Greening the home continues to be the ideal home improvement option for homeowners today. Even if you can't afford a set of custom solar panels, there are still a slew of affordable options for everyday homeowners wanting a greener, cozier and more efficient home. Below are the top five:
Ideal Home Improvement #1: Heat smarter. Your old furnace should be swapped out with one that has a Energy Star label. The same goes for your water heater.
Ideal Home Improvement #2: Stop the gaps around your home. Spray insulation foam can help to stop leakage in those drafty areas around windows and doors. Installing inexpensive insulation in the leaky eaves of your attic can help to stop drafts as well.
Ideal Home Improvement #3: Replace old windows and doors. You can find replacement windows with up to three panes inside. They are often if not always quite expensive, but they also offer immediate benefits. That being said, if you can't afford replacement windows, chances are good that you can at least manage the cost of blackout curtains. Blackout curtains, while not a full trade, are still a great helper for maintaining an optimal indoor temperature. Upgrading doors with doors that are more heavily insulated and also updating the outer weather stripping can go a long way with little expense to you. Insulated doors only cost a few hundred dollars but can save you thousands in the long run.
Ideal Home Improvement #4: Turn down the thermostat while you're not at home. You can buy a programmable thermostat to do this for you and to re-modify the temperature just ahead of your return. Your pets and pipes will most certainly survive with a nominal temperature swing.
Ideal Home Improvement #5: Swap out the rest of your light bulbs. By now, you're well aware of the energy efficient light bulbs available to you but is every fixture in your home outfitted with one? If you answered 'no' it's time to get to 'yes'. What is the rationale? A regular old incandescent bulb costs you up to ten times in electricity over its lifetime than what the bulb cost in the first place. On the contrary, a Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb that's Energy Star qualified virtually pays you back the purchase price within six months. The choice is obvious.
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