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Friday, September 21, 2012

EPA Regulatory Fees to Raise Spray Foam Insulation Cost in South Carolina

EPA Regulations Hit Spray Foam Insulation Contractors With Huge Cost in 2013


Hurry and get your home spray foamed before the tougher EPA restrictions start. New restrictions are set to double the cost of the most energy efficient "green" building products on the market like spray foam insulation. With spray foam insulation being the best insulation product on the market to homeowners and businesses in the Myrtle Beach, SC and Coastal Carolina areas, and has a 100% faster payback on investment compared to solar energy products.  New regulations in transportation fees, testing, and inspections, will now cost homeowners almost $2,000 more in spray foam insulation cost then in past years. 

If you have ever been interested in spray foam insulation for your home or business in the Myrtle Beach SC and surrounding areas, then now is the time to install it in your home or business. Beat the regulation start date and save up to $2,000 in regulatory fee cost. With tax credits this year being up to $30% of the installation cost, this may be the last time that homeowners can take advantage of current prices.  This is usually a pretty good tax deduction for most homeowners and businesses, offering incentive to invest quickly into better insulating your home with spray foam insulation.  If your a homeowner or business in the Myrtle Beach, SC or surrounding coastal Carolina area and want more information on spray foam insulation, then contact us today and take advantage of low pricing on spray foam insulation.

MBS & Company
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Phone: (706)-951-0158 (Dan)
Website: http://www.myrtlebeachenergysavers.com

Energy Efficient Roofing Systems | Spray Foam Insulation | Wall Foam Insulation | Crawl Space Encapsulations | Solar Energy Powered Hot Water Heaters | Solar Energy | Energy Monitoring | Standing Seam Metal Roofs | Tile Roofs | Slate Roofs | Historic Home Retrofits | Energy Efficient Roof Coatings | Gaco Western S-2000 Silicone Roof Systems | Mold Guard | Air Barriers | Commercial Roof Coatings | Roof Coatings | Silicone Roofs |

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Using the Federal Reserve Stimulus 2012 to make Home Improvements

Federal Reserve Pumps More Stimulus Money Into US Economy


With a Slow economic recovery over the past 3 to 4 years, the United States Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernacke announced another stimulus program to help stimulate the economy. Announced on September 13th, the Federal Reserve committed to low interest rates until 2015, and an open ended quantitative easing program, with the Federal Reserve buying 40 billion dollars in mortgage backed securities without end, according to BusinessInsider.com. BusinessInsider.com has a full transcript of the announcement and press conference with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernacke (http://www.businessinsider.com/federal-reserve-decision-2012-9). This will allow banks to have more capital and improve loaning abilities of banks all around the country.

What this means to Myrtle Beach, SC area residents and the surrounding North Carolina and South Carolina coastal areas is more lending opportunities for first time home buyers, businesses, investors, and car buyers. The Federal Reserve is hoping that by taking these drastic measures, it will spur homeowners and businesses to expand, and make improvements to existing properties and infrastructure.  As many local Myrtle Beach hotels and businesses have been putting off building improvements, due to volatility, and a slower than expected economic recovery, this move by the Federal Reserve should open up more lending sources for many hotels and businesses. Also, the Federal Reserve is hoping that this will give homeowners access to low interest capital for home improvements, especially energy efficient home improvements that reduce carbon emissions. Homeowners have been in the same situation as businesses, putting off many home improvement projects for months and years.  Look for banks to ease requirements for equity line loans for homeowners, first time home buyer programs, investment property loans, and small business loans.

With most small businesses surviving the after effects of the recession in the  Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area, yet not profiting like they were before the recession, it is good news. This means access to more capital to invest into real estate, much needed building improvements, advertising investments, and other key tools needed to make their business plans work.  Myrtle Beach is quickly becoming one of the best beaches in America to visit, with TV spots on Fox News, ABC News, and many other news outlets. This has definitely attracted a lot more first time visitors to the Myrtle Beach area. Attracting repeat business is key to hotels and resorts in the Myrtle Beach SC area, differentiating your hotel or business from the competition can make all the difference in attracting more customers to your location. Improving building structures and maintaining existing structures, is key to keeping your property attracting customers.  Projects like roof replacements can not be overlooked for long, without causing major damages. Many hotels are taking these opportunities to invest in more energy efficient roofing systems. With energy efficient building design improvements in the past years, many hotels and business are saving money on key repairs like roof replacement cost. There are many roof coating products now that have better ratings then traditional roofs. In addition they also have lower material and labor cost then traditional roofing systems, reduce energy cost, and tax credits available to business owners, covering up to $1.30/sq. foot on installation cost. 

