An Energy Efficient Home Will Save you Money

Is an energy efficient home worth the investment? Moving into a new home already costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the last thing any new homeowner wants to do is go hundreds, or even thousands of dollars over that budget. But what if I told you spending more money now could save you a significant amount money in the long run — would you consider it?

By paying a little more up front for appliances and products that help create an energy efficient home, you can start seeing significant savings in your utility bills almost immediately.

Here are a few tips for creating an energy efficient home:

• Purchase appliances wisely: when shopping for items such as a refrigerator, washing machine or dryer, make sure these appliances carry the Energy Star seal of approval. Energy Star is an EPA program that rates products for efficiency, and products that carry this seal are considered to be energy efficient. Energy Star appliance can save you up to 30% on your bills over non-energy star items. Go to energystar.gov to learn more.
• Stop the drafts: seal up any drafty areas where cold air can get in during the winter and warm air can get in during the summer. Make sure there is plenty of high-quality insulation in your attic and walls, and make sure your windows seal tightly. Drafts can be very costly during both summer and winter!
• Change your lightbulbs: compact fluorescent and LED bulbs have come quite a long way since they were introduced, and rival traditional incandescent bulbs for light softness and quality. These bulbs use close to 70% less electricity than standard lightbulbs, and last much longer too!
• Get an HVAC tune up by a qualified contractor: making sure that both your heating and air conditioning system is running as efficiently as possible will save you quite a bit of money during the winter and summer months.

We understand that it may seem daunting to spend a lot of extra money when you move in to your new home, but if you have the means, do as much as you can to create an energy efficient home — you’ll save much more than you invested in the long run.