Saving the environment can save your wallet, too! The great thing about making your home more sustainable is that it results in significantly lowered energy bills. Here are the top four eco-friendly upgrades for your home.
Tankless Water Heater
Tankless water heaters come with a sizable down payment—between $2,500 and $5,000! However, your energy bill drops about 20 percent after installation (and could drop even more, based on government estimates that suggest the bill could decrease up to 50 percent).
Tank water heaters store a lot of water and keep it constantly hot, but tankless heaters heat or cool your water as you need it. Tankless heaters can last upward of 20 years, which is eight years longer than tank heaters generally last.
One thing to note is that tankless heaters are more effective at quickly heating water when you’re getting said water from a tap close to the heater. If your heater is installed in the basement, your kitchen sink will receive hot water more quickly than your shower on the second floor.
Skylights
An average household spends 40 percent of its energy bill on artificial lighting. Bathrooms, closets, and storage rooms may lack windows (and good places to put windows), so opt for a skylight instead. The natural light will cut your energy bill, and those moisture-prone spaces also gain an additional ventilation option.
Energy Star Lighting
Light bulbs with the Energy Star symbol are rated to last longer while increasing energy efficiency. Changing your older bulbs for new Energy Star bulbs can save you hundreds of dollars in energy bills over the lifetime of the lightbulb.
Solar Panels
Solar panels also come with a significant up-front cost, but they’re becoming more and more affordable each year. In the last decade, solar panels have dropped around 70 percent in price, so now is an excellent time to make the switch to solar. On average, it takes a US homeowner eight years to break even with solar panels, so if you’re planning on being in your home for a long time, this is a no-brainer.
Solar panels save you a ton of money on your monthly energy bill and have the potential to eliminate it entirely. Many factors contribute to potential savings, including the size and angle of your roof and how much direct sunlight you get in a day.
Use the top four eco-friendly upgrades for your home to save money while saving the planet. Your standard of living will improve along with your monthly bills!
