Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design
-
March 29, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
Keller says he embarked on the French Laundry's renovation to ensure it thrives for the next 20 years. Aside from the new kitchen, there's a 16,000-bottle wine cellar, extensive solar paneling, a new office annex and 9,000 square feet of new landscape design. The renovation took more than two years and was not stress-free.
"For weeks, I would wake up in the middle of the night and think, 'Oh my God, I ruined the French Laundry,'" said Keller, who holds three coveted Michelin stars for the restaurant, and another three for its New York counterpart Per Se. The distinctions make Keller the only American chef, past or present, with two sets of three-star Michelin ratings.
On a tour of the new kitchen and the French Laundry's lush culinary garden, Keller is vocally enthusiastic about the upgrades. He is also gracious, and humble, when asked about his significance to the culinary world.
"I don't wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and go, 'I'm looking at the greatest chef in America.' It very seldom comes up for me personally," he says. But when the issue is raised, he feels "an enormous amount of responsibility, that burden of responsibility on my shoulders to make sure that I'm trying to exemplify what that chef would be like."
As a measure of his ambition, Keller compares the French Laundry's remodel to the renovation at one of the world's great museums, the Louvre in Paris, citing how I.M. Pei's 1989 addition of the glass pyramid added a modern statement to a historical site.
The Louvre was "iconic. It was historic. Everybody knew it. And the French Laundry kind of represented that for me," said Keller, who even presented his architect with two pictures of the Louvre one pre-I.M. Pei and one after to capture the essence of his vision.
Keller teamed up with Snohetta, an architecture and design firm that spearheaded the recent three-year renovation of the San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art. The restaurant stayed open during the construction, but the culinary staff relocated to a temporary kitchen built inside four shipping containers. Final touches on landscaping are wrapping up this summer.
"To actually stand in the new kitchen is the ultimate reward. It's absolutely amazing," says 36-year-old chef de cuisine David Breeden, who has worked for Keller at the French Laundry and Per Se for 12 years.
Gone is the stainless steel austerity of most restaurant kitchens, this one is white, spacious and sunlit by skylights and wraparound windows overlooking a garden. It has swooping vaulted ceilings meant to mimic draped linen.
Keller describes it as "more feminine than most kitchens" because of its soft lines and curves. It was designed with attention to ergonomics, acoustics and ease of cleaning, including all walls and counters made of an anti-microbial material.
The countertops were raised several inches from the standard height to avoid backaches. There's a "ventilated ceiling" that does away with the typical noisy overhead hoods. Now they're embedded in the ceiling with infrared sensors that gauge the appropriate speed, rather than whirring at high all day long.
The attention to detail is typical of Keller, says Breeden. "We call him the omnipresent chef," said Breeden, who described Keller as a master craftsman who guides by example in his "search for that constant improvement, constant refinement and reflection."
Perfectionism comes with a price. The 9-course prix fixe menu, which changes every night, costs $310. But a meal for two with wine and a vintage after-dinner cognac could easily top $1,000.
The 62-seat restaurant is typically booked solid weeks in advance.
Continue reading here:
Thomas Keller shows off his sleek new French Laundry kitchen remodel - Salt Lake Tribune
Category
Kitchen Remodeling | Comments Off on Thomas Keller shows off his sleek new French Laundry kitchen remodel – Salt Lake Tribune
-
March 29, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
Sean F. Driscoll @SeanFDriscoll
Classic Kitchens & Interiors of Hyannis received several industry awards, according to a statement from the company.
The firm won a Best of Cape Cod 2016 award for kitchen designer. The awards program is organized by Cape Cod Magazine and recognizes businesses through an online reader survey.
It also won Best Designer of the Cape & Islands through the Best of Boston Home 2017 program hosted by Boston magazine, which used a poll of homeowners and industry experts to determine its winners.
The firm won two gold and one silver awards at the biennial Building & Remodeling Industry of Cape Cod & Martha's Vineyard awards program, held Nov. 10. The program is sponsored by the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod. The awards include best showroom, excellence in closet design and excellence in kitchen remodeling.
Email business news and high-resolution photos to biz@capecodonline.com. Please include a contact phone number.
