November 20, 2008

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!

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Local Information for Austin, TX

Latitude: 30.300474 -- Longitude: -97.747247

ZIP Codes for Austin, Texas	73301 73344 78701 78702 78703 78704 78705 78708 78709 78710 78711 78712 78713 78714 78715 78716 78717 78718 78719 78720 78721 78722 78723 78724 78725 78726 78727 78728 78729 78730 78731 78732 78733 78734 78735 78736 78737 78738 78739 78741 78742 78744 78745 78746 78747 78748 78749 78750 78751 78752 78753 78754 78755 78756 78757 78758 78759 78760 78761 78762 78763 78764 78765 78766 78767 78768 78769 78772 78773 78774 78778 78779 78780 78781 78783 78785 78786 78788 78789 78799
Area Code for Austin, Texas	512
Time zone for Austin, Texas	CST

Other Area Cities: Leander, TX Cedar Park, TX Round Rock, TX Elgin, TX Austin, TX Hutto, TX Manchaca, TX Pflugerville, TX Kyle, TX Dripping Springs, TX

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Austin is the state capital of Texas and the county seat of Travis County. Situated in the region of Central Texas, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 16th-largest in the United States. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, Austin had a population of 690,252.[1] The city is the core cultural and economic center of the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area with a population of 1.4 million. The first documented settlement of current-day Austin occurred in 1835, and the site was named Waterloo in 1837. In 1839, Mirabeau B. Lamar renamed the city in honor of Stephen F. Austin. Its original name is honored by local businesses such as Waterloo Ice House and Waterloo Records. Austin is situated on the Colorado River and on the Balcones Fault, which in much of Austin runs roughly the same route as the MoPac expressway. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Texas 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Austin	Texas	United States
Population	656,562	20,851,820	281,421,906
Median age	29.6	32.3	35.3
Median age for Male	29.1	31.3	34
Median age for Female	30.2	33.4	36.5
Households	265,649	7,393,354	105,480,101
Household population	636,432	20,290,711	273,643,273
Average household size	2.4	2.74	2.59
Families	141,589	5,247,794	71,787,347
Average family size	3.14	3.28	3.14
Housing units	276,842	8,157,575	115,904,641
Occupied units	265,649	7,393,354	105,480,101
Vacant units	11,193	764,221	10,424,540

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November 20, 2008

Local Information for Austin, TX

Latitude: 30.300474 -- Longitude: -97.747247

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