There are many energy-efficient upgrades that you can make to your home today. Doing so won’t only save you money on your utility bill, but it’ll also increase your home’s resale value. For instance, simply adding some roof insulation to your home in Florida can drastically decrease the amount of money you spend on cooling each year. This savings comes from the fact that your home is closed off to the great heat of the outdoors.
People looking to buy their next home are growing increasingly aware that energy-efficient homes are a wise investment, and many are even willing to pay extra money for homes with “green” updates. Now that you know that this is a worthwhile investment, it’s time to look at what you can do here.
Discovering Smart Ways to Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient
The first step you need to take is to conduct an energy audit. Doing so will allow you to discover how to improve your home’s energy usage. You can do many different things here, but it’s wise to concentrate on those that cost the least but bring you the most value.
Appliances
You should first consider upgrading your appliances since they account for about 15% of your home’s energy consumption. You should consider the kilowatt-hour usage of a new appliance compared to your current one when doing so. Just because an appliance has a good Energy Star rating doesn’t mean it’ll use less energy than the one you already own.
Add Some Roof Insulation
Roof insulation is the best way to prevent heat from escaping from your home throughout the various seasons of the year. For instance, you won’t have heat entering your home during the hot Florida summer. This accomplishment isn’t something you can achieve simply by adding a new roof to your home.
One study, conducted in 2016 by Remodeling Magazine, discovered that adding roof insulation to your home costs around $1,300 but will net you a 116% return on investment. Energy Star agrees, and they’ve discovered that you can save $200 per year on your cooling costs simply by adding roof insulation to your home.
Windows
Consumer Reports say that it typically costs anywhere from $8,000 – $24,000 to replace your home’s windows. While it may take you a long time to pay this debt off, you can recoup some of the value immediately in your home’s energy savings. Energy Star estimates that you can save as much as 15% of your energy bill simply by upgrading to certified windows. With these figures in mind, there’s no doubt that this should be the next step you take once you’ve added more insulation to your roof.
Solar Panels
Although expensive to install, solar panels can save you an average of $3,000 each year. Considering the average installation cost is $12,500, you can pay this off in about four years. Afterward, you’ll be saving enough money to make the installation cost worthwhile.
Make More Money When You Sell Your Home
Before you sell your home, consider making some of these energy-efficient updates. One of the most important updates you can make is adding some roof insulation to your home. Although you probably don’t know anything about how to accomplish this task, you can rest assured that we’re here for you at Done Rite Insulation in Pinellas County, FL.
We’ve helped many homeowners add roof insulation to their homes throughout the years. They’ve watched as the value of their home increased thanks to this one simple update. Contact us today if you want to see your home’s value increases.
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