As a homeowner when it’s time to make your property more energy efficient you’ll want to find ways to save money while also adding value to your property. While you may want to start with simple upgrades (e.g. sealing around windows, weather stripping around doors), don’t expect them to increase your home’s value much. It’s the larger upgrades which cost more money that’ll add the most value to your home. As such, they really are worthy of your consideration.
Valuable Home Energy Saving Improvements
Some of the improvements you’ll want to consider making include:
• Adding more attic insulation is an important first step. According to the U.S. Department of Energy homes that are over a few decades old really need to have some additional roof insulation installed. When you remember that hot air rises, you’ll understand why your attic is one of your biggest culprits for your home’s heat loss issues. Unfortunately, you may even be shocked to discover that your newly constructed home is suffering from this same problem. Regardless of the age of your home and why it’s under-insulated, adding an additional layer of insulation is money well spent. With the amount of money you can save, you should be able to recoup what you spent in just 4 – 5 years.
• Replace your appliances with ones that are more energy efficient, especially if they’re at least 15-years-old. Things like old air conditioners, furnaces, and boilers aren’t as efficient as even the most inexpensive models that are available today.
• Install a thermostat that you can program so you can set your climate control so you have the best temperature without spending a lot of money. These thermostats make it easy for the temperature to be turned down when nobody is home – no manual adjustments are even required to make this happen.
• Install new windows and doors or at the very minimum, seal around the ones you already have with some caulking or weather stripping. This will help eliminate any drafts throughout your home so you don’t have to spend as much money heating and cooling it. Unfortunately, if you only have single panes you probably will need to replace them. Once you do you’ll realize the inside temperature of your home is better regulated, especially if you opt for models whose frames are made out of wood– something that costs a bit more than aluminum though.
• Add ceiling fans to give your AC a boost.
• Improve your water heater’s efficiency. The breeze they offer will circulate air throughout your home. They’re also less expensive than running your air conditioner all the time.
• Improve your water system’s efficiency by installing low-flow plumbing fixtures (e.g. showerheads, faucets, toilets). These use only a small amount of water to complete their task. The money that they can save you will pay for their costs in only a few short months.
• Improve your lighting and save by changing your lightbulbs to LED or CFL. This is important because lighting your home accounts for a large portion of your electric bill monthly. You may also want to consider adding skylights or bigger windows so you get more natural light, especially if you live in a cooler climate where doing so will allow you to have more natural warmth throughout the winter.
• Replace your refrigerator and oven. They use a lot of energy so you’ll want to make sure you have the most energy efficient models available.
Deciding Where to Start
Clearly, there’s a lot you’ll want to do with your home. Done Rite Insulation has helped many homeowners over the years successfully make their property more energy efficient. They can help you too if you get in touch with them today.
