Living in a Phoenix, Arizona home, you know that selling a home is a competitive experience these days, and you want every possible edge. One way to bring in a wider set of buyers is to remind them of all the energy efficiency home improvements you’ve made, which can be a reason for them to choose your home over the others on the market. Making these changes helps people spend less overall on housing and makes them feel good about their impact on the environment at the same time.
Adding Insulation Retains Cooling Better
It’s not all that exciting to look at, but a more well-insulated house is going to be a better house when it comes to electricity bills. Look into the attic, basement, and walls of your home: is there a way to add additional layers of insulation so that the house stays cooler without having more air conditioning pumping through the house? Make sure to follow the guidelines on the insulation product you select, since compressing insulation or installing it incorrectly can greatly reduce its effectiveness.
Explore Energy Star Ratings When Replacing Appliances
If you know that you’ll want to replace an appliance before you sell your home, consider starting your appliance shopping hunt with the list of Energy Star rated models. This is a government-backed set of ratings that review appliances and identify the ones that use the least water and electricity, reducing your impact on the environment. By opting for these kinds of appliances, you know you’re keeping your bills to a minimum and selecting items that the Department of Energy has independently reviewed for their capacity to save money and energy.
Thicker, High-Quality Windows Create Better Insulation
Does your home have single-pane or drafty wooden windows? If you’re concerned about energy efficiency, your windows are a great place to invest some money. When you buy new double-pane windows, you’re getting windows that lose less cool and heat through them compared to older, less-efficient kinds of windows. You can still get lots of natural light in your home, but your windows will keep your conditioned air trapped inside instead of leaking it outside. If you add a set of curtains with a good r-value, you can keep things even more efficient on particularly hot days, blocking the way for air conditioning to escape.
Smart Thermostats Help You Heat and Cool More Efficiently
Advances in thermostat technology have made it more possible than ever to only cool and heat your home to the level that creates comfort for you and your family, no more. When everyone is at school or work, the thermostat automatically lets it get cooler or hotter in the house so that you don’t waste money, all while not letting it get dangerously cool or hot - you can even program your thermostat to start warming up or cooling down before you get home so you never know the change happened. You can also use zones in smart thermostats to keep certain parts of the house more comfortable and let others heat up naturally because you spend less time there.
