What Is a SEER Rating?

With the cost of heating and cooling a home throughout the year, homeowners want to have the most efficient HVAC units in their home that they can afford. Asking for recommendations for a specific unit can bring about a wide range of different answers, though. Those who are in the market for a new HVAC unit need a way to tell just how efficient different units are beyond all of the hype. That’s where SEER ratings come in.

An HVAC unit’s SEER rating should be one of the most important factors you consider when trying to decide on a model. Unfortunately, if you don’t really know what a SEER rating is or how it’s used, the rating can be kind of confusing. To help, here’s a basic rundown of what SEER ratings are, how they’re used, and where you can turn to get more information.

SEER Ratings Explained

First things first: SEER stands for “Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio” and is one of the details provided on those big yellow “EnergyGuide” stickers that you’ll see on things like air conditioners, heaters, and HVAC units. It’s a ratio that compares the output of the unit over the course of an average season divided by the average energy used during that same season. This provides you with an idea of how cost-effective using the unit will be since the ratio sums up how much energy it will take to keep your home comfortable for an entire season.

It’s important to keep in mind that the rating represents the unit’s maximum potential efficiency; your actual experience may be (and likely will be) at least somewhat less than that potential based on weather conditions and other factors such as routine maintenance. Even with that in mind, the SEER rating provides a starting point for comparing different options and finding the best solution for your home.

Using a SEER Rating

When it comes to SEER ratings, you want to find HVAC units that have high numbers. This means that a relatively small amount of energy was used to create the output that the unit achieved, which translates to a significant reduction in cost for you. If you’re upgrading from a unit that is maybe 10 to 15 years old, there’s a good chance that you could save as much as 20 to 40 percent on your energy bill due to the higher efficiency of modern units. Using the SEER rating as a guide and comparing new units to the SEER rating of your current one will help you to maximize that savings.

Similarly, SEER ratings can be used to compare models from different manufacturers to find the one that provides the best bang for your buck. A unit that’s more expensive up front may still save you money in the long run if it has a notably higher SEER rating than cheaper models. While there’s obviously limits to how much your budget can spare, using the SEER rating as a comparison point can help you to find the most efficient option from among multiple models that otherwise seem very similar.

Choosing the Right HVAC Unit

If you still aren’t sure exactly which HVAC unit you need, don’t be afraid to talk to a professional. Get in touch with pros that specialize in HVAC sales and installation, as they’ll not only know how to find the most efficient unit within your budget, but will also help you take factors such as your region, the local climate, and the size of your home into consideration. Best of all, they’ll be able to deliver and install the unit for you to make sure that everything is done correctly.

HomeKeepr can help you find the HVAC pros you need for the job. Our app can match you with these and other pros in your area, and best of all creating an account is free. If you’re ready to take control of your home’s temperatures throughout the year without breaking the bank, sign up for your free HomeKeepr account today.

 

Considering Building a Wine Cellar?

Whether you enjoy an occasional glass of wine or consider yourself a connoisseur, you know the importance of storing your wine properly. Wine is perishable after all, so unless you buy wine only when you plan on drinking it, you need a good place to keep your bottles until you’re ready for them. Some people use small wine fridges or similar devices, but if you fancy a nice collection of wine then you might be thinking of installing a wine cellar instead.

Wine cellars were once considered something of a status symbol, but they’ve become much more common over the years as quality wines have become more accessible. Some people even install them because they’ve gotten into winemaking as a hobby and want somewhere safe to store their creations. Whatever the reason is that you’re considering a wine cellar, here are a few things that you should add in with your considerations.

Wine Cellar Benefits

There are definite benefits to having a wine cellar, whether it’s a small rack or a large storage area. A well-built wine cellar controls the temperature and humidity around your wine bottles, keeping the bottles’ corks from breaking down and preventing the wine from spoiling in the bottle. Wine cellars also reduce the effect of vibrations on the bottles, keeping them secure and helping to prevent sediment from being disturbed and ruining the wine’s quality.

Wine cellars can also help with organizing a wine collection, especially if your collection is still growing. The racks in the cellar allow for organization and labeling, and many are designed so that you can easily view the labels of your best bottles if you want to show off your collection as well. Even if you don’t have any high-value wines to show off, just having that secure storage space will allow you to buy multiple bottles of your favorites at once so that you can keep them on hand while enjoying discounts for buying in bulk.