Visit link:
Classic Kitchens & Interiors receives awards - Cape Cod Times (subscription)
Category
Kitchen Remodeling | Comments Off on Classic Kitchens & Interiors receives awards – Cape Cod Times (subscription)
-
March 29, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
By Zachary Comeau, Milford Daily News
MILFORD One of the town's oldest companies unveiled their newest investment Monday: a 16,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient office building.
Consigli Construction, a Milford-based construction and contracting firm with a large portfolio of projects and several locations in New England and the mid-Atlantic, unveiled the new building adjacent to its Sumner Street headquarters. The two-story building was constructed in nine months.
The estimated $5.5 million project, dubbed Granite Building 2, houses the company's pre-construction, project services, and purchasing and estimating divisions.
According to President Matthew Consigli, the structure was built next to the company's granite headquarters to complement it, rather than compete with it.
The company, named one of the "Top Places to Work" by The Boston Globe for the eighth year in a row, constructed the building to continue to strengthen its employee happiness. Work spaces, although divided by cubicles, are open to foster collaboration and feature powered lift-top desks that can easily be converted from a traditional desk to a standing desk.
Rooftop solar panels on both buildings can provide electricity for both buildings.
After a quick tour of the facility on Monday, Consigli commented on the partnership between the company and town, including a large tax break for the first few years that the building is online.
"We wanted to continue to invest in the community where it all started for us four generations ago," Consigli said of the 112-year-old company. "This is a people business, and we're able to draw from some of the best people in the industry being here in Milford."
According to a 15-year tax increment financing agreement signed by the town and company in 2015, Consigli Construction is awarded a 95 percent exemption in the first year that the building is operational. The exemption decreases by 5 percent the following year until reaching 30 percent in year 15.
Outgoing Selectman Brian Murray, a newly-elected state representative, spoke at a brief ceremony about the partnership between the town and company, calling it "immeasurable."
The other building was a former school that was vacant and nearly demolished until Consigli Construction stepped in and converted it into their headquarters, Murray said.
"That building, now with this addition, really I think gives Milford a showpiece a gateway into a mini industrial park on Sumner Street," he said. "It wasn't like this 10 or 20 years ago. I'm very, very proud and fortunate to have Consigli Construction as part of Milford."
Also featured in the building is one of the company's virtual reality rooms. The technology, used on dozens of projects already, allows employees to take a tour using virtual reality goggles of completed or conceptual projects for a better perspective of building layout.
In addition to retaining 329 full-time employees, the company created 50 new permanent, full-time jobs as part of the agreement.
Read more:
Consigli unveils new building in Milford - Worcester Telegram
-
March 29, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
Dive Brief:
Developer Brookfield Property Partners has commissioned four architecture firms Gensleralong with Houston-based Inventure Design, Ziegler Cooper and Rottet Studio to design a total of four "next-generation"office suites in a Houston tower that it plans to lease under its DesignHive brand, according to Building Design and Construction.
Given a budget but no client, the architects were tasked with designing a workspace that considered contemporary work styles and technology with the building's core and shell last updated in 1984.
Technology is driving 21st-century office design, both in the modes of communication workers rely on and the capabilities of contemporary building systems to track elements such as occupancy, thermal comfort and daylighting.
Office construction nationwide is on the rise, with Dodge Data & Analytics forecasting that starts would end 2016 up 9% from a year earlier, according to its 2017 Construction Outlook. In some areas, the trend is being driven by the return of employers to downtown areas where housing and transit are more accessible to employees.
Meanwhile, tenant fit-outs are likely to turn cubicle bays into collaborative workspaces reminiscent of the communal library, caf and classroom setups that incoming millennials are used to from college and university settings, according to a Ted Moudis Associates report last year. Designs that promoted mobility such as needing to travel across the office to access the coffee machine were valued, as were ones that offered daylighting, quiet rooms and active-noise reduction.
A recent white paper from design and planning firm Perkins Eastman makes the case for a mix of task-oriented workstations and collaborative spaces to accommodate the needs of different jobs and worker personalities. Those include: bar-style counters, modular wall systems to segment spaces and enclosed offices.
Go here to read the rest:
Brookfield asks 4 architecture firms to create office of the future - Construction Dive
Category
Office Building Construction | Comments Off on Brookfield asks 4 architecture firms to create office of the future – Construction Dive
-
March 29, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
The architectural firm Hord Caplan Macht (HCM) recently completed the documentation to verify that its Denver office can meet the standards necessary to be certified under Fitwel, a health and wellness program that the Center for Active Design launched in May 2016 and began rolling out to developers and the AEC community last fall.
