What are your energy expectations?

I know when we were looking for our first home we never talked about the monthly electric bills. We were pre-approved at the bank for our mortgage, we had our cars paid off, we both had steady income. I thought we were set and understood how it all works. However, nobody ever asked us about our utility expectations. When the monthly mortgage payment comes in the mail, it is always followed by the electric bill and water bill. Why are these not as important as how much you can afford when you buy a home. If your electric bill is 65% (or even 100%) less, why can’t you afford more house. When looking at the cost of a home, spend the extra on your insulation, efficient heat pump, and water efficient fixtures – they will all make it easier to pay the mortgage each month. Even if the mortgage payment is $50 higher, your electric bills and water bills will offset that expense and you will have money in your pocket to spare.

Net-Zero House

For more thoughts on saving money, protecting the environment, and on architectural design visit my websites:

www.facebook.com/virginiaarchitect

www.twitter.com/thegainesgroup

www.thegainesgroup.com

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Related Posts

We love Harrisonburg downtown

We love Harrisonburg downtown

Recently Harrisonburg has been getting national press for what we already know about our community: it's an ...
Ready Your Home for Winter Weather

Ready Your Home for Winter Weather

These cold mornings have me thinking about how much I appreciate the work done to make my old house more ...
Design Strategies to Make Your Kitchen More Functional

Design Strategies to Make Your Kitchen More Functional

Is your kitchen ready for the big day? Thanksgiving is coming. Turkey Day is upon us and that means some of ...
Finding Balance in Architecture School

Finding Balance in Architecture School

By Aliyah D. White.   Now that I have earned my B.S. in architecture, I want to shed some light on the effect ...