Green Renovations to Add Value To Your House 

Go Green With These Home Tips

Whether you’re looking to renovate your new home, or you’re faced with short sale and looking to improve your house’s value, it is always a good time to renovate your home to be more environmentally friendly. Having an eco-friendly home will not only help our planet by going green, but it’ll also save green in your wallet. They’re even better for your health as green homes spread less toxic waste in the air during construction, and bring in cleaner air through purer ventilation systems. Here are some easy ways to make your house more environmentally friendly while adding value. Also, read about Floating Solar Homes. 

 Weatherizing Your Eco Home

Air sealing and insulating your home are the most impactful ways to make your home more energy efficient. You’re burning natural resources and money when air leaks through your windows and doors or other openings from your home. Insulation can help maintain your indoor temperatures while saving your home from air leaks. 

Smart Heaters

Installing a smart heater will help save energy and money. It can be programmed so that they only turn on your heat at certain times of the day, shutting off when you leave your house. This will not only help lower your energy bills, but you’ll also be doing the environment a favor. Reduce your carbon footprint and your heating bill in one move.

Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

These are an absolute necessity in every household. The next time a bulb goes out in your house, replace your incandescent bulb with a CFL bulb. The lifetime electricity cost of one of these bulbs is $28, at 20 cents per kilowatt-hour. A standard incandescent bulb will cost about $120 over its much shorter lifespan. The span of the energy efficient bulb is around 10,000 hours, while incandescent bulbs are only 1,200 to 2,500 hours maximum.

Install a Solar Panel or Two

A solar panel is a low-risk investment, but an investment for your home nonetheless. If you have the funds, the cost for installation is usually anywhere from $11,214 to $14,406. But, if you stay in your house for long enough this is a worthwhile investment, as you will save money on electricity and get a 30% tax break. They have a 25-35-year lifespan, so you can reduce your monthly electric bill for decades. This will increase the market value of your home and can earn money for you. Solar renewable energy credits and net meterings allow you to earn bill credits as your panel produces energy, letting you be compensated for the energy your panel generates. 

Clean your Fridge Coils

Find a long, thin brush and get down under your fridge! Getting all the dust and built-up gunk on these coils will help them work more efficiently, keeping your food cold using less energy.

Upgrade Your Thermostat

Try a smart thermostat in your home like Nest, which has an eco-mode that will drop the temperature when you’re not home and have it ready at the right temperature for when you return back hours later. 

Plant a Garden

Not only is this aesthetically pleasing for your outdoor property, increasing the value in that sense but having a garden is very practical for you and the earth. Plant herbs and veggies in your garden this spring, saving you a trip to the grocery when you have food available in your backyard. Simultaneously, cut back on CO2, while growing more O2-producing plants. 

The time to act on climate change is now, and the sooner we take action to change our habits and homes, the better chance we have at reversing or at least slowing the effects of what we’ve done to our planet. 800 million people or eleven percent of the world’s population is currently vulnerable to climate change impacts, such as rising sea levels and heatwaves. Protecting our environment, however, has never been a costly feat. 

About the Author: The article is contributed by Alexis Raskin. Alexis is an undergraduate student at Lehigh University, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. She is a content writer for Benzinga.com from Connecticut.