This option for home inspectors has been a long time coming and is applauded by this inspector. I’ve spoken with numerous real estate professionals who agree that the move will not only save them valuable time during the day but will help them be more productive.

The opportunity to carry the key also upholds the professionalism and trust that agents offer inspectors. On the behalf and as President of Mississippi ASHI, thank you for the vote of confidence.

Gary N Smith
Mississippi ASHI
NAHB Green BuildingVerifier

Take an empty gallon pale and turn your shower on full blast. Wait 2 minutes and check the pale. If it’s overflowing you’re wasting water! Change the shower head to a low flow model. Shower heads start at about $10.00 and changing it is a very simple task.

Plumbing leaks account for about 15% of water usage. It’s a good idea to check your toilet for leaks. Here’s how: Lift the tank cover and drop about 5-10 drops of food coloring into the tank. Now don’t flush yet! Wait about 15 minutes, lift the toilet seat and check the water color. A leaky toilet will show in the bowl as colored water and you’ll need to mend the leak.

Now for the most productive water saver! Just look into the mirror. Here are a few tips that you can use to help save water.

* When you brush your teeth, turn the water off.
* Toss trash into the waste can rather than flushing it down the toilet.
* Save 7 times the water by taking a shower rather than a bubble bath.

For more information on energy saving construction and green living contact Gary N Smith at www.garynsmith.net or call toll free at: 1-877-809-6139.

In our fact filled world we could use a few Energy-Saving Myth Busters. Do waste your hard earned money this winter. Consumer Reports’ Green Choices has a few tips:

Myth: Appliances and electronics don’t use energy when turned off. Many home appliances and other electrical products continue to draw power even after they’re turned off. In fact, the “standby power” accounts for about 8 percent of U.S. household electricity use, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. To identify products in your home that may be drawing standby power and some practical tips for reducing it, read Is your home wasting watts?

Myth: Computer screen-savers save energy. Screen-savers are not necessary on modern monitors, and some studies show they actually consume more energy than allowing the monitor to dim when it’s not in use, according to the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a nonprofit group started by Google and Intel to help combat climate change.

See the entire list of money saving tips here…



For more information on energy audits in Central MS contact Gary N Smith or phone toll free 1-877-809-6139.

1. If an extension cord is not marked for outdoor use, use it indoors only. The UL label will tell you if it is OK for outdoors
2. Inspect the cord before you use it. Look for areas that are cracked or frayed. If you find any, dispose of the cord.
3. The appliance or tool that you are using the cord with will have a wattage rating on it. Match this up with your extension cord. Don’t use a cord that has a lower rating.
4. Don’t run extension cords through doorways, or through holes in ceilings, walls or floors.
5. Make sure the appliance or tool is off before you plug it into the cord.
6. Make sure the plug is fully inserted in the outlet.
7. Don’t remove, bend or modify any of the metal parts of the cord’s plug.
8. Don’t plug a three-prong plug into a two-hole cord.
9. You shouldn’t have to force a plug into an outlet.
10. If the plug is too loose in the outlet, the outlet may be too old and needs to be replaced.
11. Some cords are polarized; one hole on the plug is larger than the other. Match up the outlet and the cord.
12. During use:
    • Keep away from water.
    • Don’t use it when it is wet.
    • Keep it away from children and pets.
    • Don’t plug one extension cord into another.
    • Don’t overheat the cord. Uncoil it, and don’t cover it with anything.
    • Don’t drive over the cord. Don’t drag it on lay anything on it.
    • Don’t walk on it.
13. After use:
    • Remove it from an outlet by pulling on the plug, not the cord.
    • Store it indoors.
    • Unplug it when not in use.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

“Foreclosed homes can sell for a fraction of their original worth, and may seem like a steal: A fixer-upper at a low price. There are plenty of good deals to be found on the foreclosure market, these homes can also harbor unpleasant surprises—including wild boars.”

What kind of problems should you look out for when dealing with a foreclosure?

• MOLD
• VANDALISM & BREAK-INS
• PARTING GIFTS
• WILD ANIMALS
• NEGLECTED MAINTENANCE

Advice for Buyers
Depending on the area, the seller might have already made some of the major repairs to a foreclosure. The key is to know as much as possible before buying anything—how much repair the house actually needs, and how much you can reasonably expect to put into it.

See the entire article here.

For more information about an ASHI home inspection contact Gary N Smith, Mississippi ASHI president at gary@garynsmith.net or toll free: 1-877-809-6139.

The designation requires 24 hours of NAHB-approved training, and additional continuing education every two years. Subjects covered in training discuss how green homes provide buyers with lower energy costs and higher value, and will include strategies for incorporating green-building principles into homes without driving up the cost of construction.

