Add Value to Your Home

 

 

 

Adding a few “green” touches to your home can add tremendous value to your property without breaking the bank. The installation of solar lighting is a great example of a small investment that can have a major impact not only on energy savings but also on how your house will present to buyers when you decide to sell one day. Find out how an upgrade to your residential lighting system using Solatube products can increase the wow factor of your biggest investment!

Giving Your Home an Environmentally Friendly Edge

When homeowners invest in green technologies for their home, they are not only doing their part to minimize their carbon footprint; they are also making their home much more attractive to potential buyers. The majority of people shopping for a house these days are environmentally aware – even if they might not be specifically looking for sustainable features when they view a house, they will still be impressed if they see them!

There are also plenty of buyers, particularly in the 25-40 age group, who are focused on having a sustainable lifestyle and who will only consider a home that boasts several energy-saving features. Not investing in at least a few eco-upgrades for your property can severely limit your potential buyer pool when the time comes to sell.

Resale Value

The resale value of a home that features green technologies can be as much as 10% higher than that of a traditional home of comparable size. Homeowners and potential buyers are becoming increasingly aware of the financial and environmental benefits of investing in the latest green upgrades, and anything that harnesses solar power seems to be a particularly popular choice.

A recent study published by a sustainable trends journal showed a steady increase in homeowners taking out “green loans” to add energy-saving touches to their property, with 4 out of 10 of these borrowers indicating they would make further eco-upgrades to their homes within the next year. This is a trend that will no doubt gain momentum in years to come as the public becomes increasingly environmentally aware.

Reducing Your Home’s Carbon Footprint

Retrofitting your home with Energy Star equipment and technologies can save homeowners up to 30% on utility bills over the course of an average year. Cutting back on electrically powered light usage in favor of solar daylighting is another great step in the right direction. All Solatube products are Energy Star certified and guaranteed to cause zero energy drain on your home.

Why Natural Light Can Be a Big Selling Point for Homebuyers

Nothing brightens a home like natural sunlight, but many houses simply don’t have enough windows or the right kind of exposure to benefit from the sun that’s beaming right outside the walls of their home. In some cases, a house might have so many other structures around it that the sun is completely blocked from entering the windows at any angle.

When a potential homebuyer walks into a house and sees shadows and dark corners, it either consciously or subconsciously leaves them with a negative impression. This is because humans are conditioned to seek the light. From the beginning of time, sunlight has been associated with growth, warmth, and prosperity. We might live in a world where we spend much of our time indoors, but we still have an innate understanding of the importance of natural light.

Health Benefits of Sunlight

It is accepted by science that exposure to natural light during the day greatly improves our mood and our sleep quality when we go to bed at night. This is because a lack of natural daylight negatively affects our circadian rhythm. Sunlight also enhances our body’s vitamin D production, which is essential for good health.

Emotional Benefits

We know that a lack of sunlight affects us on a physiological level, which is why Seasonal Affective Disorder impacts millions of Americans every year. Natural light plays an important role in boosting our mood by triggering the production of serotonin. This heightened serotonin production creates a positive chain reaction, raising energy levels and making you more alert and productive.

In short, daily exposure to natural light is fundamental to our wellbeing and sense of emotional balance. Given the substantial evidence of both the physical and psychological benefits of natural light exposure, it’s no wonder that this is one of the first things homebuyers look for when entering a property that’s for sale.

Improving Your Residential Lighting with Solatube

There is a simple and affordable solution for homeowners who don’t have as much natural daylight in their homes as they would like. Solar tubing connected to a rooftop dome can deliver the sun’s rays (minus the UV light that you don’t want) into the darkest recesses of your home. This amazing technology can be incorporated into your residential lighting system in less than four hours and requires absolutely no maintenance.

Customers can also select from a beautiful line of interior ceiling fixtures that add a modern touch to your home. These attractive fixtures, coupled with the diffused natural light that they emit, will definitely get you loads of compliments from visitors. Most importantly, these modern accents, with the innovative technology that they’re paired to, are a great step towards increasing the value of your home.

Don’t Forget Your Tax Credit!

That’s right, adding any kind of solar-powered upgrade to your home makes you eligible for a 30% federal tax credit. Simply save your receipt and fill out IRS form 5695 when the time comes to do your taxes. This, coupled with the savings you will enjoy from no longer having to turn on artificial lights during the day, will help you recoup the cost of your solar tube installation in no time.

Have a look at our online gallery to learn more about the many incredible solar tools and accessories we have to offer. If you have any questions about how you can improve the value of your home through an upgrade to natural solar daylighting, contact us today at Solatube!