Recently, along with my Duke Energy bill I received a very informative email about what they are calling “ENERGY VAMPIRES.” Since it’s almost Halloween, I figured what a great time to talk about these green tips!
Many devices we use in our home use electricity even when they are turned off; these are ENERGY VAMPIRES. This is the opposite of BEING GREEN and nobody likes to waste money right? To get them to stop consuming electricity, you must completely unplug them from their outlet. If they are plugged into a power strip, turn the power strip off. This may not be practical for everything, but there are a lot of little devices around your home eating tons of energy that you could unplug. You can also buy a “smart” power strip that will cut off idle power to these devices. These “smart” power strips aren’t much more expensive than a normal surge protector.

Think about your..

• Coffee Maker
• DVR, DVD player or VCR
• Cell phone chargers
• Video game systems
• Computers

If your power cords look like this, they are likely consuming energy even when the device is turned off.

Think you can’t possibly make a green impact? Energystar.gov estimates that the average American household wastes $100 per year powering these devices while they are turned off.

If you could reduce your electric bill by $8 a month you would, wouldn’t you?

• Check your air conditioning filters. Replace if needed.

• Test your lawn sprinkler system. Make sure all sprinkler heads are working correctly and not directing too much water towards the foundation of your home.

• Inspect your roof for missing or loose shingles. Re-adhering loose shingles along the way will prolong the life of your roof.

• Clean the condenser coils on your refrigerator. These are found either underneath or on the rear or the unit.

• –Get the minor interior fix ups out of the way now so you can use any of those unseasonably warm weekends on the exterior of your home.

• –Pack like you’re moving! (Because if you list with me, YOU ARE MOVING!) Buyers hate clutter; start packing all your non essential property and organize it neatly in the garage or basement, or best of all, put it in a storage unit.

• –Eliminate at least one piece of furniture from every room. “BIG,” “BRIGHT,” and “OPEN,” is what buyers want to see.

• –A can of paint will go a long way. Don’t gut your whole kitchen (you might not get that value back in some areas of this market). Paint, new carpet, replacing a counter top, a new light fixture; these are some more economical ways to improve your bottom line. Ask your local real estate expert which improvements will be best for you.

As a REALTOR, we spend 60+ hours a week working with our local housing market. WE know what buyers in your neighborhood expect (because we’re working with them), we know what improvements your competition has (because we’ve been through them all).

Involve your Cincinnati real estate professional as early in the process as you can (we’re not on vacation). It will pay off!