Taking steps to make your home more environmentally friendly is not only good for the environment but also for your wallet. You may have to pay some money up front, but these types of home improvements have the potential to save you money month after month on your power bill. And in some cases, you may even be able to receive rebates or tax credits to help you pay for your improvements.
The following are three ways to make your home environmentally friendly that you’ll want to consider:
Install adequate home insulation
Without adequate home insulation, air that you’re paying to cool or warm your home is able to easily escape to the outdoors. And hot summer air and cold winter air is able to make its way inside. Insulation can also help reduce your power bills, since improving your home’s insulation in the outer walls, ceiling, and floors so that it meets current building code requirements will produce up to a 35% energy savings.
In addition, it’s environmentally friendly. Installing code-level duct insulation in just one home saves the amount of carbon emissions that are captured by nearly two acres of trees.
Consider solar energy panels
Solar energy panels are often a good environmental choice for homes in sunny Nevada, and they can save you money each month as well as make you eligible for tax credits and other incentives. For example, NV Energy customers receive a per kilowatt rebate for some systems. In addition, excess power that’s sent to the grid is valued at 95% of its retail value.
With federal solar tax credits as another financial incentive, it pays to give solar panels serious consideration. They often make sense for Nevada homeowners – but only if owners take steps to prepare, such as making sure their roof can accommodate the panels and ensuring that trees aren’t blocking sunlight from reaching the panels.
Install programmable thermostats
Programmable thermostats make it easy to turn on your heating and air-conditioning according to a pre-determined schedule. Running it efficiently is good for the environment, since If you’re away at work during the day, you can program it to not run as much and then warm up or cool off your home shortly before you get home. You can do the same things on your own, but few people remember to always turn the thermostat down or up.
With a programmable thermostat, you can store six or more temperature settings a day and repeat them for the week if you’d like. Just by programming your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for eight hours a day compared to its normal setting, you can cut your HVAC bills by 10%.
To find out more about home insulation and other ways you can help the environment and save money, call First Quality Roofing & Insulation in Las Vegas at 702-262-7847. We’ll help you determine your upfront costs as well as potential savings, so you’ll have the information you need to make the right decision.