Home Value Considerations

Adding a wine cellar to your home can also improve the home’s overall value, even if you’re not installing a large cellar. This is most evident if you list the home for sale and a wine enthusiast is a potential buyer; they’ll obviously know the value of having good wine storage built in, and it might be a major selling point for them. That value only goes up if your wine cellar is designed as a display piece as well as storage.

Even for those potential buyers who don’t drink a lot of wine, a wine cellar can be a positive in the home. Built-in storage that’s designed for temperature and humidity control can serve a lot of uses, and potential buyers could easily convert wine racks to shelving to make the wine cellar into something of a cool storage solution. And who knows? Maybe buying a home with a built-in wine cellar could kick off someone else’s desire to create a wine collection.

Building a Wine Cellar

Depending on the type of wine cellar you want, the budget you’re working with, and the amount of space you have available, there are a few different ways you can approach wine cellar installation. Building a wine cellar in your home could be as simple as installing a few racks in an empty nook or as complex as overhauling part of your basement as a home for your wine collection. Regardless of what you want in your wine cellar, though, HomeKeepr is here to help.

Through HomeKeepr, you can find the contractor or other professional you need to make your dreams of having a built-in wine cellar come true. From construction to lighting to environmental and HVAC considerations, we can help you find them all. Best of all, creating a HomeKeepr account is free. Sign up today and find yourself that much closer to the wine cellar you’ve always wanted.

 

Help Buyers Feel at Home (In Your Home)

Of course your house is awesome – it’s your house! But the things that you really love about your home’s decor can sometimes slow down progress when you’re trying to sell your place. Just because you’re all in on the “Halloween all year long” aesthetic doesn’t mean that potential buyers will be able to see past that when viewing your home.

What a Home Buyer Sees

Although we all like to imagine that we only look at the house itself and never, ever let ourselves be influenced by anything that’s easy to change about a home (or things that don’t even go with the home), the truth is often very different. Many homebuyers, especially those who are in the market for the first time, need to be able to picture themselves living in your house.

For some homes, that’s easy enough, but others that are owned by people who live an abundant or exuberant life can be a real challenge to homebuyers. They can forget they’re shopping for a home and get overwhelmed by the decor or intense level of personalization going on inside. Of course, you bought your house in part so you could make it your own, but now it’s time to let someone else take her for a test drive.

Obviously a lot of things can’t be turned into blank slates, especially if you have children or pets who have items that are specifically theirs and used often. Short of sending them to stay with the grandparents until you’ve got a contract secured, just keeping their areas tidy and focusing on the things you can soften will have to be enough.

Decluttering Is Important, but So Is Depersonalizing

There’s a difference between stripping a house of all its charm and simply depersonalizing it a bit. If you’ve got an original pink bathroom in a 1950s ranch-style home, by all means, let that brilliant bit of historical architecture shine. But, if your home is covered in photos of your family, your dog, and your intensely personal artwork, you may want to tone those selections down a notch.

When a homebuyer walks into a home that’s so deeply personalized, it can make them feel a little bit like they’re violating your privacy, even though you invited them in by listing your house. When someone feels like they’ve trespassed, they’re going to try to get out as quickly as possible, which does not help a buyer see themselves living in that house.

Consider Color Choices

Many buyers realize that they can and will almost certainly repaint your home to their liking, so for most sellers, repainting isn’t really a high priority, nor should it be. However, for some sellers, it definitely merits consideration. The homes that may need to consider a paint job are those that offer significant challenges to the potential buyer, or that have paint that works against the space. For example, if your house is full of dark colors that make the space seem a lot smaller than it is, it’s going to turn buyers away. Not only will they have trouble seeing themselves in the space that they perceive erroneously to be very dark and tight, those who realize it’s a visual trick may still be put off by the large amount of work that’s ahead of them.

As a rule of thumb, if you’ve chosen a color that will need several coats of primer before lighter paint will cover it, you’ll probably need to repaint. You can even go with a similar color that’s much, much lighter, if you really feel like the color works well for your house. Most buyers won’t care, as long as it’s something that they can easily imagine themselves repainting in a weekend to meet their own needs.

Need Help Making Your Home More Welcoming?

Look no further than your HomeKeepr community! Not only will you get the best recommendations for home professionals in your area who can help you repaint, reorganize, and even re-envision your home, it’s always free for homeowners to join!

 

Let Your Lawn Grow!

Keeping a well-manicured lawn is a goal for many homeowners. That nice crisp look of freshly trimmed grass can really improve the appearance of your home and surrounding property, and there’s just something to be said for the lush green color of a healthy lawn. But what if your lawn isn’t quite as healthy as you think? It’s possible that all of the work that you’re putting into that manicured look is actually keeping your lawn from reaching its full potential.

