More and more people are becoming concerned with the environmental impact of their consumer behavior. According to a recent survey of over 6,000 consumers from the United States, 83 percent of people surveyed revealed they felt that environmentally friendly products and features. This means that companies should try to incorporate more meaningful eco-friendly features in their products.
However, environmentally products don’t just stop at chemicals or production. It also extends to real estate. Modern buyers are now looking for real estate properties that have environmentally friendly features as well.
Today, learn about 7 eco-friendly features you can install in your home if you want to attract environmentally conscious buyers.
1. Solar Panels
One of the most prevalent features of real estate with sustainable developments are solar panels. More correctly known as photovoltaic cells, these large panels gather electrical energy from sunlight exposure. A few solar panels can make a huge difference in your power consumption, especially if you live in arid or sunny environments.
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Large enough solar panels can make a significant dent in your power consumption and you can even sell the energy back to the power grid if you collect any excess during the day. You can also get tax credits for installing them and contributing to sustainability.
2. Tankless Water Heater
Water heaters are very costly, both in terms of money and fuel. When your home has a tanked water heater, it has to burn fuel or use electricity constantly to keep the water in it at the appropriate temperature. A tankless water heater, on the other hand, only use fuel and electricity to keep the water warm when you need it.
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Instead of constantly keeping your gas or energy bill up, it reduces your carbon footprint and emissions. They also keep your water bill down because you won’t have to fill a reservoir or tank.
3. Skylights
You probably unconsciously turn on the lights in rooms, even if it’s the middle of the day. Although a lightbulb only adds a few dollars to your energy bill, if you keep opening lights all over your home even if you don’t really need to, your bill will soon skyrocket as will your emissions.
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One of the best ways you can reduce electrical consumption is increasing natural lighting by installing skylights. Not only are skylights very attractive to home buyers, they also ensure you wouldn’t need a lot of electric lights. During the morning, you can rely on sunlight from these attractive openings on your roof and not raise your power bills.
4. Biodegradable products
Making environmentally-friendly changes in our homes doesn’t have to be hard. There are a handful of universally friendly products that we can add to any home that can be purchased cheaply and as needed. But, adding bamboo toilet paper is one way you can make your house more sustainable in the long run without having to break the bank on larger purchases. Organic bamboo toilet paper is ideal for all of your family’s organic needs because it is made from 100% certified organic materials, including the bleaching process which is done with solar power. Not only does this product offer unmatched comfort, but it also helps to preserve the environment and earth as you use an entirely biodegradable toilet tissue product.
5. Window Insulation
One common part of house hunting checklists is proper insulation in the windows. This may seem inconsequential to eco-friendliness, but great insulation plays a vital part in reducing your carbon emissions. Poor insulation lets air conditioning and heat out when you want your home to retain them. This means you’ll need to keep your air conditioning or furnace on for longer just to reach desired temperature.
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Excellent insulation prevents these problems and lets your home stay cooler or warmer for much longer without increasing your bills.
6. Reclaimed Wood
Trees are some of the most efficient ways the environment captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and prevents it from being released into the atmosphere. When wood decays or is burnt, this carbon is returned to the environment.
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You can help reduce the amount of carbon released through wood destruction by purchasing reclaimed wood furniture. These types of furnishing are handsome and rustic, as well as keep wood from decaying unnecessarily. The best part of reclaimed wood furniture is that you can reconfigure it in the future.
7. Trees
Finally, the best features you can put around your home are trees. Large plants and trees are some of the best ways you can regulate the temperature of your home and around it. Trees provide ample shade which can off-set the amount of sunlight that streams on your roof. They also release microscopic amounts of moisture into the air that help cool down the area.
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Remember that trees are investments, you have to grow them over time for them to be worth the cost. You should also remember that trees will interfere with solar panels so make sure to strategically place your trees and solar panels to ensure they don’t block each other.
Eco-friendly real estate development is not new, but there is newfound appreciation for it. If you are putting your home in the market and want to attract more buyers, these eco-friendly features will surely help put your property on the map.
