This past year has shown a huge growth in green remodeling trends which are predicted to continue into 2013. Not everyone may want to go green because they feel that this is too costly but just the opposite is true when looking at the return on your investment. Who doesn’t want a great return on their investments these days? Most of us can look at our homes and see where money seems to be floating away. Green remodeling helps to slow the loss of money that may be slipping through the cracks while helping the environment at the same time.
The kitchen and bathroom continues to be the first areas that people look at even with green remodeling. These two areas can be easily updated and will save you money. Take a look at replacing an older hot water heater with a tankless one. These use 40% less energy than a standard hot water heater as well as reducing carbon emissions. This type of water heater will last almost twice as long as a standard electric or gas water heater. This is a smart investment for almost any home. Don’t forget to replace lighting fixtures with energy efficient ones for an added buffer for offsetting ever-rising electric bills.
Green remodeling trends can continue through the replacement of windows throughout your home. This is especially true for homes built prior to 1990. There are many companies that offer a huge variety of energy efficient window styles that are absolutely gorgeous. Windows, skylights, and doors can save seven to fifteen percent on your energy bill per year per energy star. Not only do you save on your energy but you also decrease the carbon footprint left on the environment. Exterior doors have a tendency to shift as a home ages allowing loss of heat and/or cool air. As a remodeling contractor, The Novak Group can easily replace them and make the necessary changes to help prevent this loss of energy.
Other ways to continue your green remodeling trend includes replacing siding with eco-friendly materials. Not only can the siding be replaced but the roofing as well. The typical life span for an asphalt shingled roof is twenty years. Other more green materials used today include wood shake, clay tile, and slate. The life expectancy for all but wood shakes can last up to forty plus years. There are some draw backs to using these types of materials depending on the weather and other issues when remodeling your roof. We will gladly discuss these with you so that you can make a much more informed decision.
Green remodeling is a smart investment not only for saving on energy cost and decreasing the carbon footprint but as an added bonus when selling your home on today’s market. The Novak Group can help you and answer questions to make it easier when deciding how to approach going green with your remodeling plans. This is a partial list of changes that can be made if you are considering going green. Please feel free to add any questions or comments you may have!