No matter how long you’ve been in your home and how long you’re planning on staying, considering the potential resale value of your home is important.
If you’re interested in making your home eco-friendly, you could also be inadvertently increasing the value of your home in the process. When people in the home buying process were asked about what they valued in new homes, 48% listed energy-efficiency as the feature they desired the most. Below are a few examples of how your efforts to make your home greener are actually increasing its resale value in the process.
Window Upgrades and Replacements
Windows can be a huge source of wasted energy if they are old or improperly installed. Any drafty windows are wasting energy by making your heating and cooling systems work harder than they need to in order to keep your home at the temperature you’d like it to be at.
By installing new, more energy-efficient windows, you will be wasting less energy on keeping your home at the temperature you want. If replacing drafty windows is not in your budget, you can also reseal them in order to ensure that they are keeping the temperature outside from impacting the temperature inside.
In addition, windows are a great source of natural light. More natural light means that during daylight hours, you will not be expending energy on lighting. If you’re renovating any exterior portion of your home, consider adding in more windows or larger windows. If you’re replacing your roof, you can also consider getting skylights to add even more sunlight to your home without having to worry about the privacy concerns of traditional windows.
Roof Replacement
Your roof can be a huge source of inefficient energy use in your home. If your heating or cooling is escaping through a poorly insulated roof, you are not only wasting money, but you’re also hurting the environment.
Make sure to look into different roofing options because there are some materials that are more eco-friendly and long-lasting than others. When you talk to your roofing contractor, make sure that you bring up your wish to have an eco-friendly renovation. Searching for a contractor that has experience in environmentally-friendly renovations is a great way to ensure that your renovation process is as green as possible.
Solar Panels
Solar panels are a great investment for your home. Solar technology has definitely developed to become less obtrusive since its initial invention. If you aren’t ready to go fully solar, you can consider including certain lighting features that are powered by solar technology, such as lights on your deck or by your front walk. If a potential buyer sees that they will get to have outdoor lighting without having to pay for any of the energy bills, they will likely be excited by the prospect.
If you’re interested in installing larger solar panels, you can speak with your energy provider to find out if you can connect your panels to your local energy grid. If you’re able to do this, they will probably discount your monthly energy bills. If you’re able to install enough solar panels to fully move away from using energy from an energy provider, make sure that you go through all the proper channels during the installation to end your contract with your energy provider.
Updated Insulation
If you do any home renovations that involve taking down drywall on interior walls, make sure that you are insulating those walls. Insufficient insulation can be a huge waste of energy, and if you are living in an older home, the odds are that the insulation is not nearly as good as it could be if it were updated.
Make sure that if you have an attic you also fully insulate that room — although replacing your roof can help with keeping the hot or cool air in your home inside, having a properly insulated attic can make just as much of an impact on your energy bills.
Check Your HVAC system
Many of the above renovations mentioned heating and cooling inefficiencies, and the root of that hot or cold air is your HVAC system. Your HVAC system may be functioning as the average system does, but that means that you’re losing 20% to 30% to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts.
In order to make sure that your HVAC system is working as efficiently as it can, have a contractor who specializes in HVAC repairs come in and inspect it. If they find inefficiencies that they can’t patch up, look into replacing your ductwork to help make your home more energy-efficient.
Your Garden
Landscaping is something that has a huge return on investment, and looking into improving your yard and garden is a great way to be green and increase the resale value of your home.
Try to do some research to find out what kinds of plants are naturally found in your area, and include them in your garden and yard. Since those plants are local to your area, they’re more likely flourish in your garden and won’t disrupt the local ecosystem.
Energy Saving Appliances and Fixtures
If you have appliances that are outdated or otherwise not running at peak performance, it can have a negative impact on both your energy bills and our environment. When it’s time to replace your appliances and other fixtures, look into the most energy-efficient options that are available. If your appliances are still functional, and you are just updating them, make sure to donate or sell your old appliances so that you’re not creating unnecessary waste that could easily be recycled.
In terms of fixtures, look into things like water-saving toilets and showers. A low flow toilet will give you the option to have more or less water come through, and this helps to save water that will otherwise go to waste.
No matter if you’re moving now or fifty years down the line, making changes to ensure that your home is green is important. The resale value of your home can be increased while you also help the environment. And considering that in some areas, almost 75% of homes sold for below asking price in 2019, some green renovations that also improves your home are well worth it. In the end, what could be better?
Image credit: Skitterphoto via Adobe Spark
