When you are buying a home, you may really like the kitchen, the way the yard is landscaped, the neighborhood, or the long term energy savings plan that the previous owner had set in place. One of these items is truly not as fun as a new home theater room, or a new master bathroom, but the best way to save money for the long term future, is to put in place a long term energy savings plan. The plan should include a new on demand water heater, a programmable thermostat, a new geothermal furnace and air conditioner systems, smaller toilets with smaller tanks, new energy efficient appliances, good electrical wiring that contributes to less energy leakage, and first and foremost, added insulation to your home.
Long Term Energy Savings Comes from Insulation
Long Term Energy Savings with Insulation
If you need to save money, why not save money on your energy use with an extra blanket of insulation all around your home? Adding insulation to your attic will save you around 25 % of your energy use each year! Imagine that your natural gas bill averages around 2500 each year, and you spend this without the added insulation or any other changes to your home. You will save around $625 in one year alone! The addition of expensive windows and doors could cost you around $20K or more! The savings would be a savings each year of $250. Adding new windows would add a savings of 10% to your bottom line, but not the 25 % that a simple addition to your attic would bring. Add some more insulation to your walls, and you add an additional 35% to your home long term energy savings. The addition of attic insulation alone to your home averages around $1500 to $2000 long term cost of the insulation upgrade. A small expense when you consider in a mere 3 years, the cost is recouped and the insulation value will last well over 20 years. The savings with the cost of adding insulation to your home over 20 years, is around $10,500. This is with the cost of natural gas being the constant rate that it is today, which is not going to occur. We all know that the cost of natural gas, heating oil, and electricity will go up over the next few years more than we would like to think about.
Long Term Energy Savings with Foam Insulation
So, is there even better insulation for your long term energy savings plan? You bet when you consider foam insulation, and adding this tight and form fitting insulation to your walls and attic space. Lofty and thick insulation has a tendency to bunch, move, and transition down or up in the wall or attic spaces that it is supposed to protect and insulate. Foam creates its own vapor barrier, and conforms perfectly to the space. All wiring, cords or electrical systems actually perform better, as they have more insulation to move electricity from one outlet to the other. New insulation over old walls creates a pest control barrier for your home, a warmth and a buffer to support your home from winds, cold, heat, sun and any elements that are in our extremes.
In my opinion, a long term energy savings plan is just as exciting to any home purchase as a new bathroom, as I know it will bring me value for years to come.
