One of the best ways to save money on your home is by making it more energy-efficient. Heating and cooling bill savings over a period of time can add up to some serious money. Not only that some of these energy-efficient solutions have other benefits as well that more than offset the initial cost.
For this post, we’re looking at a few energy efficiency solutions that will save you money on your home and make you a bit greener in the process.
Cool Roof Technology
This is something many homeowners may not be familiar with. Essentially cool roof technology is a roofing material that is angled and coated in such a way as to reflect the sun and keep your roof and the upper part of a home or building as cool as possible. This is combined with an on-roof installed solar panel system to generate extra power.
The reflective surface of the roof improves solar panel efficiency dramatically and helps to generate even more power while still keeping the roof and home cool. Not only can you reduce energy costs, but you could also drastically cut your actual energy usage and save tons of money in the process. There’s even an energy efficiency tax credit that goes along with it to help with the cost of installation. This is a money-saving bargain that can’t be beaten.
Energy Efficient Windows
This is another solution that’s a bit simpler than our first option, but still quite effective. Energy-efficient windows are made to be extra insulated to trap heat or cold air inside the home while blocking out the elements from outside.
This lowers the overall energy usage of your home by a decent amount and allows you to keep your home much more comfortable while saving money. These windows are relatively inexpensive as well compared to other solutions so you’ll see your return on investment come back very quickly.
Update Your HVAC
There are a ton of different options here, all of which have gotten more energy-efficient, so rather than choosing a particular one to talk about we’re going to focus on just upgrading your entire HVAC system to something more energy efficient.
You can find traditional forced-air systems, heat pumped, radiant heating and cooling, and many other options. The key is picking the one that’s right for you. The good thing about this is that you can do it one at a time. You can upgrade your ventilation at one point so that it is better sealed to hold in your heating and cooling better, and then at a later point update your heating system and then your air conditioner.
You may even choose to switch to an entirely new system, but either way, you have options.
By making these few different updates to your home, you can save money and go green immediately and over the long term.