Tips for Keeping Your Clients' Homes Healthy

Tips for Keeping Your Clients' Homes Healthy
By Stephanie Andre

RISMEDIA, January 18, 2011—It’s easy to overlook a small leak or slight draft. But these problems have the potential to get worse very quickly. To prevent a big problem from arising, energystar.gov recommends having a contractor perform annual check-ups—on the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall. To remember, you might plan the check-ups around the time changes in the spring and fall.

Here are some things you should expect a contractor to handle:

• Check thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away.
• Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system and reduce the life of major components.
• Lubricate all moving parts. Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increases the amount of electricity you use.
• Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels.
• Check controls of the system to ensure proper and safe operation. Check the starting cycle of the equipment to assure the system starts, operates, and shuts off properly.

Cooling Specific
• Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Dirty coils reduce the system's ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
• Check your central air conditioner's refrigerant level and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
• Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels. Airflow problems can reduce your system's efficiency by up to 15 percent.

Heating Specific
• Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger. Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can contribute to health problems. A dirty burner or cracked heat exchanger causes improper burner operation. Either can cause the equipment to operate less safely and efficiently.

Actions You Can Do Yourself
• Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. Your contractor can show you how to do this. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure.
Source: energystar.gov

Bankrate: Mortgage Rates Jump Again

Bankrate: Mortgage Rates Jump Again

RISMEDIA, January 3, 2011—Mortgage rates climbed higher last week, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rising to 5.02 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.44 discount and origination points.

To see mortgage rates in your area, go to http://www.bankrate.com/funnel/mortgages/.

The average 15-year fixed mortgage increased to 4.39 percent and the larger jumbo 30-year fixed rate rose to 5.64 percent. Adjustable rate mortgages also went up, with the average 5-year ARM rising to 4 percent and the average 7-year ARM reaching 4.43 percent.

The last time mortgage rates were above 6 percent was Nov. 2008. At that time, the average rate was 6.33 percent, meaning a $200,000 loan would have carried a monthly payment of $1,241.86. With the average rate now 5.02 percent, the monthly payment for the same size loan would be $1,076.09, a savings of $166 per month for a homeowner refinancing now.

Survey Results
30-year fixed: 5.02% -- up from 4.96% last week (avg. points: 0.44)
15-year fixed: 4.39% -- up from 4.29% last week (avg. points: 0.4)
5/1 ARM: 4.00% -- up from 3.92% last week (avg. points: 0.45)

Bankrate's national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.

For a full analysis of last week's move in mortgage rates, go to http://www.bankrate.com.