Home Improvement
Plus, what to do when a woodpecker is making holes in your home.
As a follow-up to my December 2024 column “Smart planning for your 2025 home renovation,“ I wanted to expand on a concern that is becoming more and more common: How to accommodate the increasing need for electricity in our homes.
We are getting more calls from homeowners for heat pumps, car chargers, and HRV or ERV systems for in-home air quality as a result of tightening up insulation. To resolve many of these circumstances, we are increasing the electrical service capacity, which is typically the preferred approach. However, for any number of reasons, this is not always practical.
Another option for homeowners that I’d like to explore is to install a load manager adjacent to your circuit panel.
These load managers can be set to shut down pre-determined nonessential circuits when the load on the panel reaches a certain level, typically 80 percent. At that point, circuits for items like washers and dryers, spas or pools, garage lighting, and door openers would be shut down. This would allow essentials like refrigerators, HVAC equipment, and other needs to be kept live without overloading the system.
The circuits chosen to be kept live or shut down can be customized for individual needs and are completely up to the owner. Most load managers can be controlled and monitored with your phone using an app, so they can also be changed at any time. They also are useful in tracking electrical usage in far greater detail, something that can be helpful as people try to conserve energy and save money.
Home load managers can be integrated into any home electrical system, whether you have solar installed, battery backups, or generators. As always, it is advised to have a qualified electrician come in to evaluate your electrical service and balance that with your current needs and/or future requirements as you modernize your home.
Ultimately, this will be helpful for both your home budget and for the planet.
Q. We have an 1880s Queen Anne cottage that has cedar clapboard on the first floor and cedar shakes on the second. We have no idea why a woodpecker would be drilling holes in our second-floor shakes, primarily on our turret. Periodically, we have contractors come out and fill the holes with putty and re-stain. They didn’t see insects. What is going on, and what can we do to prevent this?
JB
A. This is more common that you might think: We have had other readers ask about this, and I’ve worked with a client who had a woodpecker problem, too. Woodpeckers typically peck out holes in trees (or houses) for one of three reasons. They are after food or trying to store food; they may be trying to build a nest; or a male is trying to court a female. A male trying to find a mate will even peck into something just to make a racket and attract her attention. It could even be a metal chimney cap or roof vent, it doesn’t always have to be wood. It is hard to say which of the three your particular woodpecker is doing.
When we had the issue with a past client, the best recommendation we had was to hang reflective streamers in the windows near where the birds were wreaking havoc. It seemed to work. Looking at the photo you sent, streamers inside the second-story windows between the storm and the actual window may do the trick. If practical, an even better place for the reflective streamers would be outside, where the actual damage is occurring. Another source for info and/or solutions would be your local Audubon Society, where you will find bird experts who may have better insights. If possible, get a picture of the bird and the holes they are making. Good luck!
Mark Philben is the project development manager at Charlie Allen Renovations in Cambridge. Send your questions to [email protected]. Questions are subject to editing.
Address Newsletter
Our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design, with expert advice and insider neighborhood knowledge.
