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Energy efficiency is a big topic in today's housing market. Whether it is a builder starting a new home, or a potential house buyer shopping for their new home, eco-friendly and energy efficient features in a home are going to be a big factor. In most cases, an educated buyer will pay a little bit more for an energy efficient home that will yield lower energy costs. There are several ways to make a home more energy efficient, but the easiest way to reduce the initial cost is to update while renovating. If you’re tearing out walls, building news ones, or fixing existing ones, the thing you want to think about is insulation. It actually serves several purposes. (Most people assume it is just to keep a house warm in the winter). Insulation is a wonder of an invention. It keeps a house cool in the summer, hot in the winter, and it dampens sound when needed throughout a house. Insulation was originally invented to keep a house warm; however it is actually better at trapping air. Thus when a house is cooling in the summer, from an air conditioner, a well insulated house will keep that cold air in your dwelling. So if you performing any type of work on a wall and you have access to the inside of the wall, make sure it is insulated. It may cost a few extra dollars, but that investment will pay for itself in the first year. Believe it or not, there is a lot of heat being lost from the pipes in your house. Properly insulating the pipes can have an impact an impact on your bottom line. Water pipes sweat and lose heat or coldness. If you insulate these pipes it not only prevents freezing in the winter, but it keeps the pipes at a constant temperature, thus making it easier for the water heater to pump warm water and use less energy. Basically if a water heater has to pump water through a cold pipe, then it will call for warmer water because the water in the pipes is constantly being cooled when flowing through that supply pipe. So wrap them up and keep them at a constant temperature. Install solar panels. It sounds like a huge investment but actually solar panels have come down in price and even better than that-- there are now programs that will give you the solar panels at a reduced or subsidized cost. These programs take money from a government subsidy and help you with the installation and product cost. In the end you will see a twenty to forty percent (20% to 40%) drop in your energy bills. A huge saving that will pay for itself in about two to three years or if you get the right subsidy then it will be in less time! These simple things are just some ideas to get you started towards a more efficient house. Other simple things are out there and will help you save money. Creating a recycling friendly kitchen is another thought to keep when planning a renovation. For example, recycling is gaining attention because now some cities will weigh the amount of garbage you recycle and actually pay you for it, so there are other ideas that are coming that will contribute to more money in your pocket. Have all these things in mind and start creating your own ideas that will help your bottom line stay healthy and grow.
Article Source: http://www.urarticles.com
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