More and more of us are wanting to make our homes eco-friendly these days. There are so many ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint, with a number of these also adding value to a home.
It seems a win win, almost too good to be true. But it really isn’t, treat the world correctly and you’ll generally see some form of return. This could be via adding value to your home, or seeing a vast reduction in your bills.
Of course, most eco-friendly renovation doesn’t come cheap, and while it may seem idyllic, funding them can be problematic.
There are a number of ways around this, with various methods available to fund bigger eco-friendly projects. For the most part, this will generally be funded by credit card, although you can be clever about it to reduce the damage done financially.
There are a number of cards on the market that will help fund home improvements. One particular type worth researching is credit cards offering cash back. This will allow you to earn back money on high-value spending, which will inevitably happen with major improvements.
You can find out more about cashback and credit cards through card comparison sites, and you’ll generally earn money back if you spend $1,000+ over a three month period.
On the other hand though, there are also opportunities to receive government grants for significant eco-friendly improvements to a home. This can be incredibly helpful, and it’s well worth exploring these possibilities with your local district.
How much you need to fund an eco-friendly improvement depends on the renovations you wish to make. With a number of options available to you, we take a look at the eco-friendly improvements that provide the best ROI...
Solar Panels
The most common, and often the most expensive, are solar panels. More and more of us are investing in panels these days, and the opportunity for government grants are more likely to come from these.
Solar panels range from around $11,000 to $15,000 and have been proven to add value to a home. So they are a worthwhile investment, not just for the environment but when it comes to sell too.
In the short term, you can generally save up to around $400 per year, so will make a significant saving which can be put into help paying the panels off if bought on credit.
Energy Efficient Doors
Smaller investments are products such as energy efficient doors on the exterior of your home.
It’s all well and good buying draft excluders but doors designed to be energy efficient really will save you money all year round and be an asset when it comes to sell.
Not only will they trap the heat in during the winter, saving money on bills, but they’ll also help keep it cooler in the summer, not allowing any air conditioning escape through the cracks.
How they do this is through specialist materials and a closer fit to the frames.
Drop the wood for carpet
Wooden floors may be the trendy option but carpet is far more energy efficient than laminate or wooden flooring.
A carpet will help keep the air temperature within your home more consistent as it’ll trap what’s happening in your home, whether that be through your heating in the winter and air con in the summer.
It’s a method which few actually take into consideration as it’s generally little known that carpet has this effect.
It will save on your bills and if brand new upon selling, it’ll add a little value to your home too. In the case of the latter though, you’re far better off using neutral colours.
There are dozens of ways to see a return of investment on eco-friendly options for your home. Almost always better technology on boilers, water tanks and fridges will help save on bills.
The latter for example will use as much as double the amount of energy as a brand new one. Check the energy star rating on the devices you already have and see where you can make improvements.
From there you can actually check how much you can save with an energy star calculator. If you’re considering upgrades, energy efficient improvements are certainly a foolproof way to both add value to a home and save money on bills.
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