How to Save Energy And Add Value to Your Home

Friday, June 1, 2018

How to Save Energy And Add Value to Your Home

Boosting your home value is essential if you plan to sell your home at some point in the foreseeable future. Housing markets fluctuate and there’s a possibility that by the time you move, your house will be worth less than it was when you moved in. Even if that’s not the case, you want to make a return on investment, and that means adding value to your home.

You can do this by making improvements on the existing home, improvements that homebuyers will likely be willing to pay for when it comes time to list your home. This could be remodeling or updating the appliances. One sure way to add value to your home is by making energy efficient changes. Energy efficient changes not only add value to your home overall but reduce your energy bills in the meantime, and the eco-friendly appeal is not lost on many modern homebuyers. Here are a few ways to save energy and add value to your home:

Updating Appliances? Look for Energy Star

If you plan to remodel, make sure all your new appliances, windows, doors, etc. are Energy Star approved. Energy Star is a program started by the EPA that rates the energy performance of various home appliances. They have energy efficiency standards that have to be met in order to certify a product, and are generally held as the standard when it comes to energy efficiency. You can even use their website’s product finder in order to find the right products for whatever updating you plan to do. Want a new HVAC system? Energy Star can help with that. Redoing the kitchen? Find your new refrigerator from a list of Energy Star products. Even roof products and pool pumps are covered here.

Tighter Insulation

If your home’s insulation isn’t strong enough, excess cool air could be leaking into your home, or could be escaping out depending on the time of year. This quickly becomes a drain on your HVAC costs and your home’s energy performance. So if your HVAC bills have been particularly high, or you’re looking for a way to lower them before you move, new insulation might be the answer. Fiberglass insulation can have an R-value up to 25, making it a big hit with energy conscious homeowners...and homebuyers.

Have an Audit

If you’re unsure where to start with your energy efficient updates, have a home energy audit. A home energy audit, or home energy assessment, is a check-up by energy efficiency experts who measure how much energy your home is currently using and where and how you can save energy. If your windows need to be replaced, your insulation needs to be stronger, or your light fixtures need more efficient bulbs, a home energy audit can tell you all that and more, giving you the perfect roadmap for adding value to your home.

If you’ve recently made energy efficient updates to your home, make sure you let your realtor know. She can market your home as energy efficient, thus giving you an edge in the market and catching the eye of savvy homebuyers.