Raise your hand with great pride if energy efficiency ranks first on your home remodeling list! Let’s face it. Most people care mostly about transforming the bathroom, getting a modern kitchen design, giving their living room a facelift. But you know what? A home renovation is a perfect opportunity to get all the aesthetic changes you want and dream about, plus energy efficient solutions. One doesn’t exclude the other. All you need is a good home remodeling contractor, some nice tips, a few smart ideas. Shall we get started?
Fix roofing problems
Put your roof first on your to-do house remodeling list. If it’s old, damaged, or broken – in one way or another, have it fixed. Even if there’s no problem, have the roof checked. Who wants the home renovated and then face a water leak, anyhow?
Invest in good insulation
Since we are talking about roofs, invest in your attic insulation. Add a layer of insulation around the house and wherever is needed – you will notice a huge difference in your utility bills and comfort.
Replace old windows & doors
Caulking windows – if they are old and not in good shape, is not the way to improve home energy efficiency. That’s just a band-aid on a wound. If you are going to spend some money on a home renovation, make it worth your while. It’s vital that you draught-proof the home and the best way to do that is to get new, energy efficient windows and entry doors.
Get a new water system
When you plan the bathroom remodeling, think of how much water you can save with suitable plumbing fixtures. Home improvement projects are also a great opportunity to replace old pipes – anything related to water. Anyway, who wants to install a new bathroom or kitchen floor and then deal with a leak due to a burst pipe?
Buy a new heater & AC
Home appliances, heaters, and air conditioning systems consume a lot of energy, especially older models, damaged units, HVACs with dirty/ruined ducts. Of course, there’s no need to replace them if they are relatively new. In this case, a tune up will do. But do have them checked.
Choose lighting carefully
Today, you can keep the house bright without paying a fortune. First of all, you can enlarge some windows and openings – if possible. This would allow you to have more natural light in the house most hours of the day and so save energy. Then, it’s a matter of getting eco lighting – the right bulbs and fixtures. For example, LED lamps. Dimmable lighting, so you can adjust and also, create the atmosphere you want. Yes, LED lighting options are rather expensive but the bulbs last for much, much longer.
Before you remodel your home, think of the big picture
When we plan a remodel, we usually include a kitchen renovation, a bath facelift, some trims changed or added, painting – perhaps, a new floor. That all is great. To make the project work well, you need to look at it from a different perspective.
First of all, you need to consider your house as a whole. What you do in the attic or roof or with the windows affects the whole house – not only the particular room.
And then, when your goal is the improvement of the home energy efficiency, everything you do must direct in lowering your future bills. Right? That’s the whole point. You will still use the home appliances, turn on the lights, heat the house, cool your rooms, and take showers but without having a heart attack every time you get your energy bills.
So, what you need to do is perhaps an energy audit. Also, find an experienced home remodeling company and plan together the ways with which your home will be transformed into a functional, beautiful, and energy efficient space. Today, there are the means, the resources, the materials, and plenty of ideas. And that’s a good thing.
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