When a lot of people mow the lawn, they tend to cut it low and keep it that way. While there are some grasses that thrive with a close cut, a lot of grasses are actually healthier if you let them grow slightly taller. If you really want to keep your lawn healthy and create a luxurious carpet of green around your home, here are some things that you should stop and consider.

Less Frequent Mowing

Keeping your lawn trimmed short usually requires getting out and mowing every week or so, and sometimes even more frequently during certain seasons. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it… right? Maybe not. Grass height tends to slow down a bit as the blades grow longer, so you can actually get away with mowing less frequently if you let your lawn stay a little bit taller than you’d normally keep it. If you let your lawn grow out to 3 or 4 inches, then you can still create an overall uniform look while mowing a bit less often and having a thicker and lusher lawn overall.

There are environmental benefits to this as well. If you’re not mowing as often, you’re not using as much gas over the course of the year. This can be a big benefit both to the air and to your wallet as gas prices continue to hover near record highs. Taller grass also requires less frequent watering, as the blades of grass retain some moisture within themselves and can capture more dew from the air. This means that you won’t spend nearly as much time or money watering your lawn, and you won’t have to worry as much about watering limitations if you’re in an area facing drought conditions.

Improved Lawn Health

There are some other things that you can do to improve your lawn health and get a vibrant green lawn without frequent mowing as well. One big action you can take is dethatching your lawn, which breaks up and removes the layer of old roots and other plant material that lays above the soil that can have a negative effect on the ability of new grass to grow. A dethatching machine runs over your lawn, cutting small furrows through the thatch to break it up and give your grass more room to spread out freely.

Soil aeration is another way that you can greatly improve your lawn health. For this, an aerating roller will pass over your lawn and poke small holes in the soil as it travels. These holes allow air and water to enter packed soil more easily, making your soil healthier overall, and providing some much-needed liquid refreshment to the roots of your grass. This can have an even greater impact if you experience dry, hot summers, as heat can dry out the soil and make the packing effect even worse. Aeration lets water bypass the dense level of packed earth and get to your grass before the heat can evaporate it, resulting in less water being needed to water the grass effectively.

Reimagining Your Lawn

Less frequent mowing, slightly taller grass, and some soil maintenance can go a long way toward revamping your lawn while saving you money in the long run. Lawn maintenance and landscaping pros in your area might have additional suggestions as well. HomeKeepr can help you find just the right pros for your needs; creating an account is free, so sign up today and get to work on that lawn.

 

Help Your HVAC Do More

Having a good HVAC system in your home can really help you enjoy your living space throughout the year. A solid system will keep your home cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and just plain comfortable throughout the full year. Proper maintenance can keep your HVAC system running smoothly for years, ensuring that your home’s internal climate stays exactly the way you want it as time goes by.

This doesn’t mean that things can’t be better, though. You may not realize it, but there are actually several ways that you can modify your HVAC system to improve performance and create a better overall quality of life for you and your family. Different systems may have different options available, and they can affect the function of your system in different ways.

Air Purity Add-Ons

Some of the most common HVAC modifications are designed to improve the overall quality of the air in your home, filtering out impurities and eliminating things in the air that could possibly make you sick. Air cleaners and air purifiers are readily available for a number of systems, trapping things as small as bacteria, viruses, and allergens that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. These function similarly to portable single-room air purifiers, but instead of only working on the room where the unit is located, these actually filter and purify the air in your entire home.

Another option that often goes along with air purification is UV lamps that treat air as it moves through your HVAC system. This high-intensity ultraviolet night kills bacteria, mold, and other organisms that might be in the air and moving through your vents. Not only does killing these organisms help to keep you and your family healthier, but it can also prevent them from multiplying and clogging your air filters over time. This helps to ensure that your air stays clean for longer and keeps your system running with peak efficiency.

Air Quality Add-Ons

Simply cleaning the air isn’t the only way that you can improve your home’s air quality. Depending on where you live, humidifiers and dehumidifiers can go a long way toward making people comfortable within your home. Air that’s too humid can lead to unchecked mold and bacterial growth, while air that’s too dry can trigger symptoms of asthma and various allergic reactions. Adding a humidifier or dehumidifier as appropriate helps to eliminate these issues without requiring room-to-room solutions.

