December 2016 Petit Home Team Newsletter
1. Petit Home Team NEWS
2. Seven Ways to Save Energy Costs During Winter
3. Just Listed/Sold properties
4. Christmas Traditions
1. Petit Home Team NEWS
Merry Christmas to all of our family, friends and clients! Thank you all for your continued support and love. We truly appreciate our Keller Williams family and look forward to another awesome year in 2017.
2. Seven Ways to Save Energy Costs During Winter
1. Adjust Thermostat Controls. This is one of the easiest ways to help control wasteful
energy expenses. Recommended heating settings during the winter is 68 degrees F
during the day. You can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling costs by simply turning your thermostat back 7 - 10 degrees for 8 hours a day from its normal setting. Programmable thermostats can make this extremely easy and effective. Program the daily settings at the start of the cold season and let the thermostat do the work.
2. Sealing Air Leaks. Air leaks are probably the No.1 cause for energy loss in a home. The sealing of air leaks around windows, doors, wall penetrations, cracks and roofs helps to prevent cold air from creating drafts or cold spots in your home during the winter months. It also helps to control unwanted moisture problems inside the home. Expected energy savings can range from 5 to 30 percent depending on the amount of air leaks present in a home. Remember to only use sealants and weather stripping that are compatible with your home materials. Non-combustible sealants should be used when sealing gaps around chimneys and heat producing devices.
3. Crawl Space Protection. Maintaining the insulation below the flooring and around pipes and plumbing within unconditioned crawl spaces exposed to the exterior reduces the potential for freezing pipes and cold spots within the home. Large amounts of moisture can reduce the effectiveness of insulation, generate air quality issues within the home and promote structural damage; therefore, controlling moisture by the installation of a vapor barrier over the ground and having good ventilation is also essential.
4. Replace or Supplement Old Attic/Wall Insulation. Insulation in your attic and walls (if installed) is your best line of defense for keeping cold and warm air from escaping or intruding your home. Depending on the installation, type, age, thickness and condition, your insulation could be less effective in its performance than you think, especially in older homes. Replacing or supplementing insulation can see significant improvements in the energy performance of a home, reduce the impact on your HVAC systems and add value. If the attic hatch is located above conditioned space, ensure it is also well insulated, sealed with weather stripping and closed tightly. In addition, adding insulation to your home could qualify for tax credits come tax season.
5. HVAC Equipment. To optimize performance of your home's HVAC system, regular inspection, cleaning and filter replacement every one to two months is suggested. A more comprehensive check prior to the heating or cooling season could pay dividends in the dead of winter or summer. If your unit is more than 15 years old, you should consider replacing your system with a newer, more energy efficient unit to help reduce energy consumption in your home. All ductwork should also be well sealed and be properly insulated.
6. Lighting. Energy from lighting accounts for about 10 percent of your electric bill. Replacing light bulbs in your home with more energy-efficient bulbs, such as energy-saving incandescent, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is not very expensive. Your electric utility company may even offer rebates, free replacement bulbs or other incentives for purchasing energy-efficient lighting.
7. Window Repairs/Replacement. Many windows on the market are now designed to be energy efficient to help reduce thermal bridging between the interior and exterior air. If it is time for replacement in your home, energy-efficient windows are your best bet. If window replacement is not on your horizon, consider adding storm windows and/or replacing the gaskets around the glass and perimeter sealant joints to help prevent air and moisture leaks in the window units.
3. Just Listed/Sold Properties
132 Mangum Cir., Mooresville NC 28117
$118,000
Beautiful, move-in-ready townhome in great Mooresville location. Convenient to shops, restaurants, Lowe's corp. and Lake Norman. Unit features spacious living area with wood floors, tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms. Upstairs 2 bedrooms with Jack and Jill bathroom. Enjoy private back patio with outdoor storage. Community pool and walking trails.
http://www.tourfactory.com/1685626
4. Christmas Traditions
When Christmas is Celebrated
Many people think Christmas is on December the 25th and that's all there is to Christmas. However, for many people around the world, in different countries and in different Christian traditions, Christmas lasts for a lot longer than that - and it's even celebrated at different times!
