How the Green Movement is Impacting Home Ownership

Sustainable living is a popular buzzword today in many circles. Saving money has also become a popular concept that has reached the ranks of all income levels. Combining environmental concerns with saving money makes sense for homeowners. Fortunately prices for energy efficient designs are at a price point where it is available to homeowners in all price points.

Green Remodeling Options

Green remodeling can come in many shapes or forms. It can be as simple as sealing doors and windows to converting all the lighting to energy efficient options. Most energy companies offer free energy audits. This is a great place for homeowners to start. The biggest bang for your buck starts with sealing the air loss in the home. This can happen with increased insulation, insulating attics and places that have minimal or no current insulation, new windows, and cleaned duct work. These procedures will not only improve the air quality, but will reduce utility bills.

The next step consumers generally turn to are energy efficient appliances. With the Energy Star Rating system it is easy to compare appliances with regard to energy efficiency. The ratings include all appliances from televisions, to washers and refrigerators. Most appliances have the Energy Star Ratings allowing consumers to select the most efficient models.

The last step, and perhaps the most talked about, is converting to solar panels for electrical use and solar water heating. These are more expensive conversions that have much longer return on investments. They are however, more noticeable when looking at reselling the home.

Implications for Resale

Keeping track of energy efficient upgrades is the best way to get the value from a resale point of view. Keep receipts for the projects you have completed. This might include simple things like installing low flush or dual flush toilets and low flow showerheads. They make a big impact on water bills and are not expensive conversions. Documenting the upgrades along with the reduction in utility bills will help potential buyers see the value.

With larger projects look for rebates and government incentives before starting the upgrade. This applies to HVAC systems, windows, doors and often appliances. Solar panels and solar water heaters might also have incentives depending on where you live. These incentives can reduce the return on investment by over 50%, making them more financially feasible.

Quality of Life

Green remodeling not only impacts the environment and your wallet, it can also improve indoor air quality. Green initiatives will reduce the cost of operating the home, and conserve natural resources. Will millions of Americans suffering from allergies and sensitivities to the chemicals used in our homes, energy efficient and environmentally friendly options are more important to home buyers. Marketing your home as energy efficient and documenting improvements will enable sellers to get the maximum value for their homes with a faster sales cycle. Green living is becoming more than a buzzword, it is becoming an expectation.