Working with experts in public health and design, the Center for Active Design spent five years developing and testing its Fitwel scorecard. The General Services Administration piloted that program in 89 of its buildings in New York.
HCM, which has also provided verification documents for its offices in Alexandria, Va., and Baltimore, is one of five Fitwel Champions that have committed to certifying more than 50 buildings in aggregate. The other Champions include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is also Fitwels research and evaluation lead; EYP, Integral Group, and Menkes Development.
Perkins + Will was the first company to adopt Fitwels standards for all 11 of the firms North American offices, which P+W expects will be certified by 2018.
HCM has been in its 13,000-sf Denver office, a former fire station built in the 1920s, since 2010. The office currently has 300 employees. Ara Massey, that offices Sustainability Design Manager, tells BD+C that the firm measured its three offices against 80 Fitwel criteria in seven categories to establish health and wellness baselines from which it could work toward certification. The evaluation and documentation took about 40 man-hours, she estimates.
The Center for Active Design promotes Fitwel as more business friendly than other certification programs. And Massey confirmed that Fitwel gives companies the flexibility to prioritize which standards to align its operations with without a lot of cost.
HCM has already successfully integrated many health-promoting features within its offices, including providing staff with fresh fruit and vegetables and locating in areas with high WalkScores.
Hord Caplan Macht's Denver office includes meeting spaces with lots of daylight. Image: Courtesy HCM
However, one thing that surprised Massey was the emphasis that Fitwels scorecard places on lactation rooms for new Moms returning to the workforce after giving birth. That was a real eye opener for us, says Massey.
The next step toward Fitwel certification is the review process, and Massey expects a lot of give and take between her firm and the Center for Active Design to determine how to meet the criteria levels that HCM is willing to adopt.
Now bitten by the wellness bug, HCM also plans to incorporate Fitwels wellness standards into its designs for other clients projects as much as possible, says Massey. Particularly active design.
Arup, Structure Tone embrace wellness
While its still too early to say definitively, it appears that the wellness movement is slowly catching on with developers and AEC firms. For example, in late December, Arup opened a 16,333-sf office at 60 State Street in Boston, designed by Dyer Brown Architects, which is targeting the Silver level of the International WELL Building Institutes WELL Building Standard, as well as the Platinum level of LEED v.4.
Structure Tones 82,000-sf corporate headquarters in New York City recently became the first project in that metro to receive Well Building Standard certification. It earned a Silver-level designation by installing more efficient mechanicals and lighting that maintains harmony with employees circadian rhythms. The office also offers point-of-access water filters, access to healthy foods, and discounts on bike-share and fitness center memberships.
Last year, Structure Tone formed a partnership with Delos, the real estate and tech firm that established the WELL Building Standard, in which Structure Tone agreed to accredit 150 employees through the WELL Accredited Professional program.
Read the original post:
Wellness movement is catching on with AEC firms - Building Design + Construction (press release) (registration)
Category
Office Building Construction | Comments Off on Wellness movement is catching on with AEC firms – Building Design + Construction (press release) (registration)
-
March 29, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
News of crime and punishment across Fairfax County this week:
STATE POLICE INVESTIGATING TYSONS HIT-AND-RUN: Virginia State Police are seeking information from the public regarding a felony hit-and-run crash that occurred March 21 at 11 a.m. on Interstate 495 near Tysons, just north of the Dulles Toll Road.
A 2013 Nissan Sentra was traveling south on I-495 when a blue Jeep Cherokee suddenly changed from the right-center lane to the left-center lane and struck the Nissan, state police said. The Jeeps driver refused to stop and headed west on the Dulles Toll Road, authorities said.
Rescue personnel transported the Nissans driver, a 58-year-old Alexandria man, and his passenger, a 52-year-old Silver Spring woman, to Inova Fairfax Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspects vehicle is likely to have damage to the drivers side.
UNATTENDED KITCHEN POT CAUSES GREASE FIRE AT VIENNA RESTAURANT: Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units responded March 22 at 5:34 p.m. to a fire at East Chateau, a Chinese restaurant located at 146 Maple Ave., W., in Vienna.
