Sellers looking to appeal to a wider range of buyers can take small steps to improve the energy efficiency of their home, without spending lots of cash. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy the benefits before you move out. Here are a few ways to go green and save green:
- Buy Energy Star Qualified products for money saving results.
- Save space and energy by installing a thankless water heater. It heats the water you need on demand, rather than keeping 40 gallons hot at one time.
- Utilize cotton fiber insulation, spray polyurethane foam, and recycled fiberglass for attic and walls.
- Install new windows. Although they are costly to replace, they not only lower heating and cooling expenses, but they are an aesthetic upgrade.
- Install a water reclamation system. It may sound high tech, but are used in many households to recycle “gray water”(water used from showers and sinks) into irrigation systems to keep grass green and plants alive.
- Try Bamboo or Cork floors. Flooring comes in a wide variety of materials, but bamboo and cork floors are both highly renewable resources, making either option and environmentally sound one.
Sellers looking to appeal to more buyers can conduct a Home Energy Audit. These audits help determine the energy efficiency of your home through different tools and equipment. If your results turn out well, a potential buyer would see this as an advantage to purchasing your property. You may want to conduct this audit before putting your home on the market, as there may be areas where you can improve the energy efficiency of your home and this would give you ample time to do so.
The Energy Efficient Mortgage Program highlighted on our Green Living Buyers page might help pay for these improvements too.
And, whether you are selling or not, use green cleaning products throughout the home and yard to avoid chemicals harmful to you and the environment!