Although December 25th is the date when most people celebrate Christmas, there are some other dates as well!
Some churches (mainly Orthodox churches) use a different calendars for their religious celebrations. Orthodox Churches in Russia, Serbia, Jerusalem, Ukraine, Ethiopia and other countries use the old 'Julian' calendar and people in those churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th.
Advent - The Time Before Christmas
Before Christmas, many Christians use the time of Advent to prepare themselves and get ready to celebrate the joy of Christmas, when Christians celebrate of the birth of Jesus, who they believe is the Son of God.
Advent is normally a period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas. In many Orthodox and Eastern Catholics Churches Advent lasts for 40 days, starting on November 15th.
After Christmas - The 12 Days of Christmas and Epiphany
After Advent, traditionally, Christmas celebrations (and often a feast!) started on Christmas Day and lasted for 12 Days - so they were known as The 12 Days of Christmas! The celebrations finished on the evening of 5th January, which is better known as Twelfth Night.
Throughout history, the 12 Days of Christmas were a time of feasting and fun.
Following Twelfth Night, on 6th January, is Epiphany, when people remember the Wise Men (also sometimes called the Three Kings) who visited Jesus and/or the Baptism of Jesus.
Epiphany/Twelfth Night is also the time when it was traditional to take your Christmas decorations down - although some people leave them up until Candlemas.
Candlemas - The End of Christmas
You might think that Christmas ends when you take the Christmas Decorations down - but it doesn't! After both Christmas and the season of Epiphany, the end of the Christmas celebrations come on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas, with Candlemas.
Candlemas, also known as the 'Presentation of Jesus at the Temple' or the 'Feast of the Purification of the Virgin (or Mary)' is the when some Christians remember the time when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem to give thanks to God for giving them a son.
Christmas Eve
In many European countries including Germany, Serbia and Slovakia, Christmas Eve is the day when the Christmas Tree is brought into the house and decorated.
Christmas Eve is also the day when people in some countries, like Germany, Sweden and Portugal exchange their presents.
Tradition also said that any greenery such as Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe should only be taken into the house on Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas from Petit Home Team!
704-728-6944
www.PetitHomeTeam.com
3. Just Listed/Sold properties
4. Christmas Traditions
1. Petit Home Team NEWS
Merry Christmas to all of our family, friends and clients! Thank you all for your continued support and love. We truly appreciate our Keller Williams family and look forward to another awesome year in 2017.
2. Seven Ways to Save Energy Costs During Winter
1. Adjust Thermostat Controls. This is one of the easiest ways to help control wasteful
energy expenses. Recommended heating settings during the winter is 68 degrees F
during the day. You can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling costs by simply turning your thermostat back 7 - 10 degrees for 8 hours a day from its normal setting. Programmable thermostats can make this extremely easy and effective. Program the daily settings at the start of the cold season and let the thermostat do the work.
2. Sealing Air Leaks. Air leaks are probably the No.1 cause for energy loss in a home. The sealing of air leaks around windows, doors, wall penetrations, cracks and roofs helps to prevent cold air from creating drafts or cold spots in your home during the winter months. It also helps to control unwanted moisture problems inside the home. Expected energy savings can range from 5 to 30 percent depending on the amount of air leaks present in a home. Remember to only use sealants and weather stripping that are compatible with your home materials. Non-combustible sealants should be used when sealing gaps around chimneys and heat producing devices.
3. Crawl Space Protection. Maintaining the insulation below the flooring and around pipes and plumbing within unconditioned crawl spaces exposed to the exterior reduces the potential for freezing pipes and cold spots within the home. Large amounts of moisture can reduce the effectiveness of insulation, generate air quality issues within the home and promote structural damage; therefore, controlling moisture by the installation of a vapor barrier over the ground and having good ventilation is also essential.
4. Replace or Supplement Old Attic/Wall Insulation. Insulation in your attic and walls (if installed) is your best line of defense for keeping cold and warm air from escaping or intruding your home. Depending on the installation, type, age, thickness and condition, your insulation could be less effective in its performance than you think, especially in older homes. Replacing or supplementing insulation can see significant improvements in the energy performance of a home, reduce the impact on your HVAC systems and add value. If the attic hatch is located above conditioned space, ensure it is also well insulated, sealed with weather stripping and closed tightly. In addition, adding insulation to your home could qualify for tax credits come tax season.