The fire first was reported by personnel from Fire Station 2 in Vienna, who saw smoke coming from the building when returning from a medical incident in the area. Crews found heavy fire in the ceiling of the kitchen area.
Officials requested a second alarm, which brought about 60 firefighters to the scene.
According to fire investigators, the fire started in the kitchen of the restaurant. The fire was accidental in nature and was the result of a grease fire from an unattended pot on the stove. Officials estimate the blaze caused about $175,000 worth of damage.
TEENS FACING CHARGES AFTER ALLEGEDLY FIRING BB GUN AT VEHICLE: Fairfax County police officers responded March 24 at 4 a.m. to a report of a car that had possibly been shot at with a BB gun near Leesburg Pike and Middleton Ridge Road in the Vienna/Great Falls area.
Officers checked the area and located a car that matched the description of the suspect vehicle. According to police, five teenage boys inside the car allegedly fired a BB gun at the victims car. Charges are pending. The victim was not injured, police said.
McLEAN HOME BURGLARIZED: A homeowner living in the 1400 block of Kirby Road in McLean told Fairfax County police on March 17 at 2:52 p.m. that someone had broken into the home and stolen miscellaneous items. Police do not have any information about the suspect.
UNATTENDED SPACE HEATER SPARKS VIENNA HOUSE FIRE: Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units responded March 22 at 5:27 a.m. to a reported house fire in the 9800 block of Bridleridge Court in the Vienna area.
Units arrived and found that the large, two-story, single-family home had significant fire showing from a one-story sun room above the garage. In addition, crews reported the fire already had extended into the first and second floors and attic of the main house.
Crews worked aggressively on the interior and exterior of the home to contain the fire and limit it to the areas that were ablaze when they arrived, fire officials said.
There were two occupants at home when the fire was discovered. One occupant discovered the fire after hearing something fall down in the sunroom and seeing smoke coming from underneath the sunroom door.
A neighbor initially called 911 and reported smoke coming from the house. The homes occupants called 911 shortly thereafter to report their house was on fire and that everyone had safely evacuated.
There was one smoke alarm located in the hallway of the home, which did not alert the occupants to the fire because it had been disabled, officials said.
Investigators determined that the fire originated in the sunroom. The blaze was accidental in nature and caused by an unattended space heater that ignited combustible materials, officials said. The fire caused about $176,250 worth of damage, they said.
The fire displaced two adult occupants, who accepted Red Cross assistance. Rescue personnel transported the occupants to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and also took a firefighter to a hospital for evaluation.
PURSE STOLEN DURING VEHICLE BREAK-IN: A local woman told Vienna police that while she was in the Vienna Post Office, 200 Lawyers Road, N.W., on March 17 at 5 p.m., an unknown person smashed the passenger-side window of her vehicle and stole her purse.
ROCK THROWN AT VEHICLE PARKED AT VIENNA HOTEL: A local resident on March 18 at 2:19 a.m. observed a man throw a rock at a vehicle that was parked in the lot at Vienna Wolf Trap Hotel, 430 Maple Ave., W., Vienna police said.
Vienna police officers located the man, but the vehicle owner was undecided as to whether he would pursue charges, police said.
DISASTER-RESPONSE TRAINING OFFERED: Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a training program administered by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department that prepares residents to help themselves, their families and neighbors in case of a disaster in their community.
Through CERT, residents can learn about disaster preparedness and receive training in basic disaster-response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and medical operations in disasters.
The next available CERT class will begin April 24 at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy. There are two sessions each week on Mondays and Wednesdays that run until May 17. The class is 28 hours long overall, plus the final practical exercise.
CERT training is free of charge and the county will provide basic gear. To participate in CERT training at any level, residents must be at least 16 years old and either be a Fairfax County resident or work in the county.
For more information, see the Web site at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr/cert/cert.htm.
Read the original post:
Fairfax Public-Safety Notes, 3/30/17 edition - Inside NoVA
Category
Sunroom Addition | Comments Off on Fairfax Public-Safety Notes, 3/30/17 edition – Inside NoVA
-
March 29, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
Category
Sunroom Addition | Comments Off on $1.5 Million Homes in Washington State, Kentucky and Georgia – New York Times
-
March 28, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
March 28, 2017 12:11 ET | Source: Window World Franchises
photo-release
ALBANY, N.Y., March 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In January, Remodeling Magazine released their 2017 Cost vs. Value Report, which indicates the cost for 29 popular remodeling projects with the value those projects retain at resale. Per the report, Albany homeowners can recover an average of 79 percent of the costs for an entry door replacement and nearly 90 percent of a vinyl window replacement. Meaning, when it comes to investing your tax refund this year, an exterior remodeling project is a good place to start!
