Houston has had some nice, chilly nights in March, but I think we all realize that summer is coming. Long, hot days. Shorter, humid nights. As y’all know, Reliant has sponsored our site for this year, and for their electricity customers they’re offering a free energy assessment ahead of the dog days of summer.

As part of this online “Home Energy Snapshot,” you’ll get personalized advice on how to make your home more efficient. Benefit from energy savings that you may not be aware are possible prior to an energy checkup. With your home energy snapshot, you’ll receive the following information:

• A report of your home’s average electricity usage over the last year
• A Home Efficiency Rating, based on comparisons with similar homes
• Tips to improve your home’s energy efficiency
• A baseline to measure your home’s efficiency progress

In-Home Consultation

If your Home Efficiency Rating indicates inefficiencies in electricity use, Reliant may recommend scheduling an In-Home Consultation. At your request, a Reliant Home Energy Consultant will visit your home for free, review your Home Energy Snapshot with you and thoroughly examine your home. The goal is to identify any issues that need to be addressed and provide vital statistics on your home’s major systems. Before the consultant leaves, he or she will provide you with recommendations tailored to improving your home’s efficiency and exclusive discounts on home services from Reliant and its affiliates.

During this visit, the following factors are evaluated:

• Home characteristics: Age, size, type and number of stories
• Heating and cooling system: Fuel source, system size an SEER rating
• Appliances: Energy Efficiency and 5 Star Rating
• Thermostat(s): Type(s) and automation
• Air Return System: Location, flow, etc.
• Insulation type: Location, depth and R-value
• Ductwork: Design, connections, sizes, performance, seals, type and R-value
• Attic Ventilation: Types and amounts
• Windows: Seals and caulking
• Lighting : Interior and exterior lighting

Within 48 hours of your In-Home Consultation, your Home Energy Consultant will send you the “Big Picture,” a detailed report that includes all the factors assessed during your consultation, plus specific actions you can take.

Virtual Consultation

Reliant can even help customers in rural areas with the new Reliant Virtual In-home Consultation. Customers receive an infrared thermometer in the mail, and then at a scheduled time, Reliant’s energy consultant will Skype or FaceTime with you to take a virtual tour of your home. Using the thermometer, customers can take temperatures to give an idea of how well their A/C system is working and receive a full report with results.

To schedule a consultation, call 1-855-887-2190. With Reliant, you can request a free In-Home Consultation once per year.

Good morning. We hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend, a three-day one for many of us, because Mother Nature served up some spectacular spring-time weather. This week will have some nice moments, too, but it will also come with a chance of storms on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Monday

Today will be mostly cloudy and muggy for Houston, with high temperatures in the low 80s. While moisture levels have inched back up, we don’t expect too much in the way of rain showers due to a capping inversion (warmer air aloft) that should keep a lid on all but isolated to scattered rain showers. Tonight will be quite warm again, with most areas probably not falling below 70 degrees.

Tuesday

Here’s where things become a bit more interesting. Most of the day will probably be a lot like Monday, which is to say cloudy with highs in the low 80s. However, as a cold front approaches the area later on Tuesday, the cap seems likely to break, which will allow for a brief period of storms. This probably will take the form of a line of storms advancing through the region pretty rapidly.

Our best guess right now is that, between about 5 and 9pm on Tuesday, there is the potential for some brief, heavy thunderstorms, along with a chance of hail and damaging winds. The conditions are not going to be as favorable as we saw last Wednesday night and Thursday morning for significant storms, so we don’t have that great of an overall concern. For now it’s probably enough to know that the evening commute, and any outdoor events later on Tuesday and during the evening hours, have the potential to become disrupted. Rain accumulations of less than 1 inch are likely for most.

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Good morning! That was quite a light show early on Thursday morning, as severe thunderstorms with lots of lightning and strong winds surged through the greater Houston area. These storms generally brought 2 to 4 inches of rain across Houston, with some higher totals in Montgomery County, and nearly all area streams and bayous remained well within their banks. Three exceptions were for Peach Creek Near Splendora; and the West Fork San Jacinto In Humble, where some minor flooding was occurring. The heaviest rain remained off to the northeast of Houston, and some flooding is likely along the Trinity River later this week.

Thursday

As of 6am, rains have cleared out of the western half of Houston, and will continue pushing east and out of the Houston area over the next hour or two. Any threat of severe storms or heavy rainfall has now passed. Skies will gradually clear out today, and highs will reach into the low 80s, before a moderate cool front pushes through the area later this evening, bringing drier, less humid air into the region.

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