Interested in Your Own Personally Branded Magazine? Click Here!

Want to customize this content for your business?

Learn More

Categories

  • Home
  • Decor
  • Real Estate
  • Life & Culture
  • Food & Recipes
  • Holiday & Entertaining

  • Printables
  • Videos


General

  • About the Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Careers


Editorial

  • Editorial Calendar
  • Issue Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Pitch an Idea

American Lifestyle Magazine Logo
  • Home
  • Decor
  • Real Estate
  • Life & Culture
  • Food & Recipes
  • Holiday & Entertaining
  • Search
  • Follow
  • 0 Heart
  • |
  • Food & Recipes Categories
    • All Recipes (768)
    • Appetizers (140)
    • Breakfast (64)
    • Cooking Tips (41)
    • Desserts (219)
    • Dinner (232)
    • Drinks (59)
    • Gluten Free (9)
    • Healthy (71)
    • Lunch (11)
    • Quick & Easy (62)
    • Vegan (37)
    • Vegetarian (55)
Dinner | May 22, 2023

Scalloped Potatoes with Tomatoes and Anchovy Parsley Sauce

  • Holiday & Entertaining Categories
    • Celebrate (2)
    • Christmas (83)
    • Easter (15)
    • Entertaining (44)
    • Fall (11)
    • Father’s Day (6)
    • Halloween (29)
    • Hanukkah (17)
    • July 4th (36)
    • Mother’s Day (8)
    • New Year’s (23)
    • Spring (10)
    • St. Patrick's Day (11)
    • Summer (21)
    • Thanksgiving (36)
    • Valentine’s Day (5)
    • Winter (12)
Travel | Apr 6, 2023

Egg-citing Dishes from Around the World

  • Decor Categories
    • Crafts & DIY Projects (279)
    • Curb Appeal (6)
    • Decorate (82)
    • Interior Design (94)
Interior Design | May 26, 2023

A Modern Spanish Hacienda

Decorate | Apr 1, 2023

A Guide to Shopping Secondhand

Interior Design | Apr 1, 2023

A Modern Funk Redesign

  • Real Estate Categories
    • Buying & Selling (205)
    • Home Trends (23)
    • Staging (21)
    • Your First House (35)
Buying & Selling | May 15, 2023

America’s Best Cities

Staging | Feb 13, 2023

Put Your Best House Forward

Decor | Nov 14, 2022

Design Trends to Follow in 2023

  • Life & Culture Categories
    • Editorial (319)
    • Family & Pets (212)
    • Finances (36)
    • Health (159)
    • Travel (260)
Interior Design | May 26, 2023

A Modern Spanish Hacienda

Travel | May 26, 2023

A Surprising Way to Travel

Travel | May 22, 2023

Animal Friends

  • Home Categories
    • Cleaning (44)
    • Organizing (48)
    • Home Improvement (125)
    • Outdoors & Gardening (91)
Outdoors & Gardening | Mar 2, 2023

Prepping Your Home for Spring

Cleaning | Feb 28, 2023

Detail Your Car like a Pro

Home Improvement | Jan 18, 2023

4-Week Home-Improvement Challenge

Follow us on social media today!

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

7 Eco-Friendly Updates That Will Make Your Home More Marketable

Home Improvement | 1 Likes
SHARE
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More

Whether you’re preparing to sell your home or just looking to lower your carbon footprint, you may be surprised to know these green updates have a low up-front cost and can increase your return on investment.

Install low-emissivity storm windows. 
Low-emissivity storm windows reflect light back into the home, helping you save on heating costs. Make sure to choose the right fit for your home, as the types vary greatly depending on the materials and coatings. The US Department of Energy reports that storm windows could be as effective at lowering your energy costs as installing new windows.

 

Install a programmable thermostat. 
You could save as much as $180 a year by choosing a thermostat that has the ability to automatically adjust the temperature when you are not at home. Doing so could save about 15 percent on your heating bill annually. Some thermostats also have other energy-saving features, like filter-change reminders. Just make sure you choose a system that is easy to use.

