How Solar Energy can increase the real estate value of your Audubon Park Home by Reducing Energy Costs

Solar energy is one option to reduce your utility bill and increase the real estate value of your Audubon Park Home. 
The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy reports that hot water heating accounts for one-fifth to one-quarter of an average U.S. household’s energy usage. Installing a solar hot water heating system can reduce your hot water heating bill by 60 percent to 95 percent, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars a year. Invest in a solar hot water system for $3,000 to $6,000 and, in some cases, you might recoup the costs within only four to six years. The savings can continue year after year putting money in the bank while increasing the real estate value of your Audubon Park Home.  Published in Motherearthnews.com

Passive solar cooling techniques include windows with coatings that are reflective, well designed overhangs, and the use of reflective coatings on exterior walls and the roof. However, a passive solar house also needs careful planning and site orientation, which depend on the local climate. So, you should consult an architect familiar with passive solar techniques if you are considering passive solar design for new construction or a major remodeling.   For more energy tips, consult the US Department of Energy web publications.

Passive Solar for your Audubon Park Home? - If you have an interest in passive solar, you might look for motivation to a Raleigh real estate design firm that has as its goal  "To be the world’s leading architectural firm in advancing energy-efficient, sustainable building design."  Between 1980 and 1984, The Triangle's own Innovative Design organized and conducted a national, award-winning program geared at putting into operation passive solar in the speculative residential home market. The firm successfully accomplished an average reduction in energy consumption in excess of 40% in the homes of the North Carolina builders that participated as a result of this effort.

Passive solar design can save energy and increase the real estate value of your Audubon Park Home. Solar Heating and Cooling using passive solar design techniques to heat and cool your home can be both environmentally friendly and cost effective. Passive solar heating techniques include placing larger, insulated windows on south-facing walls and locating thermal mass, such as a concrete slab floor or a heat-absorbing wall, close to the windows. In many cases, you can cut your heating costs by more than 50% compared to the cost of heating the same house that does not include passive solar design. Passive solar design can also help reduce your cooling costs.

Solar Tips

• Keep all south-facing glass clean.
• Make sure that objects do not block the sunlight shining on concrete slab floors or heat-absorbing walls.
• Consider using insulating curtains to reduce excessive heat loss from large windows at night.

If you would like to make a serious renovation by adding passive solar to your Audubon Park Home, you might look for inspiration to a Raleigh real estate design firm that has as its mission  "To be the world’s leading architectural firm in advancing energy-efficient, sustainable building design."  The Triangle's own Innovative Design designs residential homes as well as institutional and commercial. Our firm organized and conducted a national, award-winning program geared at implementing passive solar in the speculative home market. As a result of this effort, the firm successfully achieved an average reduction in energy consumption in excess of 40% in the homes of the North Carolina builders that participated.

Solar Water Heaters

If you heat with electricity and you have an unshaded, south-facing location (such as a roof) on your property, consider installing a solar water heater. More than 1.5 million homes and businesses in the United States have invested in solar water heating systems and over 94% of these customers consider the systems a good investment. Solar water heating systems are also good for the environment. Solar water heaters avoid the harmful greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity production. During a 20 year period, one solar water heater can avoid over 50 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. When shopping for a solar water heater, watch for systems certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) or the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC).