu City, AZ

Latitude: 34.489969 -- Longitude: -114.309019

ZIP Codes for Lake Havasu City, Arizona	86403 86404 86405 86406
Area Code for Lake Havasu City, Arizona	928
Time zone for Lake Havasu City, Arizona	MST - NDST

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A popular tourist attraction in Lake Havasu City is the London Bridge, which crosses an 8ft deep man-made canal that leads from Lake Havasu (on the Colorado River) to Thompson Bay. It was bought for for $2.5 million from the City of London when the bridge was replaced in 1968. The bridge was disassembled, and the marked stones were shipped to Lake Havasu City and reassembled for another $7 million. It opened in October 1971. It has been claimed that it was bought in the mistaken belief that it was the more grandiose Tower Bridge (which is often wrongly called London Bridge by tourists), but McCulloch ardently denied that. The city is serviced by several intersecting loop roads, which connect with Highway 95. This somewhat unorthodox road layout has been a source of confusion for many newcomers. Many of the houses in the city are vacation homes. The city is a destination of choice for university students during Spring Break. Its reputation in the region rivals Panama City,Florida. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Arizona 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Lake Havasu City	Arizona	United States
Population	41,938	5,130,632	281,421,906
Median age	47.5	34.2	35.3
Median age for Male	46.2	32.9	34
Median age for Female	48.8	35.5	36.5
Households	17,911	1,901,327	105,480,101
Household population	41,617	5,020,782	273,643,273
Average household size	2.32	2.64	2.59
Families	12,722	1,287,367	71,787,347
Average family size	2.69	3.18	3.14
Housing units	23,018	2,189,189	115,904,641
Occupied units	17,911	1,901,327	105,480,101
Vacant units	5,107	287,862	10,424,540

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Buying Green - Or Greenish

Local Information for Lake Havasu City, AZ

Latitude: 34.489969 -- Longitude: -114.309019

Enter our Photo Sweepstakes and Win $200 for your Lake Havasu City photos!

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