Another way that you can improve the quality of your home’s air is to add a ventilator unit to your HVAC system. These units facilitate the exchange of stale air from within the home with external air to help eliminate odors and other forms of internal pollution and ensure that you always have fresh air within your home. Much of the external air is pretreated before it enters the HVAC system, allowing you to exchange air without introducing issues such as unwanted heat or accidentally cooling the house more than desired.

 

Age in Place With a Smart Home

As we get older, some things that used to come easy start to get a little harder. In some cases, this isn’t that big of a deal, as some of the slow-downs and other problems associated with aging may just be little inconveniences. In other cases, though, the problems that occur as we get older can make it more difficult to maintain an independent lifestyle. This can be a big problem for people who are used to doing everything themselves, as it creates a greater dependence on other people, and in some cases may even make it difficult to live at home alone.

Fortunately, there are a number of technological options which make it much easier to age in place at home. Advances in connected devices and smart home technology contribute to this significantly, with home automation going a long way towards helping aging adults stay safe, secure, and largely independent at home. Even better, they make it even easier for seniors to reach out for help if it’s really needed. As the specific needs of older adults can differ greatly, here are a few examples of how smart home devices can aid with aging in place at home.

Organize and Automate

Many smart home hubs take the form of virtual assistant hardware, such as those with Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa. This can be a great benefit to seniors trying to stay sharp and keep up with various appointments and engagements as the digital assistant aids with keeping track of your calendar. Programmed routines during the day can provide prompts for meals, medicine, and any other recurring event, and appointment reminders make sure that important dates aren’t forgotten or overlooked.

Automation can also make sure that connected devices are ready when they’re needed and turned off when they aren’t. Routines for light controls, thermostat adjustments, and even appliances such as the coffee maker or air fryer can help to save on the electric bill while making life as convenient as possible. In many cases these devices can even be checked and controlled remotely to ensure that you never have to worry about whether something was left on.

Safety and Security

There are a number of smart home sensors that can help to keep older adults safe and secure while living on their own. Connected smoke detectors, leak sensors, and even window sensors help to ensure that alerts go up as soon as potential hazards or intrusions are detected. Smart door locks and connected cameras also provide protection against intruders and unwanted visitors while allowing easy access to family and others who are supposed to be at the house.

Another big benefit of having a connected smart home is that you can typically place calls to family, friends, or other emergency contacts without having to pick up a phone. In the event of an emergency, seniors can simply speak and ask a digital assistant to call an appropriate contact. By setting up a contact list with family members, emergency services providers, and others that might be needed, this puts any help that you might need literally just a call away.

Making Your Home Smarter

There are a lot of ways to upgrade a home with smart devices to make it a safer haven for aging in place. Depending on your needs and tech expertise, this can be a DIY job that gets everything automated and connected. If you aren’t comfortable with that, though, HomeKeepr can get you in touch the electronics pros that you need to get the job done. They can make recommendations, provide installation services, and may even offer assistance in setting up whatever routines or other custom programming you might need. Creating a HomeKeepr account is free, so sign up today and connect with the pros who will make it easier for you or your loved one to stay independent longer.

 

What Can You Do With Your Home’s Equity?

If you’re like a lot of long-time homeowners, you’ve probably got a great deal of home equity on your hands right now. If you’ve been considering putting it to work, it’s still a decent time to take out a second mortgage or a HELOC, even as rates are starting to rise. Having so much home equity can enable you to make some very seriously needed changes to your home, either to allow you to age-in-place or to accommodate other lifestyle needs. It’s an opportunity to make major changes or upgrades, but there are certainly some ways that are better than others to use your home’s equity. We’ve got some ideas to get you started.

Freshen Up the Whole Place

There’s nothing better for the value of a house that’s not had much regular care in a while than a general sprucing up. You’ll have to go room by room, as well as take a hard look at your exterior space, to decide which items are tired and in need of repair or replacement. You’d be surprised how much difference some careful clean-up and maintenance work can really make.

A few common exterior items that can really make a tired house look brand new include a new garage door (for houses with street-facing garages), exterior window dressing such as window boxes or updated shutters, tuckpointing for brick homes, or cleaning and resealing your driveway. Interior items that can make a huge impact house-wide include new floor coverings or refinished floors, updated room lighting and under cabinet lighting in kitchens and baths, and a fresh coat of interior paint.

Consider Major Outdoor Upgrades

According to Remodeling Magazine, something simple like adding a wooden deck to your home can improve your home’s value and return as much as 65% of the cost back to you if you were to sell right away. Outdoor living spaces have become all the rage since the pandemic has made vacationing challenging, so it could also be an addition your family would use a lot.

