New Years Resolutions for your Home (Part 2 of 2)

We hope you are on your way to achieving your New Years resolutions and goals.  Earlier this month we encouraged you to add home maintenance into your New Years resolutions.  We are now adding ways to increase your home safety as well as  recommendations to save money on your home.

Increase your homes safety.

  • Check your smoke detectors and ensure you have a carbon monoxide detector.  Carbon monoxide detectors should be located where your family sleeps.
  • Schedule maintenance for your furnace and AC units.
  • Consider a home management system such as Nexia Home Intelligence.  http://www.americanstandardair.com/products/nexia-home-intelligence.html This wireless technology can manage your home from your computer as well as your mobile device. Adjust temperature, lighting, and even security with the added  Schlage® Home Security Kit.
  • Schedule a “Homeowners 101 Inspection” inclusive of “Home Comfort Audit” and “Plumbing Inspection”. The more you know about your home the better especially in cases of emergency. Call 317.243.3581 for more information.
  • While vacationing
    • If your water softener regenerates on a timed schedule, and not demand, consider putting it on bypass.
    • Most water heaters have a vacation mode. This will keep the water heater pilot lit, but it will not continually heat water you are not using.
    • Use light timers inside and outside. (Nexia Home Intelligence has this feature)

Reduce costs and/or save money on your home:

  • Check that your homeowners insurance is up to date. Here are some issues that our customers have had in the recent past.   Some policies have added basement back up or sump pump failure exclusions.  You may have had the same policy for 20 years but the insurance company sends updates and policy information periodically. If you are like me you don’t always read the fine print. Pull the policy or call your agent and check.  If you are currently renting your old residence , be sure your agent is aware of this change. We have had  more than one customer that did not realize renting out a house you could not sell changes everything to the insurance company.
  • Vow to install a programmable thermostat and save money. Why heat or cool your home when you aren’t there? Adjust the temperature back to your comfort level when you’ll be there.
  • Increase your home value by making upgrades such as a bathroom remodel or new kitchen sink. (Be sure and consult with your homes insurance provider as many upgrades may cause adjustments to your policy.)
  • Contact a home comfort expert to compare the energy costs of your current heating system to a new energy efficient system. For many systems there are utility and manufacturer rebates that can reduce your initial investment.

We hope you found this article helpful. Don’t hesitate to contact our team at 317.243.3581 with any questions you may have.