Selling a home is no longer solely dependent on prime location and high-end amenities. Today’s luxury homebuyers are seeking homes that have eco-friendly features or design elements, and sustainability has never before been such a hot topic in everyday real estate.
According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2018 report on sustainability in real estate, 71 percent of members note that promoting energy efficiency in listings is valuable to them. Savvy buyers are acutely aware of the importance of protecting the planet and have been increasingly drawn to homes with the perfect balance of rich architecture and sustainable features. As the focus on environmentally friendly living continues to grow, there are several ways you can easily upgrade your home with green features without sacrificing a sleek design.
[Read: 5 Health-Boosting Enhancements for Your Home]
Living Walls
Keep your love of gardening growing by expanding your green space up the wall. More than just an aesthetically pleasing art piece for living rooms, entryways or terraces, living walls provide many eco-friendly benefits including natural insulation, energy consumption reduction and humidity level maintenance. Many vertical gardens are designed to survive in full sun, shade or interior building applications, and are becoming increasingly popular in hot climates as they require less energy to cool air.
Green Roofs
With home gardening and organic produce continuously rising in popularity, many home owners in urban areas have begun installing green roofs at their properties. Green roofs are easy to implement, as they do not require extensive backyard space, and are most often an enclosed green space on the extension of an existing roof. They provide natural cooling and allow residents to nurture plants in a way that doesn’t include leaks or damage to the roof. In addition to these practical benefits, green roofs also add visual appeal to a home. In Europe, there’s already a multimillion dollar market in place for green roof products due to the established technologies and financial support from government legislation.
[Read: The Guide to Home Renovations]
Energy-Efficient Lightbulbs
Energy-efficient lightbulbs have been around for several years, but many homeowners are just now starting to incorporate them into their homes due to the many benefits, which include reducing electricity use and longer bulb life span. Healthy living media company Everyday Health reports that if each American household exchanged one lightbulb for an energy-efficient one, the U.S. would save enough energy to light up 2.5 million homes each year, and save $600 million in energy costs. LED lightbulbs, one of the most common energy-efficient lightbulbs, come in a variety of different colors and can easily fit into many types of designer light fixtures, allowing homeowners to incorporate stylish, yet energy-efficient, lighting design throughout their homes.
[Read: 7 Reasons Why Renovating Is Better Than Buying a New Home]
Smart Home Technology
Home automation is often thought of as a luxe amenity, but it’s also one of the most effective ways to make your home eco-friendly, as it allows appliances to run with the lowest amount of energy required. A report from the American Institute of Architects believes that over the next decade, technological integration and dedicated support from personal devices will bring even more green technological integration into homes. Automated controls for temperature, security and lighting that come from one single device, like the Canary, will replace energy-consuming features like light switches, and add extra function simultaneously. Additionally, the sleek design of many of these smart devices seamlessly blends technology throughout the home to complete a modern and stylish design.
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4 Eco-Friendly Upgrades for Your Home originally appeared on usnews.com
