Key Takeaways:
- Turning your house into an energy-efficient home can increase its value and attract buyers
- Greener homes will decrease your annual energy costs
- The Carla Freund Realty Team can help list your energy-efficient home
Along with comfort, there are two things we all want from our homes—a cheaper cost of living and a higher potential sales value.
Luckily, with the world abuzz with the concept of energy efficiency, you can cover both bases with a few alterations. Even if you’re not quite ready to list your home on the Triangle’s real estate market, it’s not a bad idea to start considering how you could maximize any returns and make your home more appealing to buyers.
Going energy efficient benefits you today by decreasing your annual energy costs and adds a little value to your home when you’re ready to list. With the following six changes, you can be on your way to a greener, higher-valued, and more buyer-friendly energy-efficient home.
More Immediate Fixes for an Energy-Efficient Home
Upgrade Your Insulation
Adding spray foam to your attic space is one of the easiest ways to save on heating and cooling while adding a little value to your Triangle home. Since it’s not an immediately visible feature, it’s important to mention the new spray foam in your listing. Buyers will appreciate knowing they won’t have to install new insulation and will enjoy the reduced energy cost.
The cost of spray foam insulation varies by region and square footage, but between the energy savings and increased home value, those costs may be fully recouped.
Install Double-Pane Windows
You may be losing much of your energy through your windows and don’t even know it. It’s not always a matter of cheap or poorly-installed windows, either. It has to do with the thickness of the glass pane, and only double-pane windows are truly energy efficient.
Not only are new windows more attractive and improve your Triangle home’s curb appeal, but they do also increase your home’s value. Estimates suggest you could see around a 75% return on investment, which is a decent return considering that your new double-pane windows will reduce your energy bill in the interim and are likely to attract more buyers, resulting in a quicker sale.
Mind the Gaps
In some older homes (and even not so old), you may be losing heating and cooling through unseen gaps. This is a relatively simple fix and can be as easy as replacing baseboards, adding foam sealant around your existing doors and windows, and seeking out and repairing cracks that may expose your home to the elements.
You may also need to look at replacing or repairing your garage door, which can have its own gaps or cracks that may be making your home less energy efficient. An attached garage can be a surprising source of heating and cooling loss if its temperature isn’t properly maintained by an effective garage door.
Longer-Term, Costlier Upgrades for an Energy-Efficient Home
Consider Solar Panels
Solar panels are tricky when it comes to how they affect your home’s value, primarily because financed or leased panels may not be included in the appraised value. While they are very attractive to buyers and can significantly reduce your energy costs, you really need to think about whether you can buy them outright or if you’re able to finance them as a home fixture. Doing so better ensures they’re included in the appraised value and simplifies the sale.
While rather costly, solar panels are expected to increase your home value by $20 for every $1 in yearly utility bill savings. According to a study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a home’s value will increase by about $15,000 with solar panels.
Whether or not adding solar panels works for you is really a matter of how long you’re staying in your home, the total installation cost, and the cost of your current energy bills.
Spring for the Cool Roof
If you feel you’re running your air conditioner often, you may be suffering under an older, inefficient roof. Roof replacements or repairs are common issues to address before selling a home, so you may want to think about taking action now and installing a cool roof.
Unlike a traditional roof, a cool roof is designed to reflect sunlight, reducing the amount of heat that seeps into your home from absorbed solar energy. A cool roof is generally cheaper than a solar panel, and the cost shouldn’t be much higher than a traditional roof. You don’t get the added energy production of solar panels, but a cool roof does make your Triangle home more energy-efficient.
Update Your HVAC
An old HVAC system can be one of the biggest energy drains in your home. If your HVAC system is more than a decade old, it may be time to upgrade it, especially if you still have a few years left living in your home.
By upgrading your HVAC system to one with a high Energy Star rating and a Season Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of more than 15, the Department of Energy estimates you can reduce your energy use by 50%. And for prospective buyers, a new HVAC system means they won’t have to worry about heating or cooling for quite some time.
Upgrading your HVAC can be a costly endeavor, so weigh the total cost against the time you expect to remain in your new energy-efficient home.
The Carla Freund Realty Team specializes in selling and listing energy-efficient homes in the Triangle area. Give us a call to discuss finding the value of your energy-efficient home, listing it, and getting you the best return on your investments.