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0362fbac-f5e9-4acf-8dfb-7073cdf9d9f9
Three exterior upgrades that can offer the biggest bang for your buck would be a window replacement, energy-efficient siding and an entry door. New vinyl windows will not only give your home a great first impression but also reduce your energy bills. With insulating glass packages, youll ensure the suns rays are reflected in the summer, but shorter solar rays are brought inside during winter months.
Sleek siding will boost curb appeal while improving the comfort of your home throughout all seasons. Due to its low maintenance and longevity, vinyl siding is an ideal product to have as exterior cladding; additionally, energy plus reinforced features offer thick thermal support foam to fill gaps that would be left behind with traditional siding.
And the piece de resistance to amplifying your homes facade is a new entry door. Create a customized look with window panels or glass panels within the door or select a pop of color. On top of maintaining your preferred aesthetic, a new entry door can offer better insulation due to its thick core, essentially allowing you to avoid compromising on either style or function.
If youre looking for a refresh this spring, work with an exterior remodeler that can provide recommendations to match the outside of your home and neighborhood, said Josh Reed, Window World of Capital District owner. You want to improve curb appeal, but you dont want to stray too far from the homes character.
Improving your homes exterior is a surefire way to secure a good return on your investment. So be smart; make the necessary upgrades with your tax refund. Contact Window World of Capital District at 518-489-0889, today.
About Window World of Capital District Window World of Capital District is independently owned and operated by Dave and Josh Reed d/b/a Window World of Capital District under license from Window World, Inc. The store, located at 1240 Central Avenue, Albany, NY, serves homeowners in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady. For more information about Window World of Capital District visit http://www.WindowWorldCapitalDistrict.com or call 518-489-0889.
About Window World Window World, headquartered in North Wilkesboro, N.C., is Americas largest replacement window and exterior remodeling company, with more than 200 locally-owned offices nationwide. Founded in 1995, the company sells and installs windows, siding, doors and other exterior products, with a total of over 13 million windows sold to date. Window World is an ENERGY STAR partner and its window products have earned the Good Housekeeping Seal for nine consecutive years. In June 2016, Window World earned the ranking of Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Windows and Doors, Three out of Four Times in a Row, by J.D. Power. Additionally, through its charitable foundation Window World Cares, the Window World family provides funding for St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, where it was named New Corporate Partner of the Year in 2010. Since its inception in 2008, the foundation has raised over $7 million for St. Jude. Window World, Inc. also supports the Veterans Airlift Command, a non-profit organization that facilitates free air transportation to wounded veterans and their families. To begin your exterior remodeling project today, visit http://www.WindowWorld.com or call 1-800 NEXT WINDOW. For home improvement and energy efficiency tips, dcor ideas and more, follow Window World on Facebook and Twitter.
Related Articles
Norfolk, Virginia, UNITED STATES
Update Your Home's Curb Appeal with an Entry Door
(JPEG - 374 x 800)
IMAGE URL | Copy the link below
Formats available:
Window World Franchises Logo
LOGO URL | Copy the link below
Formats available:
Excerpt from:
Window World of Capital District Shares Tips to Invest Your Tax Refund this Year - GlobeNewswire (press release)
Category
Window Replacement | Comments Off on Window World of Capital District Shares Tips to Invest Your Tax Refund this Year – GlobeNewswire (press release)
-
March 28, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
 Lillie News | Kath: a no-brainer for any homeownerLillie NewsThe company's warranty is not an added charge or promotional gimmick -- it's just how Kath does business. Kath's expert staff treat customers right, providing top-notch installation and service for heating, cooling and electrical jobs, and their long ...and more » |
See the article here:
Kath: a no-brainer for any homeowner - Lillie News
-
March 28, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
The cost of powering your home and all your assorted appliances and devices can be significant. The price of everything, from running your air conditioner on hot days to charging your phone as you sleep, can add up.
Getting a handle on your electric bill is important. While utility companies dont typically report payments to the main credit bureaus, missing payments could potentially eventuallydrop your credit scoreas they can get sent to collections. (You can check two of your scores for free every two weeks on Credit.com).
