Ways to Save Energy

Properly insulating property can help you save money on both heating and cooling the property. Insulation allows the home to maintain a more steady temperature, which means that less energy will be required to heat the home in the winter or cool it in the summer. The money saved on energy bills makes proper insulation a worthwhile investment that will eventually pay for itself.

The following are 6 tips to help ensure that your property is properly insulated to help your tenants save on energy bills whenever possible: 

• Energy-Efficient Windows: Energy-efficient windows can cut about 10-25% off of your total heating bill upon their installation. This includes replacing your single-paned windows with their double-paned counterparts. Double-paned windows can help eliminate the issue of too much heat getting through the windows in warmer environments and too much cold air getting through the windows in colder environments. Either way, it requires less energy to cool or heat your home, which means you are saving money on your energy bill each month.
• Properly Insulate Your Walls: Properly insulating all walls of your home (including those that you do not use all the time) can help keep the heat in and the cold out during the winter and can help keep the cold in and heat out during the summer! Proper insulation for all rooms can keep the heat or air from all going to one or just a few certain rooms. It helps the entire home maintain a livable temperature without using extra energy. Soundproofing can be an additional bonus.
• Choosing the Proper Kind of Insulation: In a world where there are so many insulations choices, choosing which insulation is right for you can be tricky and confusing. Talking to a professional can help you understand which types of insulation are right for the spaces you are looking to insulate. For example, a fiberglass batt is a great option for virtually every home and it can be installed without the help or added expense of hiring a professional to assist you. 
• Focus on the Interior First: Focusing on insulating the interior or your property first helps ensure the core, center rooms of your home are kept at a livable temperature first. These are likely the rooms that you use the most frequently. It also helps save the most money on air conditioning and heating costs as these are likely the biggest rooms in your home and take up the most energy to heat. 
• Provide Outer Walls Extra Insulation: Providing your outermost walls with extra installation can help you ensure that you are keeping the heat or air inside your home. Heating/air conditioning the great outdoors (letting the heat or air escape your home) only wastes energy and forces you to spend more on your heating or cooling costs. Consider the extra investment of an additional layer of insulation on your outer walls now as it will more than pay for itself in the future when you save money on heating and cooling. 
• Get a Quality HVAC System: Upgrading your HVAC system including your heating and cooling units can allow you to save up to 40% on your energy bills. Ensuring that you are upgrading both the heating and the cooling systems ensures that you are being more energy efficient year-around. If you use one more than the other (living in a hot or cold environment) be sure to get regular "tune-ups" on that system and keep it serviced regularly. This can save costly breakdowns or exorbitant energy bills for your family later on when something with the unit might not be working quite right.

These are 6 great steps to take to help you ensure that your property is properly insulated. This also helps you save your tenants money on the heating and cooling costs they pay while they are living at your property. Passing that savings on to your tenant is something they will appreciate and that can help you justify charging top dollar for your rental property.

An added bonus?

The extra soundproofing that keeps sounds from traveling from room to room will be appreciated if someone is watching TV and someone is sleeping in the other room as well!