It has never been a better time to improve your building structure or hotel in Myrtle Beach. With pricing so low for most of these products, not only will you get a great deal, you will also make  your hotel or resort stand out from the rest.  Environmentally Friendly customers really look for businesses that use products that can be labeled "green" and carry the Energy Star rating requirements as well. Advertising your business as an environmentally friendly and "green" hotel can also add more ways to differentiate your product or service from the rest of the competition. See the Energy Star web page for information on Gaco Western S-2000 roof coating ratings, the most popular and best warrantied roof coating system in the Myrtle Beach area: http://downloads.energystar.gov/bi/qplist/roofs_prod_list.pdf?8662-14e5

Also check out the Energy Star federal tax credits for commercial properties at http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_comm_buildings and for residential properties at http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index .

With increase in tourism to the Myrtle Beach area, quantitative easing by the Fed will also help rental home investors maximize their investments as well. With tax credits paying for some of the initial investment cost in many "green" and Energy Star rated roofing products. Energy Star rated roofing products help lower the cost of energy bills in addition to being more durable.  Standing seam metal roof systems is one of the most popular systems for homes in the Myrtle Beach area. Standing seam metal roofs not only help with energy efficiency for the home, they also last 4 times longer than traditional shingle roofs, and less maintenance. Long term investments into roofing will help rental property owners lower roof replacement cost and roof maintenance cost in the future. With most rental property owners taking this approach, it will lead to more profit, and increase long term sustainability of the property as well. Homeowners have an even better incentive to invest in Energy Efficient Home Improvements, as it saves 30% or more to use Energy Star Rated building products in the home versus traditional building products. Long term savings on energy bills benefits both homeowners and rental property owners a like.

The old rule of thumb in investing is to buy low and sell high. Well products and services haven't been this low in 10 years in the Myrtle Beach area, meaning you are investing at the lowest price in the labor market as well. As labor rates will rise with increased demand, investments into your properties will be better to do sooner than later now, helping to maximize long term payback rates of investing in Energy Star rated building products.

MBS & Co. specializes in repairing, replacing, and installing energy efficient roofing systems in the Myrtle Beach, SC area. With their owner Daniel Sullivan having 20 years experience in commercial roofing and residential roofing business, he has strived to find the best and most energy efficient products for the Myrtle Beach area, at the most affordable prices for Myrtle Beach hotels, businesses, and home owners.  If your a business or homeowner in the Myrtle Beach area in the market for a more energy efficient roofing system, at half the cost of traditional roof replacements, then call Dan today at 706-951-0158. Dan can give you free roof inspection and roofing service estimate on your home or business. 

We hope this article has been helpful in helping to keep our fellow local businesses informed of the newest products and news related to the building markets in the coastal Carolina area. Visit our website for more information at: http://www.myrtlebeachenergysavers.com

MBS & Company
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Phone: 706-951-0158
http://www.myrtlebeachenergysavers.com

Energy Efficient Roofing Systems | Spray Foam Insulation | Wall Foam Insulation | Crawl Space Encapsulations | Solar Energy Powered Hot Water Heaters | Solar Energy | Energy Monitoring | Standing Seam Metal Roofs | Tile Roofs | Slate Roofs | Historic Home Retrofits | Energy Efficient Roof Coatings | Gaco Western S-2000 Silicone Roof Systems | Mold Guard | Air Barriers | Commercial Roof Coatings | Roof Coatings | Silicone Roofs |

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Energy Efficient Home Improvements Are Good Retirement Investments

Why Energy Efficient Home Improvements Are Good Retirement Investments


As more and more baby boomers reach retirement age in the United States, many are left wondering what are good investments to make in preparation of retirement. Most individuals and families nearing retirement age already know the most publicized ways to invest, with investments such as Roth IRAs, stocks with high dividend yields, paying off home mortgages or refinancing into lower fixed rate mortgages, and other safe financial investments.  We all see the commercials saying invest in this fund, invest in this commodity, yet sometimes we fail to see the best investment right in front of us, our home.

