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How do you increase your home value? Nowadays, before buying a house, an individual will want it to have energy-efficient upgrades to save on its operating costs. Home efficient upgrades are to lower the energy bills and also increase the home value. According to research, a home with energy-efficient upgrades can save up to $1000 of energy bills, while buyers can pay an extra $8000 when buying the house. While you can do repainting and other additions, it’s crucial having these energy-efficient home upgrades to fetch higher prices for your home. Which are the energy-efficient upgrades? Check on the list below.
1. Insulation
Many people will overlook insulation in their homes when doing the upgrades. Insulating your house has many benefits, including saving the inside warmth and also enables it to fetch higher prices in the market. It is among the fastest and most convenient ways of making your house energy efficient. You can have foam installs, a kind of insulation in your attic, basement, crawl space, and the interior walls to save on energy. This insulation enables your house to stay cool during summer and remain warm during winter, saving on the heating and cooling expenses. Statistics reveal that insulating your walls alone can make you save a lot in heating and cooling bills and can fetch an extra $1500 when you decide to sell the house.
2. Windows
Are you still using the old-fashioned windows in your home? You will need to upgrade them to energy-efficient ones to save on the heating and cooling bills and add value to your home. New windows will improve your house’s appearance and preserve its energy. More air escapes through the openings with older windows, making you lose a lot in heating and cooling. These old windows required you to run your HVAC throughout the day to get the needed house temperatures.
Besides this, old windows also make your house old-fashioned and cheaper when selling it. It’s essential to do the upgrades by looking for energy-efficient windows with an Energy star rating. These windows come with modern framing, extra glass panes, and added gas to maintain your house temperatures. Through these windows, you can save at least 12% of your energy bills.
3. HVAC
Which HVAC are you using to cool your home? Is it the old-fashioned model? If so, that’s where you are losing most of your energy. In a typical house, you use most of your energy in space heating and cooling, which drives your bills higher than expected. In most houses, an air conditioner and a furnace might consume a whopping 43% of the total energy consumption.
How do you avoid all these expenses? Replacing your HVAC can seem to be an expensive upgrade, but it helps you save lots of energy in the long run. If you agree to replace the same, you need to look for the energy star-rated equipment for your home. The conditioner should have a seasonal energy efficient ratio (SEER) of at least 15 to enable you to enjoy the low bills. The higher the SEER, the more will be the savings.
4. Get a Cool Roof
Is your roof due for an upgrade? If so, you need to consider the cool roof for your home. Why the cool roof? Cool roofs have white or other reflective colors, enabling them to reflect off the sunlight rays and absorb less heat, enabling your house to remain cool at all times. This technology enables your house to remain 50 degrees cooler than the normal roofs and significantly increases your house value. Even when your roof isn’t yet due, you can consider repainting it with reflective colors to make it reflect away the sun rays. Even though you won’t achieve the desired results, you will significantly reduce your energy bills.
5. Lighting
Are you still using the old, incandescent lighting for your home? That’s where you are losing energy or making your house not get a serious buyer. You will need to upgrade the bulbs to energy-efficient bulbs, including LED bulbs which have many advantages for your home. First, they are energy-efficient and will enable you to save more money on your energy bills. These bulbs also have a long life and will provide you with adequate brightness for your home. A place where you require two bulbs will get lit with only one. These bulbs also come with exceptional color ranges, low radiated heat, reliable, and will offer you instantaneous illumination.
The above are some energy-efficient upgrades you can make for your home. When you make these changes, ensure you share the list with your prospective buyers to understand your house better and know the reason for the high price. Most buyers will appreciate having a high-priced house but with energy-efficient fittings. It helps them save on running costs.