Everyone needs a dog. It is true that they mess up a house, they take a time and attention and it is difficult to go on vacation because you will be concerned for their welfare. But, they also prove that life is not completely cruel and unjust and that in the darkest situations, they will still be with you, ready to go anywhere just to be near you. And in the brightest times, they will jump for joy, wag their tail and look at you as if you are the world’s best person. Everyone needs that kind of affirmation.
The comfort of a good pet, however, is not enough to get most people though the long nights in the winter or the hottest days of the summer. From the most efficient HVAC systems to water saving the newest plumbing materials, there are many ways that property owners need to make sure that they are maintaining their home. In fact, without the proper maintenance from the most experienced professionals the value of any home can actually decrease significantly. And given that a home is the most significant investment that most people will ever make, it is important to know that you are doing everything you can to make sure that investment not only holds its value, but that it increases as well.
Home Maintenance Must be a Priority for Property Owners
Fortunately, there are many kinds of service maintenance plans that can help you stay on top of the tasks that it takes to handle being a home owner. For example, the HVAC system in your home can be be easily maintained by having the contractors come out twice a year for checks. Two to three weeks before the cold winter weather arrives you need to have a HVAC team come out and check your system. Again in the spring, before the hottest of days in the summer, it is almost important to work with your HVAC installation team to have them check the system again.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the many things that can help you maintain the value of your property:
- Even one leaky faucet dripping at the rate of one drip a second can waste as much as 3,000 gallons every year. This is an amount of water that is equal to taking more than 180 showers.
- A shower head that is leaking 10 drips a minute wastes more than 500 gallons a year. That is the amount of water it takes to wash 60 loads of dishes in a dishwasher.
- Installing insulation is typically the best single step to take to reduce energy waste in a home. Without adequate attic insulation, for instance, as much as 20% of every dollar spent on home heating literally goes right through the roof.
- Furnaces with Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings between 90% and 95% are considered high efficiency furnaces. These units can cost more initially, but can save money and energy over time and usually have advanced features.
- Bathroom remodeling is the job most requested in the U.S., accounting for 78% of renovations, according to a National Association of Home Builders survey.
- The plumbing system in a home consists of two separate subsystems. One subsystem brings freshwater in, while the other takes wastewater out.
- Unfortunately, 10% of homes have leaks that waste as many as 90 gallons or more a day.
- Heating and cooling account for nearly 48% of the energy use in a typical U.S. home, this bill the largest energy expense for most homes. Unfortunately, improper equipment installation can decrease a home’s heating and cooling efficiency by 30%
- Some HVAC experts indicate that as many as 75% of no-heat calls in the winter are related to a lack of maintenance. Left unserviced, in fact, a furnace can stop working suddenly, leaving a family in the cold during the worst part of winter.
- You may be necessary to replace a home’s heating system if it is more than 12 to 15 years old, if it requires frequent repairs, if it does not supply sufficient warmth, if it cycles on and off irregularly, I fit consumes increasing amounts of energy, and it emits unusual noises.