While regular home maintenance is essential to all homeowners, complete remodels are often done to improve appearance and curb appeal to homes.  While completely remodeling a home may not be the best investment for homeowners reaching retirement age or on a fixed income, some home improvements can not be avoided, often making a remodel a sound financial investment. Some of these essential home improvements include roofing, painting, insulation, HVAC systems, and hot water heater replacements.  While roofing and painting can improve the overall appearance of the home they also maintain protection against the elements.  Insulation, plumbing, and HVAC repairs are essential to quality of life and improving energy efficiency of the home.  Either way, most of these repairs and maintenance projects are unavoidable, so the intention of this article is to make sound investments into your home that can help retirees and fixed income families save big money over the long term.  With rising energy prices and improvements in products such as paint, roofing materials, and hot water heaters; home improvement can be a wise investment for those reaching retirement age.

If you are a homeowner considering improving your home, or in need of a home repair, investing into a "green" energy saving building product could save you a lot of money in retirement.  Investing a little more money into a more durable, energy efficient product; homeowners can lower utility bills, leading to more money for food, travel, and family outings during retirement. 

Being in the energy efficient home improvement business, we have done energy efficient home improvements for hundreds of customers with the intention of saving money, however a recent customer brought to our attention that they were treating these investments in their home, as part of their overall plan for retirement   After going into further detail, the homeowners explained to us that they were trying to lower their utility and maintenance cost while still working, so that they would have more expendable money on a fixed income during retirement.  Here are some of the products and services we provided to the customer and reasoning the customer gave us for going with a better and more energy efficient product, while incurring just a slightly higher cost of material in the short run.

  1. Installing a Metal Roofing System - While metal roofs run slightly higher in cost then traditional shingle roofing systems, the customer knew that by going with metal roofing, this would be the last roof they ever had to install on their home.  In addition to being the last roof, the customer is going to have a lot less maintenance cost with metal vs. shingle roofing.
  2. Re-insulating the home - While the customer had a well insulated home with fiberglass insulation, their insulation was beginning to sag and lose R-value. The selling point of using spray foam insulation was its better R-value rating, and also the durability of the product that will last the life of the home, far outliving any human being that may occupy the home now or in the future.
  3. Upgrading the HVAC system - While the customer had the proper duct work and other hardware related to heating and cooling the home, the customer was making a unit switch to a better Energy Star rated heating and cooling unit, that will result in energy savings that will offset the cost of upgrading the unit.
  4. Installing a Solar Panel Hot Water heater - depending on whether you have a gas or electric hot water heater, this is usually number 2 on the list of appliances that use the most energy in the home.  By eliminating this cost all together, the homeowner will save big money in the long term by not having this major appliance pulling on the gas or electric bill.
  5. Installing a Energy Monitoring System - while energy monitoring systems are limited in the savings on energy they can create, they are often inexpensive and a good way to tell if your major appliances are reaching the end of their life expectancy. While some appliances may still work properly, the older they get the more energy they start to use to run at maximum efficiency.  By being able to identify appliances that are going bad or getting old, the customer can maximize the life of their current appliances, while being able to replace inefficient appliances with newer appliances with better energy star ratings. They will save money both with replacement cost and energy cost.
  6. Lifetime Paint on the Exterior of the Home - while we at MBS & Co. do not sell or install lifetime painting services, we have noticed an increase in the use of these services by homeowners that we have done work for.  Painting is necessary usually about every 7-10 years using traditional paint products, however these lifetime paint products offer a great advantage to those reaching retirement age.
As you can see from the improvements this customer made, their are a lot of ways to prepare your home for retirement.  While still working, this customer has developed a plan to lower home maintenance and home energy cost in the future, by making improvements that will show big savings in the long run and all throughout retirement.  In addition, the products and materials these customers are using will also reduce home maintenance cost in the long run as well.  While we sell a lot of our products on just energy savings alone, retirement planning is just another added benefit of making more energy efficient home improvements, that has been brought to our attention.  We all know that saving money leads to a more financially stable future for anybody. 

If your a homeowner in the North Carolina or South Carolina area looking to make energy efficient home improvements to your home, then please contact us using the information below:


MBS & Company
530 Piedmont Ave.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Phone: 706-951-0158
Website: http://www.myrtlebeachenergysavers.com

Energy Efficient Roofing Systems | Spray Foam Insulation | Wall Foam Insulation | Crawl Space Encapsulations | Solar Energy Powered Hot Water Heaters | Solar Energy | Energy Monitoring | Standing Seam Metal Roofs | Tile Roofs | Slate Roofs | Historic Home Retrofits | Energy Efficient Roof Coatings | Gaco Western S-2000 Silicone Roof Systems | Mold Guard | Air Barriers | Commercial Roof Coatings | Roof Coatings | Silicone Roofs |