The transition to an energy-efficient home does not have to be expensive. In fact, it should save you money and resources in the long term. An energy-efficient home helps you reduce monthly bills, gives you tax breaks, and increases the value of your property.
They Reduce Monthly Bills
An energy-efficient home reduces monthly bills because it only uses energy where required. A home that is properly sealed and insulated will not let in or out unwanted cold/hot air. This keeps your house at a more consistent temperature without overworking the HVAC system. Appliances that are up to date use less energy and therefore decrease your electricity bill significantly. Upgrades for your home can initially be expensive. However, the decrease in monthly utility bills will be well worth the investment.
Tax Breaks
The government wants to encourage eco-friendly lifestyles. As a result, they offer tax breaks for people who make energy-efficient improvements to their homes. For example, installing solar panels can give you a tax break that will help cover the installation cost. You can get a 26 percent federal solar tax credit after installing panels on your home. State tax breaks are also common and vary by state. Not only do these breaks apply to installation costs, but the energy generated that you don’t use and give to the government also comes with financial benefits.
Increases Property Value
As technology develops, installing smart technology and eco-friendly devices in your home increases your property’s value. The equity you have in your home and the resale value increases with energy efficiency improvements. A survey recently found that if a home proves reduced energy costs of $1,000 annually, the average home buyer will be willing to pay an additional $8,728. Potential buyers don’t just want to buy a house, they want to buy a house that will cost them less in the long term and gives you more upfront. Turns out when you are looking to sell, improved energy efficiency is much more valuable than a well-staged home.
The push towards energy efficiency doesn’t just make the air cleaner and the planet more sustainable. It increases your quality of life. Decrease unnecessary expenses and increase the satisfaction you have with where you live by making your home more energy-efficient. Energy-efficient homes reduce monthly bills, including tax breaks, and increase the value of your property.
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H&H Home Builders have constructed Energy Star Compliant homes since we burst onto the building landscape in 1995 as ‘North Liberty’s Premier Builder’. Since then, Energy Star Guidelines have evolved into what we consider today as the pinnacle of efficiency and we, as builders of ‘green’ homes, have kept pace with those guidelines and have adapted them into each home that we build. H&H Home Builders will build you what is known today as a ‘green’ home, but what has always been lesser known as a ‘sustainable’ home. Sustainable homes are quality built so that they last not just decades, but are built to maintain value, encouraging pride of ownership for generations to come. An H&H ‘green’ Home uses raw materials in a responsible way, using fewer resources, resulting in the use of less energy.