Home Improvement Projects That Can Save You Money

Every home requires one form of upgrading or another once in a while to improve aesthetics and increase the home's value. Most home improvement projects require you to spend money.

But how about ones that will help you save money? Home maintenance, in general, can put quite a strain on any budget. So it should come as welcome news if there are some home improvement and maintenance projects that can save you money on your home. 

Home Improvement Projects That Can Save You Money

Being responsible for a home and saving money with upgrades involves taking advantage of the right home improvement hacks and tips. So, are you thinking about taking on any home improvement soon? These home improvement projects can save you money.

Make smart upgrades

If you want to save money, both short-term and long-term, smart home tech solutions are worthy investments - not to mention the convenience they give. Start with some smart lighting solutions. Today, you'll find smart lights equipped with motion sensors that only turn on with movement.

That means your lights will remain off when no one is around, cutting down on your energy usage. Almost all smart lighting solutions are LED, helping you save a significant percentage on your energy usage.

Since most of them come with mobile apps, you can turn off your lights even when you're not at home. A second smart home tech worth investing in is a smart thermostat, which will help you save a lot on your heating and cooling expenses.

Smart thermostats are designed to adjust to your cooling and heating preferences over time automatically and will turn off when you leave home. Finally, if you have a home garden or lawn, you can also invest in a smart sprinkler, which can help lower your water bill in some ways. 

First, most smart sprinklers can detect weather changes and go off automatically when it's raining, saving you water. Secondly, you can set or schedule your sprinkler to turn on and off and specific times with the help of an app. Thirdly, some sprinklers can help you calculate exactly how much water your lawn needs and the best watering frequency. 

Install solar panels

Solar panels offer several benefits to any homeowner, especially if you live in a place with access to sufficient sunlight. You don't have to pay for the sun, which means the only cost you will have to deal with is acquiring your solar panels and getting them installed. 

Admittedly, the initial cost of getting your solar panels installed can be high. However, when you compare this cost to how much expenses you will be able to shed off your energy usage, you'll realize it's something worth investing in. 

Solar energy also offers you numerous other benefits beyond simply lighting up your hope. First, you can use it to power your appliances, warm your water, and do anything else you use your usual electric supply for. Secondly, because solar energy is renewable, you don't have to worry about any depletion from the source. As long as there is sunlight, you will have your solar energy. 

Finally, if you are environmentally conscious (as you should be), you don't have to worry about solar energy adversely affecting the environment. Another great news is that as innovation continues to grow, you can expect the general expenses of installing and using solar panels to drop considerably. 

Freshen up your walls with a fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper

One of the simplest ways to give any home the lift it needs is a new paint job. But painting is also an easy DIY project that will save you money. You don't need any special tools, mobile applications, or installations to have it done.

You don't need too much skill to do a decent painting job. But it's still probably best to hire a professional if you have a large home. Also, you want to avoid making rookie mistakes that will require repainting.

Regarding your interior walls, you can decide to stick with regular paint or opt for wallpapers. Of course, painting your walls is always the cheaper option immediately. However, wallpaper usually tends to have a longer lifespan, so the costs pretty much even out over time.

Add more attic insulation

If you're looking for one of the best ways to save with your home improvements, try adding more attic insulation. If your cooling and heating expenses are beginning to weigh on your budget, you can put that in check with some simple attic insulation. If you notice your home is leaking out warm or cold air, inspect your walls to see any noticeable joints over the insulation in your attic.

If you find any, the solution is pretty simple - add more insulation. According to iFOAM, adding more attic insulation can save you a lot of money, depending on the type of insulation you use. Beyond your attic, you can also insulate your walls or around your doors and windows to help seal gaps that lead to air leakage. 

Install energy-efficient ceiling fans

Ceiling fans offer another pretty basic way to save up on your heating and cooling needs, especially if your home comes with upper rooms or floors, as heat tends to gather higher up. Installing ceiling fans offer unique benefits regardless of the weather season.

For example, an energy-efficient ceiling fan can move air during warm seasons to help create a cooler living space. An energy-efficient ceiling fan can push heat trapped closer to the roof downwards during cold temperatures to make your home feel warm. 

The most important thing is to ensure that you purchase and install energy-efficient fans and ensure that you readjust your thermostat settings to indicate that you're using ceiling fans. You should note that energy-efficient ceiling fans come with energy star ratings.

Another hack you can try is reverse ceiling fans, which means reversing the direction the ceiling fan blades tilt or repositioning them to tilt downwards instead of upward. This way, the fan will push air downwards when rotating instead of pulling it upward.