It seems ridiculous that I would have to do it. It seems so nerdy. But there's hope. I don't have a pocket protector because I'm actually a small, blond woman. You know the kind where men say, "Don't worry your little head about it Honey."
Well I actually have a very good reason for that compass in my purse. It's there because I AM WORRIED about how much money it's going to cost me to heat and cool a house I'm considering buying.
As a well-disguised science nerd I am able to use that compass to evaluate how much it's likely to cost me to heat and cool a house.
So it's a bit sneaky. I still want to know just how bad the science is in a particular house because builders and developers seem both ignorant and uncaring about making things work from an economic standpoint.
And utility bills are something a homebuyer will be paying as long as they own the house. I always ask to see utility bills for at least 6 months if I'm considering buying a house, though a full year is better. Those bills are very revealing about what your current costs will be, but your biggest concern is future costs.
But there is another issue, too. The HVAC system will struggle every hour of every day trying to heat and cool a house that is poorly designed from the standpoint of energy efficiency.
It will cost lots of money, too, in utility bills.
Worse still, the equipment will also fail more often. I once had a brand new heat pump fail in less than a year trying against all odds to warm a house in a mountain climate. Fortunately it was under warranty. But the really bad news for that house was that the power company in that location would not have recommended a heat pump at all for heating. The builder made a really bad choice based on his own financial needs. Heat pumps, while not cheap, are cheaper to purchase than some other systems.
In some climates, like Phoenix, New Orleans or Atlanta cooling is a much larger problem and expense than heating. So it's important to make sure big windows do not face the afternoon sun. Lots of south facing windows in these places will cost you lots of money in utility bills every single month.
And it is also true for apartments. If you have to pay the utilities you need to pay attention to how much solar heat gain you are likely to experience.
Surprise! Good science can save you money. Bad science can cost you big money every single month.
Author Resource:
Millions of people still dream of home ownership today but sadly most can't get financing to buy a home due to credit issues or lack of income they can document. What nearly all of these prospective home buyers don't know is that there is a way to get financing for that dream home despite poor credit or even proof of sufficient income.
To learn this little known technique for home financing, check out our blog posts at Home Buying with Bad Credit or Buying A House with Bad Credit
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