When: 2/17/2009 – 2/18/2009
8:30AM – 4:30PM
Where: Ridgeland , MS
HBA of Jackson
195 Charmant Drive
Other Locations & Times: View All
NAHB Member Fee: $275
Non-member Fee: $350
Contact Information:
Spence Tribble
HBA of Jackson
195 Charmant Drive
Ridgeland, MS 39157
Phone: 601-362-6501
Fax: 601-982-7684
E-Mail Address: spence@hbajackson.com
Instructor(s): Thomas Gotschall
Sponsoring HBA: HBA of Jackson

There are more reasons to living in a energy efficient environment than saving money. Unfortunately, we’re mostly motivated by the dollar. So, when we talk about going green it would be smart to focus on showing how building smart can help you save through homeowner education, awareness and participation. The challenge will lie, like it so often does, in change.

Change is hard and in more times than not comes slowly. The barometer for the most savings when building green will be in the hands of the homeowner. If we build new and improved features, designs and components and the homeowner fails to maintain a conscience effort to enforce good habits the dollars they expect and the benefits we promote will be dramatically reduced.

We live in a world of absolutes and instant information. We want it now and we want hard cold facts. Green Building and saving energy is going to be largely dependent on the person responsible for keeping the doors and windows shut, the home caulked, the water turned off, the thermostat correctly set, and a host of other operational devices.

Yes, it is true that the building will perform better without much homeowner participation. But, to get the highest and best use of the money spent “successful” green building will largely be defendant on how well we stay focused. At least focused long enough to change our “old” habits into becoming new ways of living. Green building then will have become green living and the savings we realize will be a nice by-product.

To help combat mold and mildew in your home proper ventilation is important. The following are guidelines for ventilating both large and smaller bathrooms using intermittent or continuous ventilation.

Small rooms:

For bathrooms up to 100 square feet in area, HVI recommends that an exhaust fan provide 1 CFM per square foot (approximately eight air changes per hour)

to properly ventilate the bathroom.

Example:

Bathroom is 8′x5′ (with 8′ ceilings). Multiply 8 x 5 = 40ft.

Bathroom area is 40ft.

At 1 cfm per square foot the minimum recommendation is a fan rated at 40 cfm.

Larger rooms:

For bathrooms above 100 square feet in area, HVI recommends a ventilation rate based on the number and type of fixtures present, according to the following table:

Note: Enclosed toilet rooms must have an operable window or a fan for ventilation.

Example:

The bathroom is 20′x12′. There is a tub (without jets), a shower enclosure and an enclosed toilet.

Each fixture requires 50 cfm:

Tub 50 cfm

Shower 50 cfm

Toilet 50 cfm

Total 150 cfm

You have 2 options:

1. Install a 50cfm fan over the tub, one in the shower and in the water closet. This method is very effective and will provide ventilation where you need it, when it’s needed.

2. Another option is to install one 150 cfm fan. The air will then be pulled through the entire room and exhausted at a central location.

Location of exhaust points:

Typically the exhaust points shall be located over or near the shower or tub and in an enclosed water closet.

With windows closed, exhausted air will be replaced by makeup air from adjacent rooms or forced air system registers. HVI recommends that the exhaust points are located away from the supply, thereby pulling the supply air through the room. Bathroom doors need to be undercut to allow makeup air to enter the room.

Duration of ventilation:

HVI recommends that the fan be left on for 20 minutes after use of the bathroom. A timer is a good solution, allowing the fan to turn off automatically at the proper time.

For steam showers it is best to have a separate fan in the steam room that can be turned on after use.

Continuous ventilation:

Alternatively, ventilation may also be provided on a continuous basis at other rates. This may complement the use of fans to provide the HVI recommended rates.

Update the look of your kitchen or laundry room and receive a Visa® prepaid card* valued up to $500 on select GE Profile™ and/or GE Café™ appliances.

Hurry! Offer valid for products purchased September 29 through December 31, 2008.

• Details and rebate forms

‘Dayism’ is a term used in building to describe putting daylight to work. People are choosing natural light because it is aesthetic pleasing, can cut heating costs and have impressive health benefits. Health benefits were proven from the natural light through the retina in the eye effecting the pineal gland, the hormone gland that effects mood, making us happier. In schools where natural light sources were implemented, improvements in student attendance, attention span, and even growth from the additional vitamin D from sunlight, were observed. Heat gain and loss were an issue with the old fashioned skylights.

I have heard that too much light can damage your furniture and at the same time can cause your HVAC to work much harder?

Today glass is specifically designed with small dots placed on the glass, called fritting. Fritting keeps the sunlight from heating up an area too intensely, allowing heat to escape in colder months, and fading furniture. The glass is part of one of America’s largest LEED projects, a massive skylight at the terminal of the Indianapolis Airport.

Ahhh! Now I see!

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