Is Green Home Technology Worth the Investment?

If you are anything like me you’ve been watching your neighbors install solar panels at an ever-increasing rate for the last decade or so. Is it worth it? Is it worth taking the time and investment to install, not only solar panels, but all the green technology that goes along with this technology in order to save money and save the planet? From my estimation it is worth it. Let’s look at some reasons why.

Resale value

In a recent survey, economists looked at the resale value of over 1 million single-family homes in California. The time frame was from 2007 – 2012. These researchers found that homes with green technology invested in them had a higher resale value than homes without green technology. On average these green homes sold for 9% more than comparable homes without green technology. This turned out to be about $40,000 on average for these green technology infused homes. In other surveys, homes with green technology sold much faster on the market than homes without. The quickness of sale and higher resale value alone makes green technology an exciting proposition.

Energy-saving strategies

It doesn’t matter if you’re building a new home or have an older home you are retrofitting with green technology, the opportunities to save lots of money on your energy bills is very real by doing things like sealing the walls, ceilings, windows, and doors to prevent air from escaping or entering and offsetting the temperature. According to the EPA retrofitting your thermostat with Energy Star equipment can save up to 30% on utility bills monthly. Ceiling fans, window fans and whole house fans are excellent strategies to provide low-cost and energy-efficient ways to cool rooms. Using these different home automation systems can be an excellent way to save money and lower energy costs for any home. There are numerous excellent energy-saving strategies, many of which involve green technology, and they’re all a nice addition.

Heating your water

Water heating can be one of the biggest drains to your pocketbook in your home. Reducing the cost of heating your water every month by using efficient water heaters is a very good investment. Tankless water heaters, heat pumps, and solar hot water heaters are very efficient strategies for homeowners to use. If you don’t want to buy a new water heater, simply insulating your current water heater is one of the most simple ways to cut your costs for heating the water in your home.

Solar energy-saving

Installing energy generating solar panels to your home can also improve your efficiency and lower your energy costs. Solar panels can do so much to generate electricity and power the home in a cost saving way. There is a growing market here and federal/state incentive programs make it cost effective for homeowners to invest in this green technology. There are many affordable options when getting into the solar panel market. Many companies offer installation and use packages for homeowners to get started at a very small price and in some cases with no cost at all. The payback comes quickly when your energy bills are greatly offset by the lower cost of solar energy.

Author Bio: Rick Delgado is a passionate freelance writer in the tech and eco-friendly space. He is also a regular contributor to several big green energy brands, like Vivint. Photos provided courtesy of Rick Delgado.