 

Install ceiling fans. 
Installation cost varies based on existing electrical work. A single fan on high speed generally uses about 50 to 100 watts of power, resulting in about 800 kilowatts per year for a home with four ceiling fans—far less than a central air conditioning system. While fans are not able to actually cool the air, they can relieve you of feeling hot, and using them in lieu of A/C will save you a large amount of energy. Just make sure to switch them off when you leave the room!

 

Seal any cracks around door and window frames with caulk. 
This is a no-brainer. Eliminating cracks will take only a few hours and could pay you dividends. About 30 percent of a home’s energy loss happens at an entryway. If you’re looking to go green, this is an easy way to do so.

 

Plant trees. 
This tip is especially good for the environment. If you want to save on your energy costs, particularly in the summer, plant trees on the east, west, and northwest sides of your home. This will prevent the sun from coming through your windows and making your A/C work harder. Plant a tree to shade your central air unit, and you may save up to 35 percent on your home’s cooling costs.

 

Lower the temperature of your water heater to 120°F. 
An average of 15 to 25 percent of a home’s annual heating costs are related to heating the home’s water. This adjustment will take little time, and you will hardly notice a difference—until you look at the heating bill! When implemented, you’ll save up to $400 a year.

 

Insulate your hot water heater with a blanket. 
Especially if you have an older system, this small act could save up to 25 to 45 percent on your annual heating costs. Look for water heater blankets made specifically for your electric water heater.

Download this energy audit worksheet to determine if your home could benefit from a quick fix or if it’s in need of  more permanent solutions.

Printable Energy Audit Worksheet

19579 Views

This article is tagged in:

BlanketCarbon FootprintCaulkCeiling FanEco-FriendlyGreenHome ImprovementMovesReturn on InvestmentSellingTemperatureThermostatTreeUpdateWater HeaterWindow

Related Posts

Decor | Apr 1, 2023

A Guide to Shopping Secondhand

Real Estate | Feb 13, 2023

Put Your Best House Forward

Home | Jan 18, 2023

4-Week Home-Improvement Challenge

Home | Jan 6, 2023

Value-Adding Winter Home Improvements

Home | Nov 4, 2022

Hosting an Environmentally Friendly Thanksgiving

Popular Posts

can-planters-card
Decor | Mar 25, 2020

Make Your Own Can Planters

Home | Jul 8, 2021

Tips for Redesigning Your Patio Space

Life & Culture | Feb 17, 2020

Trash vs. Recycle: Do You Know When to Trash it?

spring-cleaning-countdown
Home | Mar 23, 2021

Spring-Cleaning Countdown

home office with white furniture
Life & Culture | Mar 30, 2020

Everyone Is Working From Home—Here’s How to Do It Effectively


You may also like:

can-planters-card
Crafts & DIY Projects | Mar 25, 2020

Make Your Own Can Planters

Outdoors & Gardening | Jul 8, 2021

Tips for Redesigning Your Patio Space

Health | Feb 17, 2020

Trash vs. Recycle: Do You Know When to Trash it?

spring-cleaning-countdown
Cleaning | Mar 23, 2021

Spring-Cleaning Countdown

home office with white furniture
Health | Mar 30, 2020

Everyone Is Working From Home—Here’s How to Do It Effectively

Buying & Selling | Dec 14, 2017

House Selling Checklist

Make Your Own Seed Paper
Crafts & DIY Projects | Mar 17, 2016

Make Your Own Seed Paper

Share on Social Media

Our mission is to deliver entertainment that inspires and motivates our readers, encouraging them to follow their passions as they explore new horizons.

© 2023 American Lifestyle Magazine

General
  • About the Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Careers
Editorial
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Issue Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Pitch an Idea
Categories
  • Home
  • Decor
  • Real Estate
  • Life & Culture
  • Food & Recipes
  • Holiday & Entertaining
Follow Us
Facebook Pinterest Instagram Youtube

Customize this content for your business!

Learn More

,