Things to Know Before Renovating House (2)

October 13, 2011 by admin

Most kitchen appliances require their own electrical circuits.
Ground fault interrupter circuit (GFIC) outlets should be installed in normally damp areas to reduce the risk of electrical shock.
To see if you need to correct insulation problems as part of your renovation, obtain a room-to-room professional energy audit, including a blower-door test and thermographic scan.
Tackle slow-draining sinks before they need to be professionally cleaned.
Don’t use your plumbing fixtures for anything they weren’t designed to handle, such as grinding tree branches in your garbage disposal.
When adding to your house, consider upgrading your older heating and cooling system to a modern, energy-saving model.
Get a system properly sized for your house. Oversizing can reduce comfort and shorten the life of the equipment by causing it to cycle on and off more requently.
Heat load and fuel price should determine whether you go with a highefficiency system or a conventional one.
Older houses can be fitted with air-conditioning without costly ductwork installation.
Consider radiant floor heating, which can save up to 30 percent on energy bills.
Seal your ductwork. Leaky ducts can waste 7 to 12 percent of your heating and cooling energy.