5. HVAC Equipment. To optimize performance of your home's HVAC system, regular inspection, cleaning and filter replacement every one to two months is suggested. A more comprehensive check prior to the heating or cooling season could pay dividends in the dead of winter or summer. If your unit is more than 15 years old, you should consider replacing your system with a newer, more energy efficient unit to help reduce energy consumption in your home. All ductwork should also be well sealed and be properly insulated.
6. Lighting. Energy from lighting accounts for about 10 percent of your electric bill. Replacing light bulbs in your home with more energy-efficient bulbs, such as energy-saving incandescent, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is not very expensive. Your electric utility company may even offer rebates, free replacement bulbs or other incentives for purchasing energy-efficient lighting.
7. Window Repairs/Replacement. Many windows on the market are now designed to be energy efficient to help reduce thermal bridging between the interior and exterior air. If it is time for replacement in your home, energy-efficient windows are your best bet. If window replacement is not on your horizon, consider adding storm windows and/or replacing the gaskets around the glass and perimeter sealant joints to help prevent air and moisture leaks in the window units.
132 Mangum Cir., Mooresville NC 28117
$118,000
Beautiful, move-in-ready townhome in great Mooresville location. Convenient to shops, restaurants, Lowe's corp. and Lake Norman. Unit features spacious living area with wood floors, tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms. Upstairs 2 bedrooms with Jack and Jill bathroom. Enjoy private back patio with outdoor storage. Community pool and walking trails.
4. Christmas Traditions
When Christmas is Celebrated
Many people think Christmas is on December the 25th and that's all there is to Christmas. However, for many people around the world, in different countries and in different Christian traditions, Christmas lasts for a lot longer than that - and it's even celebrated at different times!
Although December 25th is the date when most people celebrate Christmas, there are some other dates as well!
Some churches (mainly Orthodox churches) use a different calendars for their religious celebrations. Orthodox Churches in Russia, Serbia, Jerusalem, Ukraine, Ethiopia and other countries use the old 'Julian' calendar and people in those churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th.
Advent - The Time Before Christmas
Before Christmas, many Christians use the time of Advent to prepare themselves and get ready to celebrate the joy of Christmas, when Christians celebrate of the birth of Jesus, who they believe is the Son of God.
Advent is normally a period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas. In many Orthodox and Eastern Catholics Churches Advent lasts for 40 days, starting on November 15th.
After Christmas - The 12 Days of Christmas and Epiphany
After Advent, traditionally, Christmas celebrations (and often a feast!) started on Christmas Day and lasted for 12 Days - so they were known as The 12 Days of Christmas! The celebrations finished on the evening of 5th January, which is better known as Twelfth Night.
Throughout history, the 12 Days of Christmas were a time of feasting and fun.
Following Twelfth Night, on 6th January, is Epiphany, when people remember the Wise Men (also sometimes called the Three Kings) who visited Jesus and/or the Baptism of Jesus.
Epiphany/Twelfth Night is also the time when it was traditional to take your Christmas decorations down - although some people leave them up until Candlemas.
Candlemas - The End of Christmas
You might think that Christmas ends when you take the Christmas Decorations down - but it doesn't! After both Christmas and the season of Epiphany, the end of the Christmas celebrations come on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas, with Candlemas.
Candlemas, also known as the 'Presentation of Jesus at the Temple' or the 'Feast of the Purification of the Virgin (or Mary)' is the when some Christians remember the time when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem to give thanks to God for giving them a son.
Christmas Eve
In many European countries including Germany, Serbia and Slovakia, Christmas Eve is the day when the Christmas Tree is brought into the house and decorated.
Christmas Eve is also the day when people in some countries, like Germany, Sweden and Portugal exchange their presents.
Tradition also said that any greenery such as Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe should only be taken into the house on Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas from Petit Home Team!
704-728-6944
www.PetitHomeTeam.com
