Buying a Home? Make Sure to Look for These Energy-Efficient Features

Buying a Home? Make Sure to Look for These Energy-Efficient Features

The cost of owning a home is rising, in large part due to rising energy costs. For example, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the cost of heating oil could increase up to 45 percent year-over-year, alongside projected 25 percent rises in the price of natural gas, and an 11 percent increase for electricity.

With costs on the rise, it’s more important than ever for buyers to purchase energy-efficient homes.

But how, exactly, do you do that?

A recent article from realtor.com outlined the key features potential buyers should be looking for if they want their home purchase to be as energy efficient as possible, including:

• Close to work. A long commute will use a significant amount of gas, which is not only bad for your budget, but bad for the environment. If you work in an office—and an energy-efficient home purchase is important to you—make sure to look for a property that’s close to your office and offers a short commute. (Bonus points if you can bike to work!)
• Proper insulation. If you don’t want to spend a fortune on heating your home, you want to buy a property with proper insulation. And we’re not just talking about walls. Heat rises, so the majority of your heating will eventually make it to the roof. If you want to keep heating costs low, you need to make sure your ceiling and attic are properly insulated as well.
• Energy-efficient appliances. The appliances in a home play a huge part in how energy efficient (or energy inefficient) it ultimately is. So before you commit to buying a home, make sure to review the appliances—and aim for both a water heater and furnace that are at least 95 percent energy-efficient.