Energy Payback Projects

Energy Payback Projects for Homeowners:

Project With Immediate Payback (0 to 6 months)
Install a Programmable Thermostat

Turning down the thermostat 7 degrees at bedtime will knock 10 percent off your heating costs, but who wants to wake up to a frigid house? A programmable thermostat automatically drops the heat at night and cranks it up in the morning, so the house is warm before your alarm clock rings. Program it to lower the heat again while you’re at work and the kids are in school all day and you’ll reap additional savings. Best of all, many of these battery-operated units are easy to install yourself.

COST: $30 to $80
PAYBACK: $100 to $250 per year

Project With Short-Term Payback (1 to 3 years)
Beef Up Attic Insulation“Heat rises, so adding insulation to the attic floor is one of the best energy retrofits you can do,”

COST: $300 (to add 3 inches of fiberglass insulation to a 1,000-square-foot attic floor) * some insulation products are eligible for 30 percent tax credit under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (link)

PAYBACK: $150 to $300 a year for the average home heated with natural gas, $350 to $700 for oil heat.

Projects with Long-Term Payback (5 or more years)

Upgrade to Energy-Efficient Appliances
Energy Star appliances consume 10 to 50 percent less electricity than standard appliances sold today, and if you’re replacing equipment that is older than 10 years, the energy savings will be even greater. Refrigerators and clothes washers are two of the biggest household energy guzzlers. A new Energy Star fridge uses half the energy of a machine made a decade ago; a front-load washer uses 35 percent less electricity than an old top-mount, plus it consumes less hot water and spins the clothes so effectively that you save money on dryer operating costs, too.

COST: $600 to $1,400 for a front-load clothes washer; $1,000 to $3,000 for an Energy Star refrigerator
PAYBACK: $145 a year in electricity savings for the washer, plus gallons of water saved on every load; $60 a year for the refrigerator

Introducting our Online Mortgage Center

LoVallo Real Estate has recently formed an exclusive relationship with Bank of America to offer our client's access to an Online Mortgage Center. This Online Mortgage Center "OMC" will serve as a great resource for buyers to take them through all the stages of the loan qualification and closing. This will serve as a one-stop destination for pre-qualification and mortgage approval. Visit the Bank of America Online Mortgage Center Today at http://www.lovallorealestate.com/web/pgcnfID_105666/Mortgage-Center