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6 Small improvements can pay off
Colorado Springs Home Improvements CAN Pay off
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Are you looking for improvements you can do to your Colorado Springs home? Here’s my list of 6 SMALL improvements that can pay off with Energy Savings.
- Programmable Thermostats: They can save you a couple of hundred dollars a year on your heating and cooling costs. You can
program it to lower the temp in the house while you sleep, and warm up the house just before you wake. Then lower the temp while you are at work and warm it up before you come home. - Insulation: It’s estimated that heat loss through walls, floors and the roof account for about 45% of heat loss (or cooling loss, in summer.)
- Tankless Hot Water Heaters: They provide hot water only when it’s needed, hence they remove the need for a big tank of hot water waiting in the basement.
- Energy Efficient Windows: They stop unwanted heat and cooling loss in winter and summer and they can also block harmful UV rays that fade carpets and furniture. (See: Colorado Springs home Improvement — it’s all about the windows)
- Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: It’s estimated that that these bulbs can save $56 over the life of each bulb. Multiply that by 40 bulbs which is the number of bulbs in an average home it amounts to big savings.
- Water Circulation System: How much water goes down the drain while you are waiting for it to warm up? It’s estimated that about 25 to 30 gallons of water daily can be wasted this way, 10,000 to 14,000 gallons annually. A water circulation system automatically recirculates colder water back to your water heater until it’s hot enough for use.
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Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com
Kitchens are #1 for buyers
What do homebuyers want?
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The following was provided by AVID Ratings Co., a firm that provides surveys and employee training to home builders across the United States 
and Canada. They conducted this annual survey of home buyer preference at the 2010 International Builders Conference in Las Vegas. Definitely includes some interesting insights:
- Large kitchen with an island — no surprise to me that this is #1 on the list
- Also, some of the top kitchen and bath trends according to a designer survey conducted by the National Kitchen & Bath Association include cherry as the top choice for kitchen cabinets, ceramic and porcelain tile for the flooring, under-counter refrigeration, and flexible faucets.
- Energy efficient appliances and energy efficient windows
- Home office/study – I wonder if this has more and more to do with people working at home, vs. commuting to an office
- Main Floor master suite — Is this a result of the baby boomer population aging?
- Outdoor living room – One of my personal favorites
The other top 10 features included Ceiling Fans (I found this one surprising to be included on the list), master suite soaker tubs, stone and brick exteriors, two-car garage, and community amenities.
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Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com
Free local money for home improvements
Colorado Springs homeowners, check this out!
I just came across a very informative blog about free money, and cheap money. The blog detailed a local Colorado Springs program to 
help residents install energy efficient items in their houses. As usual when I come across an article like this, I like to go to the original source about the program so I can give even more information to my readers.
The City of Colorado Springs has an entire section of their web site dedicated to Housing Rehabilitation. I was impressed with the range of programs offered including Lights and Locks for Seniors, Emergency Repair, Energy Environment Economy Program, and Owner Occupant Rehab.
The Owner Occupant Rehab program is targeted towards low income home owners in Colorado Springs and can be used to improvement the energy efficiency of a house; including replacing windows, upgrading a furnace, adding insulation, upgrading plumbing. They have some criteria to qualify including you must live in the home and it must be valued less than $247,000. If you meet the income guidelines, your interest rate is 3%. Yes I did type it right, only 3%.
The web site includes the contact name at the City to get more information about all of the program.
- 5 reasons lack of building permits cause big problems
- Colorado Springs Building Codes and Permits – Part I
- Colorado Springs Building Permits – Part II
- Colorado Springs Building Permits – Part III
- Colorado Springs Building Permits — Part IV
- Colorado Springs Building Permits — Part V
- 5 reasons lack of building permits cause big problems
- Do your homework on building permits
If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com
Do you want to do some green remodeling?
Thinking about going green in your house?
If so, here’s some of my favorite websites to check out:
(1) GreenandSave.com’s slogan is simple and direct – “Saving your Money and the Planet”. If you have ever wondered whether a certain “green” repair or improvement is worth it, then this is the website to go to.
- The Master ROI page: For a statistic lover like me; this is an amazing page under the green tune-up section. If you are looking at putting in a programmable thermostat, it shows you that the payback time in years is .6, added cost $115 with an annual savings of $180.00. It also compares things like Hot Water Heater Blankets, Dishwashers, Water efficient toilets, and water filters; all in the same chart format.
- This page also has a section on green remodeling which includes major type GREEN improvements and highlights info on furnace replacements, water heater replacement, insulated walls, and windows. According to the site, it shows the cost of a hot water replacement at $150, annual savings of $48, return on investment 32%. You can also click on Read the rest of this entry »