Upgrading your landscaping can also add a lot of curb appeal to the front of your home, which would help if you decided to sell. You could even use your home’s equity to add landscaping that’s far easier to care for than what you have now, like xeriscape plants that require little water or intervention, or simply a better planned landscape that minimizes the need for mowing your lawn.

Make Your Bathroom or Kitchen Universal

Aging in place is becoming a more common goal for people as they age. They want to be in their own homes, and these kinds of upgrades make it possible by creating spaces that will allow for walkers, wheelchairs, and other support tools. Universal bathrooms and kitchens can be amazing ways to use your home’s equity. Universal bathrooms may need wheel-in showers, sinks that are table height, bidets and other sanitary plumbing installed, or even just simple changes like non-slip flooring and better storage added.

Universal kitchens are a bit more involved, often involving sinks, appliances, and workspaces being lowered to a height that can be used by people in wheelchairs or those who simply can’t stand for long periods on hard floors. Better task lighting, more accessible storage in cabinets and other areas, and non-slip tile are also important parts of universal kitchen design.

Still Need Help Deciding?

If you’re not sure how to spend your home’s equity most effectively, it might be time to call in an expert. Your HomeKeepr community can recommend the very best general contractors, plumbers, HVAC, flooring, and even mortgage experts to help you get started on your home’s upgrades. You might be surprised at what someone else sees in your home that can make your life a million times easier (or more fun!) and still fit within your home equity budget. It’s free to join and there’s never any catch when it comes to meeting recommended experts.

 

Ways to Dress Up Your Patio

Maybe you’ve just moved into your new home and you’ve got a patio of your very own for the first time, or maybe you’ve had one for a while and just didn’t know what to do with it. Patios are magnificently flexible spaces, if not a little boring by themselves. Think of your patio as a three-dimensional canvas that you can literally create anything on that you’d like. From tiki hot tub paradise to casual outdoor dining space, patios are only limited by your imagination. Here are some things to think about when you’re trying to dress yours up!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Patios are great, but nighttime patio lighting is often lackluster. For patios near the house, many people rely on a single bulb hanging near the back door, and those floating on the lawn may have no lighting whatsoever! It’s understandable, since there was once a time when your only outdoor lighting options were hardwired, and that was tricky with a cement slab.

But today’s patios have so many more options. Not only are solar lights affordable and reliable, they’re also amazingly diverse. Want a bit of a beach party mood? Add a whole collection of solar-powered string lights with round bulbs. Looking for something more romantic and period? Victorian-themed solar wall sconces can evoke a real mood. Add poles to elevate your lighting for even more flexibility in placement.

Fun in the Shade

Sure, the sun is awesome, but have you tried the shade? The shade is great, especially on a sunny day when the entire world is just a little too hot and a little too bright. Shades can also protect dining areas from debris that might fall from nearby trees, making dining outdoors a true pleasure.

Shade sails are easy to install, come in lots of fun colors, and lend a super modern look to all kinds of spaces. If you want something a little more serious and a lot more fancy, aluminum pergolas with shade systems can be attached to your patio or home permanently. These often have shades that can be opened or closed to let the sun in – or not – as your heart desires. Some even come with curtains to create a more private space.

Roll Out the Carpet

Outdoor rugs are increasingly diverse and must-have patio items to accompany outdoor living furniture and tables. These rugs can be heavy duty, with similar quality to rugs you might choose to have inside your house. A huge range of patterns and colors can help you create the atmosphere you’ve been dreaming of.

Using an outdoor rug can help keep your patio looking cleaner, as well as define specific spaces if your patio is larger and has a few different activity areas. You might color-coordinate one under your patio dining set (set beneath your new pergola, of course), and add another to the set of patio furniture near the hot tub to encourage people to stop and have a chat.

Add a Touch of Green

Of course, your patio is almost certainly already near plants, but there’s a whole different mood that comes with potted plants on a patio. You can tell so much about a space by how potted plants are chosen and the kinds of pots they’re in. Sleek and modern areas might benefit from simple, upright foliage plants in tall, narrow pots. More traditional spaces could go full cottagecore with some old wash tubs overflowing with your favorite annuals.

If Your Vision Is Lacking…

It’s ok! We’re here to help. Just log into HomeKeepr and ask your community for a recommendation for the very best outdoor space designers in your area. They’re just a click away and you never have to pay for a chance to make that connection for your home. Don’t have a patio yet? We can help with that, too! Just ask your community for help with a new patio installation and before you know it, you’ll be picking out your own patio theme.