home improvement

Driving Toward Vehicle Charging Capabilities for the Home

The price of gas is on everyone’s mind – unless you don’t own a vehicle. Only a year ago, Seattle-area drivers were paying about $3.90 a gallon for unleaded regular gasoline. Today, well, I don’t even want to talk about it!

It is moments like these when consumers make the difficult (dare we say “bold”?) choice to ditch their gas-powered vehicles for something with an electrical outlet. The evidence is clear: Americans (and many others around the world) are switching to electric vehicles, or EVs.

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The 4-1-1 on Heat Pumps

Everyone should do their part to cut our carbon footprint and live more sustainably. One of the more common steps to take is to update a home’s heating and cooling system with an electric heat pump – a great way to reduce a household’s reliance on natural gas, oil or propane.

A heat pump is a bit of a misnomer because it helps to efficiently deliver both warm and cool air to the home. The device moves heat from the outdoors to the indoors, or vice versa, depending on the time of year. In cooling mode, a heat pump acts like an air conditioner, absorbing heat from the indoor air and releasing it through the outdoor unit.

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The Switch to Everything Electric in Your Home

More homeowners understand the importance of “decarbonizing” everything from products to transportation and especially their homes – but where to begin?

Buildings account for a large share of electricity use and combustion-related carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. Going all-electric in and around the home would help eradicate nearly 75% of global emissions, research shows, especially if the energy itself came from solar or wind.

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The Push for More Sustainable Homes

Climate change can feel like an abstract concept to many Americans. What’s more real are skyrocketing energy costs – the highly tangible reality more homeowners deal with in the face of colder winters and hotter summers.

This has prompted many households to build or renovate a more sustainable home – to cut both their carbon footprint and bottom line. The figures bear that out.

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Homes May Look Nice … but What About the Sounds, Smells and Contaminates?

There is often anticipation when visiting a residence in search of a dream home. Buyers tend to use their eyes to first capture the excitement of exploring rooms and discovering their features.

What visitors may be missing, however, are the sounds, smells and other sensory aspects of the home that may go unnoticed until after having moved in. Instead of letting their eyes do all the work, buyers should take an all-senses approach when touring a home.

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