Financial Reasons to Improve Your Home's Energy Rating

Increasing a home’s energy rating score isn't merely about helping the environment or committing yourself to a "greener" way of living. The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index is the industry standard by which a home's energy efficiency is measured. It’s also the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home's energy performance.The HERS is actually a system that determines how energy efficient the home is and how much potential there is for the occupant to save money. Homes that have a lower HERS score can actually qualify for energy mortgages that allow buyers to afford more expensive homes because less money is spent on utilities. How does this fit into your own plans? Saving money and future selling marketability. Whether you are looking for a cheaper way to live or want to make more money when selling your property, improving the efficiency of the home will put more money into your pocket. Where do you start to improve the HERS score of the home?

1. Appliances - Many older appliances are wasteful of energy and can cost quite a bit to maintain. Although new counterparts can be expensive in the moment, they can reduce your utility bills quite a bit throughout the year. Some of these appliances may even have a score of their own displaying how much money they save the owner in operational costs. Although you don't have to commit to replacing everything in the home, you should start with older appliances.

2. Devices - In this regard, devices can be virtually anything that can help your energy score that isn't as large as an appliance. Aerated shower heads and faucets, moisture sensing sprinkler and watering systems, solar operated items such as heaters and even CFL or LED light bulbs could help in establishing a better score for your home.

3. Insulation - One aspect that many people don't consider when they look at their home is the insulation. This material could have been installed when the home was first established and could be in serious need of repair. Using organic insulation that is more energy efficient than fiberglass could decrease your HERS score even further. This is especially true if the insulation was in need of repair in the first place.

4. Weather Stripping - Being mindful of the weather stripping around your doors and windows could help keep the cold air in during the summer and the cold air out during the winter. As this material is usually quite inexpensive, it is a cheap method to improve your home's energy rating. Examine the orifices of your home and see if sunlight is shining through the cracks - you may need a layer or two of stripping.

5. Personal Habits - Your own habits could be a cause for concern in order to save money on your utilities. Although the HERS looks more at direct functionality of your home's energy usage, your own actions could raise the score. Leaving appliances and lights on, running the AC while the door is open, using the oven in the middle of hot summer days and other activities could cost you more than you may realize.

If you're unsure about how efficient your home is, you can commit to energy audits that will look at a number of factors. While you won't be breaking the law if your home scores high on the HERS scale, it does mean that more money is spent on utilities than there needs to be. If you're planning on selling your home, improving this score can be used as a great marketing tool and open the doors to additional buyers who may not have been able to afford the mortgage beforehand.

Author Bio:

This is a guest post by Liz Nelson from WhiteFence.com. She is a freelance writer and blogger from Houston. Questions and comments can be sent to: .