Energy efficiency affects house prices
Category DIY
Energy saving technologies can improve the value of properties and bond orginators, ooba say that 49% of respondents to one of its recent surveys indicated that features such as insulation, solar water heaters and water-conservation technologies directly influence the buying decision. Ooba’s Jenny Rushin says the poll conducted by the organisation showed that just 13% of buyers did not care if the home had energy saving mechanisms in place. She says that more and more people are aware of the importance of energy saving, not purely because of the high costs of electricity but because of the damage that power generation company Eskom is causing to the environment because of the demand for more power. In terms of energy savings Rushin says the key factors to consider include: - Water heating consumes about 50% of household electricity. For this reason geysers need to be energy efficient and if solar water heaters are used, the savings can be significant; - A single flush of a toilet uses about 11 litres of water. Installing a pump system results in less water being used to flush the toilet - When buying any household cleaning products, check the labels to see if any of the ingredients are potentially toxic. Many supermarkets stock environmentally-friendly products and major producers, such as Unilever plan to introduce more and more of these in the years ahead; - Energy efficient light bulbs use about 66% less energy than incandescent bulbs; - Instead of using synthetic fertilisers, home-owners should used composts that provide balanced nutrients. Healthy soil will reduce the number of weeds in a garden and prevent the proliferation of pests.
Author: Property24.com
