In March, many Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by attending parties, wearing green clothing, and even bedecking their homes with green shamrock and leprechaun-adorned decorations. With nearly 37 million Americans claiming Irish ancestry (according to Ancestry.com), that’s no surprise. But what may surprise you are the many ways that you can “green” your home that will last well beyond March 17, and save you money on utility bills year-round.

Here are a few recommendations from NAHB Remodelers to home owners who want to increase their home’s efficiency, decrease costs, and take advantage of the other benefits of “greening” your home.

• Add insulation
Adding insulation will help save energy costs, increase comfort by better controlling temperature, and improve indoor air quality by eliminating many gaps through which dirt, dust, and other impurities can enter. Insulation is rated by its ability to resist heat flow, known as the “R-value.” The higher the R-value, the better its ability to resist heat flow.

• Install high-efficiency windows
Ordinary window glass transmits ultraviolet heat rays from the sun into your home. ENERGY STAR-rated windows can help control this. These windows may have two or more panes of glass, warm-edge spacers between the panes, improved framing materials, and microscopically thin metal or metallic oxide layers deposited on windows to reduce radiative heat flow.

• Seal exterior penetrations
Inspect your home from the inside and outside and plug cracks or openings in order to reduce cold air drafts and heat loss, especially the areas where window frames meet the structure or siding of the house. Use caulking to seal all small cracks on non-moving surfaces and install weather stripping on windows, doors and other movable parts of the home.

• Replace your appliances with ENERGY STAR-rated ones
ENERGY STAR -rated appliances, ranging from dishwashers and refrigerators to computers and televisions, meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy. Qualified refrigerators, dishwashers and vent fans use ten to 50 percent less energy and water than standard models, more than making up for the slightly higher costs of these products.

• Install low-flow water plumbing fixtures
In the average home, flushing toilets accounts for around 30 percent of water usage. By using low-flow plumbing fixtures such as toilets, faucet aerators and showerheads, you can save up to 25 percent of that water compared to conventional fixtures while providing the same utility.

• Upgrade to an ENERGY STAR-rated or tankless water heater
Tankless water heaters provide hot water on demand at a preset temperature rather than storing it. A low-cost alternative to a tankless heater is to wrap insulation around your conventional water heater, which can reduce standby heat losses 25 to 45 percent.

• Install a high-efficiency HVAC system
High-efficiency ENERGY STAR HVAC equipment can reduce utilities costs on average by ten to 30 percent over minimum efficiency equipment. It also can improve home comfort with more heating and cooling and a quieter operation, and often features higher quality components that result in longer equipment life.

Not only will green remodeling help you enjoy your home more during the time you live in it, it will make it more attractive to potential buyers when you decide to sell. According to research by the National Association of Home Builders, 72 percent of consumers report energy efficient features in a home would influence their purchase decision.

For more information on green remodeling, visit www.nahb.org/remodel .

Find a Professional
When you hire a remodeler, you are buying a service rather than a product. The quality of the service the remodeler provides will determine the quality of the finished product and your satisfaction.

Get a List: The first step to hiring a professional is to build a list of candidates, and flipping through the Yellow Pages is not the ideal method. Learn the best way to begin your search.

The Inside Scoop: Once you have your list of remodelers, how do you properly evaluate their credentials? Get the inside information on what to ask and look for in home contractors.

Evaluate References: You don’t want to just question the remodeler, but also learn first hand from the remodeler’s current and former customers. Learn what to ask references.

Make the Decision: Now you’ve done your homework and it’s time to choose. Get some final guidelines to evaluate your remodeler.

Work With a Professional
Since you’ve done the hard work of evaluating and hiring a professional, the next step is ensuring your home remodel goes smoothly.

Live with Your Remodel: The only thing left is the remodeling itself. Learn how to adapt to your home as a work site, communicate with your remodeler, and schedule your project for a smooth remodeling experience.

Prevent the Fever: Now that the project is underway, the disruption can become rather large depending on the scope of the remodel. Learn how to manage the potential stress of a project that’s underway.

Be a Good Neighbor: A professional remodeler goes out of their way to minimize any inconvenience to your neighbors, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to be neighborly yourself. Learn more.