But you can significantly reduce the electrical energy your home consumes by taking a few simple steps. Here are 11 ways you can lower your electric bill.
1. Perform a Home Energy Audit
Home energy auditors are professionals who come to your home to evaluate your power usage, assessing your home and your past power bills. Theyll look for areas where you can increase efficiency. Many electric suppliers provide this service for free, but you can also find a local paid professional.
When the audit is complete, the auditor can recommend energy-saving methods and products.
2. Install Dimmer Switches
The overhead lights in many rooms often provide more illumination than we need. With dimmer switches, you can adjust the amount of light youre using. Modern dimmers also reduce how much electricity lights use.
Ceiling fans circulate air through your home and can cool you off. While they use electricity, they may reduce the workload of your air conditioner.
Sunlight coming in through windows can heat up your home and make your air conditioner work harder. You should close the curtains or blinds on your windows when you dont need them open and consider installing tinted window film. (If heating or cooling your home is the main cause of your high electric bills, heres how you can keep temperatures comfortable without spending too much.)
5. Turn Off Unused Items &Unplug Electronics
Of course, you should shut off all electronics and lights when you leave a room to reduce energy usage. But electronics and appliances can use energy even when theyre turned off.
Gadgets and appliances like TVs, laptops, coffee makers, printers, space heaters and cable boxes continue to suck energy even when turned off, said Andrea Woroch, a consumer finance expert. Get in the habit of unplugging all these electronics and appliances when you arent using them. Power strips are an easier and less timely alternative some even come with a remote control for easier use.
LED light bulbs use significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs. While LED bulbs can cost more, they have a longer lifespan, so you could save money on light bulbs in the long run.
7. Replace Your HVAC Air Filters
Air filters keep dust and debris from circulating through your HVAC system and clogging vents and air registers. Over time, these filters get clogged with dust and debris themselves, and your air conditioning system will have to work harder to cool your home. You should swap your air filters out every few months to reduce the energy needed to regulate your homes temperature.
8. Install a Programmable Thermostat
Programmable thermostats reduce energy costs by adjusting your home temperature when youre away, at work or asleep. Your energy usage will be reduced because you wont be wasting electricity cooling an empty home.
The HVAC system uses the most energy in your home, and running the air conditioner or heater can blow your budget. However, installing a programmable thermostat takes the guesswork out of fiddling with temperatures and allows you to preset temps when you are home or away at work or school so you dont waste energy, said Woroch.
Just be careful. Smart thermostats are one of a few household objects that might make you vulnerable to hackers.
If youre looking for big savings and energy reduction, solar panels may be the way to go. Typically installed on the roof, solar panels harvest the suns energy and convert it into electric power.
Solar panels continue to improve. The prices of solar panels have become cheaper, their ability to capture the suns photons and convert them to electricity is becoming more efficient, and the technology is changing as solar shingles emerge as a more mainstream item, said Sage Singleton, home maintenance specialist at Safewise. The time before payoff on solar panels is also getting shorter the average rooftop solar system will pay back a homeowner in seven-and-a-half years. The sooner you install your solar panels, the sooner you will see the average savings on your lowered energy bills.
Solar panels might also lower your tax bill.
10. Look for Energy Provider Programs
Many electric suppliers have programs you can participate in to reduce the cost of your bill. These include rebates for buying energy-efficient appliances, rewards for reducing energy usage during peak hours and programs that spread the cost of your peak usage for months across the year. Visit your energy providers website or call to find out what programs might be available.
11. Shop for an Alternative Provider
If you have alternative energy providers in your area, you can always shop around to see if you can find a cheaper option.
One common way that consumers reduce their electric bill is to shop for a new electric supplier. Many states in the U.S. are deregulated, meaning the residential customers can shop for electricity, said Kelly Bedrich, cofounder and president of ElectricityPlans.com. In these states, homeowners and renters can shop for electricity in the same way you can shop for cable and internet service. By being able to shop for their energy, the homeowners can often save as much as 30% to 40% off of their energy bill simply by switching their supplier.
Related Articles
This article originally appeared on Credit.com.
Go here to read the rest:
11 Ways to Save on Your Shocking Electric Bill - Atlanta Journal Constitution
« old Postsnew Posts »