REAL ESTATE OUTLOOK Wednesday August Paget GUARANTEE CRAFTED CUSS CEDA TBBOBOOOR STOP East Ontario i 8532793 acton Admiral to Wafer Charge Voter well drilling amp installations 14168279578 GRAVEL SYSTEMS I J New QUALITY WORKMANSHIP FREE ESTIMATES HRLTCL Communication Inc ft MACNMES TELEPHONE SYSTEMS FACSMU MACHINES CELLULAR TELEPHONES CALL 8733310 134 STOYLES CARPENTRY DOORS DECKS HO RE j 3950 Buy an energyefficient home now to save money later National entity pens predict in creases in the cost of electricity and nam ral gas through the end of the century That could be a bleak forecatt for homeowner after mortgage pay menu heating and cooling are to day a blue it approximately twothirds of monthly utility But new home shoppers can beat high healing and cooling cost by paying care attention to energy efficiency before they buy advises Michael mar manager Tor Owent Corning Ft Corp a leading manufacturer of building nil Energy efficiency the of a number of components working together just one feature Mr snys So when shopping Tor house you should know which questions lo ask about how it wit built Owens Coming suggests you cone en irate on these factors when shopping for Onentation and siting levels windows and doors caulk and weatherstrip ping and heating and cooling Oritniaimn and Suing A home on the lot important in energy use In northern for example I he fewer windows facing north the bet ler and south facing windows are a real benefit The opposite is true in southern or warm Any shielding from pre vailing windsby hills other buildings or trees can also substantially reduce he home energy use Attic and Wall Insulation Insulation is a primary contributor lo a home s en efficiency Find out what kind of in sulation and how much was installed in he attic basement and side walls Ask if insulation was installed around band joists the area in the baicmcnl where the foundation ends and the ground level floor beg Alio check thai the crawl spaces and floors over unhealed areas have been iwulaled properly Class Tiber insulation is very popular because of us excellent thermal protcc lion and because it will not absorb The energy saving potential of insula is measured in R values higher values mean greater insulating power Your local utility or building supply dealer can ell you what thi re com mended values are In your area and Storm windows and create a dead air space hat serves a insulatkm Doubleglazed win offer effective protection An easy way to check the number of glazings on a window Is to hold a lit match or cigarette lighter near the win dew a window will show he flame reflected twice In addition many manufacturers are using tow or Low glazings to increase a window energy efficiency Low glass allows neatly all of he tun visible light to pass through the pane while reflecting radiant heat via a microscopically thin metallic layer This glaring reflects heat into the home in winter and outside In the summer Caulking and Wiaihentiipping Check to see that all possible air in lira lion areas such as windows doors and electrical outlets have been caulked and sealed properly Heating and Coaling Equipmtm Be sure the heating and cooling system is ficient In the last few yean higheiTi furnaces and heat pumps have become available and manufacturers are required o provide information on a healing and cooling system efficiency In addition most new homes today move conditioned air from the furnace heat pump or central air conditioner h rough ductwork To be sure hat the conditioned air Is being delivered to the room and not lost along he way check to see if I he duel work is insula led mcial ducts can be wrapped with special insulation or the duett may be made or gtau fiber duel board Siirmi Check la lee If the builder it using some type of energydesign system such as Owens Corning s Thermal Crafted home pro- Owens Corning computer bated energydesign system evaluate virtually every dement of home construction hat influences It analyzes size and siting number and placement of windows anil caulking insulation levels and beat and cooling equipment and then es timates for he homeshopper he annual con of healing and cooling the home However because of necessary assump tions made regarding living weather patterns i her most at settings conjunction quality and other features the actual healing and cooling costs will vary Mortgage motive Mortgage lenders recognize the cost laving an energy efficient home can provide Some even offer lower debt ratios for new homes hat can be documented as energyefficient These id lulled ratios allow buyers to qualify to energyefficient home have a greater amount of disposable income available for mortgage payments because of lower operating costs The Federal Rome Loan Montage Corp Freddie Mac and he Federal National Association Fannie Mae have issued specific guidelines in structing lenders bow to offer Freddie Mac recognizes the Thermal Crafted home program as an acceptable energy rating for lenders louse in he evaluation process Shop carefully Noting thai buying a home is usually largest investment most people ever make OwensCorning Mr Kraeti ad vises Shop carefully for your new home Don be afraid to ask questions Finding as much as possible about a home before you buy it will save you money for as long as you own your Homebuyers Checklist Shopping for an EnergyEfficient Home SHOPPING SMARTTO main the In ending to Corp home program bujtng an energy treatment raiment home energy efficiency before buying Ac- developer of computerbaaed energy jatem called ha Thermal Crafted lionw can reduce energy bills ignlfleanliy and may enable you la qualify for How to repair bathroom tiles All the tiles arc coming off our bathroom Can you give us tome doit yourself ideas or for repairing these The tiles are probably coming off the wall because the plaster or plasm board behind them has become and remained wet What happens is that the do he job plaster softens up and then he just let go First remove the loose with a broad stiff putty knife Then repair the plaster wall by replacing the damaged area a new piece of waterresistant platter board or 34inch plywood Before replacing the old die youll have to remove the cement from the scraping will Shop air conditioning contractors carefully Home Comfort News If you re installing a new air conditioning system it well to keep one thing in mind that system has lo fityourhouschkeawell tailored suit And the tailor is the dealer contractor who measures your house and makes recommendations It won matter how good the air conditioner is or how much you pay if the total system is not well designed to fit your home It just wont do the job and you II have a long time to regret your deci sion A good dealerconlractor under stands the factors involved in mending the right equipment he size of your rooms the amount of insulation the prevailing winds the exposure and much more All of these play a part in the ultimate ommcndalion Major manufacturers all have thonzed dealers trained to install and service equipment Generally these dealers stock pans and equipment and have licensed mechanics on staff Good dealer coniractors can nor mally offer lists of satisfied custom If you have any doLbt about the dealer you re considering it worth taking the to follow up And never buy on the basis of an advertised low pnee No dealercon tractor can know what it will cost to air condition your house without see ingi i first Let a good dealer contrac tor spend some time examining your house inside and out Then youll get the right recommendation at the right price For all your homo comfort solu tions contact your local ICG Heat ing Air Conditioning deafer or for your nearest dealer call 1-800-