Green Home Improvements That Increase Your Home’s Value

Source: Photo by Milivoj Kuhar on Unsplash 

Guest Author:  Jackie Mills

Green Home Improvements That Increase Your Home’s Value 

Whether you plan to sell your home soon or just want to make some upgrades that will pay off in the long run, getting the most optimal deal for your home is never easy. Home renovations, remodels, and upgrades have always helped with that in one way or another. However, one of the most important things to know about home renovations is that they are not all equal. Some will add value to your home, while others might waste your money. You need to follow sustainable trends to make your home renovation/upgrade desirable whenever you decide to sell. One of the most popular decisions for that at the moment is green home improvements.  

Let’s list some of the most popular eco-friendly home upgrades and see how you can decide whether they are the right choice. We will discuss their short-term and long-term benefits, so you can more easily calculate whether specific improvements on this list will give you the ROI you need.  

Energy-efficient windows 

Installing new windows, in general, has always been a great home renovation project option for anyone who wants to improve the value of their home. However, in recent years, the bar has been raised. Installing new windows has become an option for green home improvements. More and more homebuyers want high-quality, energy-efficient windows rather than just good-looking new ones. Energy-efficient windows improve your home’s insulation, effectively blocking cold air and noise coming in from the outside. They are considered a sustainable and eco-friendly solution for your home since they reduce the energy used to heat it.  

That means that the properties of this home improvement that increase its value are twofold. Firstly, they conserve energy and help you and any future homeowner reduce your carbon footprint. And secondly, while you are still living in the home, energy-efficient windows will help you by lowering your heating bills substantially.  

Improve insulation 

When it comes to considering the overall energy efficiency of your home, the argument could be made that your attic is the most significant problem cause of them all. Of course, this is valid only if they are not insulated properly. Your best bet is to contact a professional roofer who can inspect your attic’s insulation. That way, you can be sure about how you should proceed. Generally, if your attic insulation is poor, you can count on significant heat loss and unnecessary heating bill increases.  

Luckily, there is some good news. While installing, new high-end windows can be considered one of the more expensive green home improvements, redoing your attic’s insulation can be reasonably cheap. The ROI for this project can be great if you do it properly. This project’s value increase will outweigh the price of insulation materials and professional installation.  

New garage door 

Sticking to the idea of reducing your carbon footprint by improving your home’s insulation, let’s discuss your garage. Like your attic, garages are generally one of the worst-insulated parts of your home. That is especially a problem if your garage is attached to your home. Since people usually forget to install insulation into their garage walls, if one of those walls is shared by your home, it allows a lot of the warm air within your home to escape through your garage.  

However, one of the weakest parts of your garage will usually be its door. If it’s not energy-efficient, it can significantly contribute to a waste of energy and a high carbon footprint. Most modern high-end models have excellent insulation and use less energy to open and close. All of these contribute to your garage door being a lot more eco-friendly.  

Additionally, you have to remember that an ROI of a home improvement is not limited to how much it increases the resale value of your home. A new garage door can bring many more benefits. All of which will help you save money and make the investment worth it in the long term. Some of the most notable would be the following: 

1. Contributing to your home security,
2. Decreasing the noise levels,
3. Maintaining a stable temperature inside,
4. Allowing you to spend time there throughout the year without needing a heating unit.

Install solar panels 

At the same time, this is likely one of our list’s best green home improvements and the most expensive, especially if you must replace your roof to accommodate them. That means that if you want to go for this option, you will have to do a lot of calculations and research. You’ll have to gather all the information regarding installing solar panels on your roof and see whether the investment for installing them will even allow you to financially break even through the increase in home value. Homes with solar panels sell extremely fast compared to homes without them. Most buyers are ready to pay the price for having them in their new home. That is because everyone knows how expensive they are and how much money they can save. 

There is a great general rule of thumb to follow here. Installing them can pay off if you plan to stay in the home for at least five more years. During those five years, you will almost halve your heating bills. That will significantly increase your return on investment. That way, when you’re ready to sell, you’ll already have an insured profit. That is because of how much solar panels increase the value of a home. 

To conclude 

As previously stated, green home improvements have become the new standard for renovations that increase home value. They are popular with buyers, and almost all are ready to pay the price to live in a more sustainable home. Of course, it’s always best to get an agent involved to help you price your home and see which of these investments will or won’t pay off compared to the local market. But, no matter what, eco-friendly home upgrades will keep rising in value and popularity for buyers for a while to come.  

Author’s Bio:   Jackie Mills is a real estate consultant and green-living advocate. She enjoys tending to her garden and spending time with her kids in her free time.