How breaking wind can save you money
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This story is brought to you by Nikki Marcovitz. For more than a decade, Nikki has helped hundreds of people buy and sell homes from St. Anthony down to Blackfoot. Extremely knowledgeable and well connected in our area, she will make your buying or selling experience as easy as possible. Nikki is a very experienced Realtor you can trust to get the job done!Have you ever considered how breaking wind can save you money?
Before you get excited and binge on bean burritos, it’s not that kind of wind breaking – and that’s not the type of gas you need to heat your home!
When shopping for your new dream home, there are a lot of things to consider besides the layout and how it looks on the inside.
What’s outside of a home can sometimes make or break its functionality.
For example, which way does the home’s entrance face, or which direction does the wind blow?
These things will both play a part in the comfort level inside your home, and become even more important with east Idaho’s snowy winters and breezy climate.
The Western Regional Climate Center shows prevailing winds in this area blow from the southwest, so a home oriented correctly can enjoy cooling breezes in the summer and mitigate windchill in the winter.
Look for home designs that use a garage or plants to break up wind blowing towards your house.
Although it may seem like small beans, windbreaks can decrease winter heating costs by 10 to 40 percent and reduce cold air infiltration into your home by 75 percent, according to a University of Idaho study.
That’s nothing to toot at!
The direction of your home dictates the type of snow removal you’ll do in the winter.
Since Idaho Falls spends almost half a year below freezing — the yearly average is 166 days — the cumulative savings or cost of heating your home can add up over time.
Besides the wind, why else should you take a second look at the direction your home faces?
In east Idaho, the direction of your home dictates the type of snow removal you’ll do in the winter, and the amount of heat you’ll get in the summer, equaling time and money for you.
Homes with west-facing walks and driveways can usually expect faster snowmelt due to the warming benefits of the afternoon sun.
East-facing homes can often have icier walks and driveways as the snow starts to melt in the morning but then refreezes in the shade of midday.
It’s not a deal breaker if you find a dream home, but know that with an east-facing home you will spend more time chipping away at snow and ice in the winter.
On the other hand should most of the windows in your home face west, the sun can help warm your home in the winter. In winter this will save on utilities, but in summer it will have the opposite effect.
Taking time to consider all aspects of a house, inside and out, can help you stay comfortable in the variable climate and seasons of east Idaho, and ultimately help you make the best investment possible for a place you’ll hopefully call home for many years to come.
And if you bring up breaking wind to your Realtor, be sure to explain what you mean.