We’re all aware of the positive impact one can make by making those minor eco-friendly changes to your lifestyle, such as composting and recycling. But what if you could make a bigger difference to the environment, whilst also saving yourself a fortune, and adding value to your home?
Over the years, real estate has seen a major push towards sustainability with more buyers seeking energy efficient and environmentally conscious features in their prospective homes. Making these adjustments can seem daunting, expensive and time consuming, but they actually aren’t necessarily drastically changing the way you live, in fact most of them are quite simple. Yet, overtime they can have a lasting positive impact on the environment, while reducing your bills, carbon footprint, and increasing the desirability of your property.
So what are these bill saving features, and what are prospective buyers really looking for? We’ve narrowed down a summary of the quick and easy adjustments you can make to your home, and the very desirable installations that buyers are looking for that fall under the umbrella of energy efficiency.
- Swap to LED light bulbs – energy efficient lighting comprises a combination of natural light and lighting systems that draw less power. By inviting more natural light into your home, not only are you saving power, but you’re also creating a more desirable atmosphere in your home for prospective buyers.
- Compost your food waste – A few of Perth’s councils including Claremont and Cottesloe are offering 2-gallon countertop composting pails for $5 each. By composting your food scraps, you’re reducing your contribution to landfill and assisting in regenerating the soil.
- Energy Efficient Appliances – Investing in appliances that are water and energy efficient including dishwashers, fridges and air-conditioners can make a huge impact in your water and energy bills as well as when selling your home (if appliances are being sold with)
- Solar Power – Probably the most desirable eco-friendly feature you can have in your home are solar panels. In fact, based on a recent realestate.com.au study, solar power is said to make up 92% of energy efficient keywords used in searches. These are certainly on the pricier side to install, but long-term can save you loads in cash, and can increase the value and appeal in your home.
- Quality insulation – It’s not exactly glamorous but quality insulation helps to passively moderate the temperature in your home, meaning it’ll take less energy to keep the house warm this winter.
- Window glazing – double glazed windows really are a must in an eco-friendly home. It saves money in the long run by reducing energy costs through keeping your house well insulated.
- Wooden window frames – while you’re on the window wagon, it can also be worthwhile opting for wooden window frames rather than UPVC surrounds as they can be very polluting due to the toxic compounds they emit.
- Airflow – relating to the design of your home, airflow allows natural breezes to flow through the home to create a cooling effect, while draught proofing reduces heat loss.
Whether you’re renovating your home to live in, or to sell, it pays to consider the environmental impact of your property, especially given how important this knowledge could be to prospective buyers.
Even if you aren’t looking to sell now, it’s a trend that is only likely to increase in the years to come as more Australians become environmentally aware of their impact, and seek to reap the benefits of low-cost energy bills, and greater energy efficiency within their homes.