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Smart Home Upgrades To Save You Money



What Smart Home Upgrades Can Save Money

Home upgrades can range from affordable to high-cost investments, all with the aim of saving you money. Whether you're working with a limited budget or have more resources to spare, there are various options available. In this article, we'll explore cost-effective and substantial home upgrades that can help you save money in the long run.

Simple upgrades that can save money

By installing smart power outlets or using smart power strips it will be possible to save many times the cost of their purchase by preventing mobile phone and laptop chargers from continuing to consume power after the batteries have been fully charged. These will also prevent a TV, left of standby, continually consuming power. Smart thermostats are useful in preventing heating and cooling continuing beyond set levels. However, these thermostats are expensive and there are a number of apps. available that will allow you to control your household remotely from a smartphone. They provide a cheaper alternative to smart thermostats by allowing heating and lighting to be turned on prior to arriving back at home. A low-tech option to work alongside this is to check that the door and window caulking is in good condition so as to avoid cold drafts or hot air entering the property. Adding insulation to the attic and roof spaces will also provide a low-cost, quick-return way of saving money in the home. Make sure the hot water tank is completely wrapped to prevent heat loss. Lighting is an area in which great savings can be made by replacing old light bulbs with modern LED lighting. As an LED uses around 80 percent less energy that a traditional type of light bulb the cost of the upgrade can be rapidly reclaimed.

More expensive upgrades to save money in the home

The installation of solar panels is an expensive process and will need several years in order to pay for itself in reduced electricity costs. However, the addition of these panels will add to the value of the property should it be offered for sale. There may also be an opportunity to sell the excess electricity produced by the panels to the local grid which will further reduce electricity bills. For those whose home is located in a warm climate, it may be possible to install a 'whole house fan' in the attic. This will draw air through the property and result in the air-conditioning not being required quite so often. This option will cost only a few hundred dollars but is not suitable for all properties.

A home security system may be a useful addition to a property because, while it may fulfill its main function of deterring burglars, it may also provide the opportunity to save money by reducing the premiums needed to be paid for home insurance cover. Many modern home security systems can be controlled from a suitably equipped smart phone by using an application. More sophisticated systems, which include surveillance cameras, may be viewed on a smart phone, laptop, tablet or computer connected to the internet through a wi-fi connection. Some home owners use this type of installation to observe their pets, left at home, while they are at work or elsewhere out of the house. Upgrades to save money in the house can be as inexpensive or as sophisticated as required. Some will take many years to pay for themselves while others will take hardly any time at all.




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