When upgrading your home, boosting its energy efficiency should be one of your priorities. By doing so, you’ll be able to reduce your electricity costs. Moreover, you can potentially generate a higher price when selling your home since energy-efficient properties can yield a higher value. Thus, home upgrades will produce a high return on investment (ROI). To achieve such, here are some home upgrades that you may want to consider:
- Choose Three-Phase Power Systems
One of the essential upgrades you may want to consider is changing your single-phase power systems into three-phase power systems. The latter split their total voltage, making it a safer and more efficient option.
Currents move in one direction before reversing in a single-phase power system. That’s because alternating currents go through cycles at 60 times per minute. This results in a brief period of no voltage flowing through the current. You can quickly notice them when powering large equipment with powerful motors, but small appliances may not show these fluctuations.
Meanwhile, a three-phase power system runs in alternating directions since the loops are split over three cyclical phases. It means the overall power supply remains constant as the system splits the moments of minimum and maximum voltages. This power system can produce the same results while using less power because they’re far more streamlined. This system can do so since it offers more control when sending energy to your equipment. You can go here to learn more about three-phase power systems.
- Replace Old Appliances To Smart Appliances
Besides making your life a bit easier, smart appliances are becoming more popular because they can help reduce your power usage. That’s because you can have operational control over them. It means you can use your phone and other compatible devices to turn on or operate such appliances, which can help minimize overall use.
When you choose the ones with the EnergyStar seal of approval, you can lower utility bills as these are compliant with curbing energy use. Here are some energy-saving smart appliances that you may want to have when upgrading your home:
- Smart Lighting Installations
- Microwaves
- Laundry Washers & Dryers
- Stand-Alone Freezers
- Refrigerators
- Dishwashers
- Ranges & Ovens
- Insulation
Although you may have built your home without insulation, the latter is still worth considering when upgrading your home. That’s because newer insulation types can bring more ROI, are made from sustainable materials, and are more efficient. With such, you can invest in them to seal up gaps and cracks in your property that may have ensued through the years.
These cracks and gaps may occur in basement closets, under stairways, crawl spaces, attic doors, ceilings, windows, and chimneys. Padding up higher areas of your property is vital since ceilings and attics are where heat rises. When these areas have cracks, heat is lost when it’s growing. This may cause your heating system to need more energy to heat your home. Prevent such by updating your insulation.
- Make Your Roof Energy-Efficient
Your roof can also play a significant role in making your home energy-efficient. Insulating it can block cold air in the winter and heat in the summer, maintaining a comfortable temperature in your home.
Besides insulation, you should also make necessary repairs. If you find loose, missing, or broken shingles, quickly repair them to keep the outside air out. Simple maintenance can help prevent your heating and cooling system from using too much power.
You may also want a roof that has a cool roof coating. Doing so can decrease the heat going into your home since the coating can reflect sunlight. In addition, you may have to use light-colored roofing materials as they don’t absorb heat that passes into your home, unlike dark-colored roofs.
- Install Solar Power Panels
Take advantage of the sun’s natural heat, especially if you live in places where you have more sunny days. You may want to install solar panels to harness solar power that you can use to run your home’s energy. Solar panels may be expensive upfront but can yield higher ROI in the long run.
Moreover, you can even receive rebates or pay from electric companies if your solar panels produce additional energy. However, you may have to speak with your lender before getting one for your home since it can affect your mortgage.
Conclusion
There are many benefits to choosing home upgrades that help in improving the efficiency of your property. One is reducing utility bills since these upgrades don’t consume much power. Most importantly, you’re making your home more valuable since future buyers no longer have to spend more on making it energy-efficient.
