Happy New Year! I hope that the holidays were enjoyable and that 2015 is off to a great start.
I see scenes like the picture below almost every winter, people shoveling snow for an extended period of time with the garage door WIDE open. This can be a huge mistake especially if there is a water softener, water heater, laundry tub or water lines in the garage walls and/or ceilings for bathrooms. With the current weather forecast for tomorrow, please be conscious of how long the garage door stays open.
And for all of my realtor friends that have vacant properties as a listing, the sub-zero temperatures can prove disastrous if a water line freezes and then bursts. My advice at a minimum is to shut the water off to the house and better yet, winterize the property.
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 | The Countdown To The Department of Energy (DOE) Water Heater Changes Has Begun! |
I began talking about the changes for water heaters last summer. Today marks exactly 100 days until the new DOE efficiency standards go into effect on April 16, 2015. At that point, residential water heaters will change in size, design and most importantly, cost. The manufacturers have not rolled out the price changes yet, but those should be coming out soon.
To try and keep this brief, my advice is that if your water heater is 10 years old or older, consider replacing it now. I have customers that have water heaters jammed between furnaces and walls that are going to be in for a rude awakening when it comes time to replace those heaters if it has to be under the new design standards. Possible scenarios could be downsizing to a smaller water heater, relocating to another part of the house or switching to a tankless water heater. |
