Whenever you take on a home renovation task, you can go beyond making visual enhancements. Home renovation projects also provide you with the ability to increase the energy efficiency of your home. Remodeling for a more energy efficient home won’t just be great for the environment – it will also save you money in the long run. No matter what kind of home improvement project you’re considering, it’s a good idea to find out if there are ways you can enhance your home’s energy efficiency. A good renovation project offers you the opportunity to add more beauty and value to your home, but it will be even more successful if you’re able to use that project to lower your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint.

Tips for the Bathroom

The bathroom is one of the most popular areas to start home improvement projects. When you’re ready to start making some changes in your bathroom, it’s the smaller decisions that can help you to increase the energy efficiency of your bathroom. If you’ll be replacing faucets, sinks and showerheads as a part of your home improvement project, you can save on water by going with low-flow options that still provide you with plenty of water pressure. Another option is to invest in a dual flush or low flow toilet that will help improve energy efficiency in the bathroom.

Tips for the Kitchen

Kitchens are often the heart of the home and they are also a popular place for home renovation projects. It is possible to work on home improvement tasks that improve the function and aesthetic beauty of your kitchen while also working to make your home more energy efficient. Many kitchen home improvement tasks focus on replacing surface features, including floors, counters and cabinets. You can go with sustainable materials to help out the environment. Choosing the right appliances for the kitchen is the real way to save energy while taking on a kitchen home improvement project. Look for ENERGY STAR products that use less water and power, helping to cut down on your energy bills. These energy efficient appliances also come in great sizes and trendy styles so they’ll go along with your décor of choice in the kitchen.

Tips for Other Living Areas

While it may be more difficult to make living rooms, offices and bedrooms more energy efficient, there are still ways that you can work on energy efficiency when you take on these home improvement tasks. When you’re ready to remodel these areas, work to go with sustainable materials, such as hardwood flooring that is harvested in a sustainable way. Another option is to choose curtains that will help cut back on heat transfer, which will help keep energy bills down. Adding in some extra insulation while involved in home improvement tasks or adding in new ceiling fans can help reduce the cost of heating and cooling your home as well. Also, keeping in mind that materials pulled from the home can be recycled when you do a home renovation in living areas.

As you can see, you can find many ways to take on a home improvement project to improve your home’s aesthetic beauty, function, value and energy efficiency. As you plan out your next home improvement task, make sure you keep energy efficiency in mind. You’ll be taking great measures to help improve the environment while also finding ways to save money over time with a more energy efficient home.

When it comes to home improvement or home renovation, most homeowners would focus on the major renovation and would overlook other things that might have a profound effect later on once the project is completed. With that said, one of the most overlooked home improvements is choosing the material for the windows of the house. There are many varieties of materials used for windows such as wood, fiber, aluminium and the popular vinyl. All of the said materials have their benefits as well as disadvantages and today we would be discussing the pros and cons of having vinyl as the main material for the window construction.

During renovation or even before one renovate their home, it is best to check out one’s windows from time to time to decide if it needs replacement. Now, most windows would need to be replaced when the external environment causes one to have a difficulty in closing and opening the window. This happens when frost and condensation freezes the window and in some instances can cause it to break as well. Old homes are also susceptible as the seals become loose and the frame and sash might weaken and the home is losing energy in the process.

Vinyl Benefits

One of the best things about using vinyl is that it is much more affordable than other materials and can be favorable to budget conscious homeowners. The use of vinyl has been around as early as the 70’s and became popular not only because it is cheaper but because it requires less maintenance. It is also a non-conductive material meaning that during summer months, the material deters heat from coming inside the home and the cold during winter months thus making for more energy-efficient homes.

For those who are not handy with interior and exterior painting or want to cut the cost of buying paints, installing vinyl as window frames would not need any painting activities done. Additionally, the material holds for more years than other materials such as wood so longevity is not a problem here.

Vinyl Disadvantages

As with any other materials, vinyl can be a problem for those who want a more aesthetically pleasing look to their home. As the material is not paintable, the white color stands in contrast to the other parts of the room and can be ugly for some. For those who are planning to resell their homes in the foreseeable future, vinyl might lower the real estate value of the property as most buyers would want a cosy home that is, windows with wood frames.

With that said, having a vinyl window can be a practical and logical choice for those who are more interested in savings as the material can be energy-efficient and as it is easier to keep up and comes in many colors and styles, it is the best option for the modern homemaker.