Home Maintenance: Finally, now that you’ve gone though the time, energy, and expense of upgrading your home you want to keep it in top shape. View some tips on keeping your home well maintained.
For more information about this item, please contact STHBRA at 607-785-9285 or via email at info@sthbra.com

$10 General Admission Tickets are available at the Arena box office or at Ticketmaster outlets.

Children 12 and under are FREE

Local Flood Victims & Relief Workers recieve free admission. Please pick up your vouchers from the Broome County Council of Churches:
3 Otseningo Street, Binghamton.

Line-up (main stage)
12:00-12:30 Cheating Intention 12:30-1:00-Zarni
(\1:15-1:30 Broome County Pipe & Drum Band (Floor)
Headline Performer
1:45-2:30 Shawn Gallaway
2:30-2:45 GleePac (Floor)
2:45-3:30 Scott Freeman Band & The Revival Horns
3:45-4:30 Eric Ross
4:45-5:15 Lo-Fi Resistance
5:15–5:30 BHS Steel Drum Band (floor)
5:30-6:00 Jared Campbell

•Local Restaurant “Tastings”
•Ross Park Zoo-mobile
•Face Painting
•Balloon Animals
•Local Mascots
•Jugglers
•Clowns
•The Magic Paintbrush Project
•Bag-Pipers (1:15-1:30pm)
•Belly-Dancers
•Irish Dancers
•50/50 Raffles
•Silent Auction
•Photos taken with Santa on a Harley!
•Holiday Craft Vendors

The economic downturn has changed the way Americans look at a lot of things, including what they are looking for in their next home. A study by the National Association of Home Builders suggests that the recession has caused prospective home buyers to shift their perspective on the housing they want and need, and that the new home of the future will focus more on efficiency than indulgence.

The survey asked builders, designers, architects, manufacturers, and marketing specialists about what they thought the likely characteristics of the average, new single-family detached home would be in 2015.

First, the typical size of new homes will continue to shrink, with respondents saying they expect homes to average 2,152 square feet. That is 10 percent smaller than the average size of single-family homes started in 2010. Census Bureau data shows that the average size peaked in 2007, at 2,521 square feet.

This decrease is likely influenced by economic hardship, with consumers focusing on lowering the cost of heating and cooling their homes as well as no longer having a lot of equity in their current homes to finance purchasing a much larger one. An aging population — 29 percent of the U.S. population will be 55 and older in the year 2020 — will also increase demand for smaller homes as empty-nesters downsize into easier-to-manage properties.

A smaller home means the space must be better suited to modern lifestyles. Fifty-two percent of builders expect the living room to be merged with other spaces in the home by 2015 and 30 percent said it will vanish entirely. Respondents also expect the entry foyer and dining rooms to become smaller, or merge with other spaces. A great room comprised of the kitchen, foyer and living room is the most likely room to be included in the average new home. Some of the rooms least likely to be present include two master bedroom suites, a sunroom, a hobbies room, and a media room.

Kitchens are also expected to become more functional. Double sinks, recessed lighting, table space for eating, a breakfast bar and pull-out drawers are the features most likely to be in the new home kitchen in 2015.

In addition to floor plan changes, it is expected that new homes in 2015 will include more green features and technology, including low-E windows; engineered wood beams, joists or tresses; water-efficient features such as dual-flush toilets or low-flow faucets; and an ENERGY STAR rating for the whole house.

Surprisingly, some new home features that have been popular in recent years are expected to lose favor with home buyers in the future. Less than a third of survey respondents said they thought more technology features, more universal features and more outdoor living features would be the first or second most probable trend.
To find out about trends in new homes in the Southern Tier area, contact Southern Tier Home Builders & Remodelers Association at 607-785-9285.

Beware Of These Warning Signs:

• You’re told that on this job, a contract “won’t be necessary.”
• You’re asked to pay for the entire job “up front”—or pay cash to a salesperson instead of a check or money order to a company.
• You are confronted with scare tactics.
• You’re told you’ve been “chosen” as a demonstration project at a special, low price.
• You’re told a low price is good only if you sign a contract today.
  The contractor won’t give you references—or the references can’t be located.
  You can’t verify the contractor’s business address.

Need Help Finding A Contractor?

If a contractor you feel is not being upfront has contacted you, please contact Southern Tier Home Builders & Remodelers Association for a list of reliable contractors. They can be reached at www.sthbra.com or 607-785-9285.

No one could stop these floods—but a fly-by-night contractor is one disaster you can prevent.

If you find yourself struggling to find room to store everything you’ve accumulated over the years, see if these storage options might work for you.

Do An Audit

Before you invest a lot of time deciding where things should go, look through your closet, files and drawers to determine what can be thrown or given away. For clothes, it is a good rule of thumb to get rid of items that you have not worn in more than 12 months.

A lot of your household financial documents and papers may be available online through the provider company’s Web site. If that is the case, discard old financial statements or bills that you can more easily access electronically. Invest in a paper shredder for these documents to protect your identity and accounts.

It is very easy to allow cabinets and drawers to become cluttered over time, especially when you have to do a quick cleaning of your home when you have surprise visitors. Declutter those drawers periodically to keep from accumulating outdated flyers, menus, magazines and newspapers. This will open them up so you can store more day-to-day items that you need to quickly reach.

Buy Furniture That Doubles as Storage

If you are looking to replace old, worn-out furniture in your home, buy pieces that also can serve as storage. Consider a coffee table that has drawers or an ottoman that can open up and double as a spot to store your blankets.

Make Use of Wasted Square Footage

In closets and in the kitchen,use all of the space that is available to you. Often home owners are giving up valuable square footage if they don’t install cabinets or shelves that go up to the ceiling. Store items that are either out of season or that are rarely accessed — such as holiday decorations — on the higher shelves where they are out of the way. This will free up the lower shelves to allow you to get to the things that you use on a regular basis.

Bed Risers

By simply raising the height of your bed a few more inches, you can gain a lot more storage space that is also hidden away. Bed risers can be found in home design and improvement stores in different shapes, styles, textures and colors to complement your current bedroom furniture. They are inexpensive and not only give you added storage space, but will also give your bedroom a new look.

You’ve made the decision to finally remodel the outdated kitchen and living room of your home. But if you live in a house built before 1978, a new federal law regulating the removal of lead paint may affect your home remodeling project.

In 1978, the use of lead paint was officially banned from residential construction. Before that, however, lead paint was used in more than 38 million homes, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Beginning in April 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead- based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.

The Dangers of Lead Paint

During a renovation or remodel, dust from lead paint removal can fill the air and be breathed in or small children could ingest lead paint chips that fall from the wall. For young children, lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, hearing loss and behavior problems. In adults, lead poisoning can lead to hypertension and high blood pressure. Pregnant women run the risk of passing the poison on to their unborn child.

It is important that you find a remodeler who is trained in lead-safe work practices rather than try to do the work yourself. To ensure the safety of the home’s occupants, the EPA’s new regulation requires that any major renovation to homes built before 1978 must be performed by a certified remodeler or renovator.

What are Lead-Safe Work Practices?

EPA has a free brochure on its website called “Renovate Right” that provides guidance to home owners and contractors about the safe removal of lead paint. Your contractor should follow specific work practices, including these three simple procedures:

1. Contain the work area so that dust and debris do not escape. Warning signs should be put up and heavy-duty plastic and tape should be used to seal off doors and heating and cooling system vents and to cover the floors and any furniture that cannot be moved.

2. Minimize dust. There is no way to eliminate dust, but some paint removal methods create less dust than others. For example, using water to mist areas before sanding or scraping; scoring paint before separating components; and prying and pulling apart components instead of breaking them. Methods that generate large amounts of dust and should not be used include open flame burning or torching; sanding, grinding, planing, needle gunning, or blasting with power tools and equipment not equipped with a shroud and high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter vacuum attachment; or using a heat gun at temperatures greater than 1100°F.

3. Clean up thoroughly. When all the work is done, and before taking down any plastic that isolates the work area from the rest of the home, the area should be cleaned up using special cleaning methods . These include using a HEPA vacuum to clean up dust and debris on all surfaces, followed by wet mopping with plenty of water.

How Do I Find a Certified Remodeler?

To become lead-safe certified, a firm, and a contractor within that firm, must submit an application to the EPA and complete a federal or state-administered eight-hour class with two hours of hands-on training.

To find a lead-safe certified contractor or firm near you, contact Southern Tier Home Builders & Remodelers Association at 607-785-9285 or visit www.epa.gov/lead.