5 Home Improvements That Can Save You Money

Most people look for easy ways to save money each day, but many people don't realize that a few simple home improvements can make a big difference when it comes to your bank account. The best part is that many of these home projects can be done yourself with little upfront cost. Here are a few things you should consider doing to help lower your monthly bills.

Smart Thermostat

You may be hesitant to get a smart thermostat because of the cost, but you'll make up the price from the savings in no time. Smart thermostats are programmable from your phone, which makes it easy to control the temperature in your house from anywhere. If you go out of town and forget to adjust it, you can just fix it with your phone with the click of a button. These thermostats also allow you to set the temperature to a specific room. For instance, you can have it only target specific rooms that people are in so that you unoccupied rooms aren't being heated or cooled unnecessarily.

Solar Panels

If you're thinking of getting solar panels for home to conserve energy, you should definitely go for it. Solar panels are put on your roof and help provide electricity to your house. This allows you to generate your own power and use less from your electric company, which can save you a lot of money. In many states, if your solar panels are generating more than you're using, you can sell that excess power back to your provider, so you can actually end up making some money.

Better Lighting

Switching the lightbulbs in your house may not save you a lot of money, but it can really add up over time. LED light bulbs are more energy efficient, so they can help lower your electric bill. It's still always important to turn the lights off whenever you aren't in a room. If you or your household members tend to forget to turn out the lights, consider getting sensors installed throughout your house. The lights will automatically come on when you enter a room and will turn off when there hasn't been any movement in a while.

Alarm System

It may not seem like installing an alarm system will save you any money, but it could deter someone from burgling your house, which could end up costing you a lot. If someone manages to break in to your house, they could steal thousands of dollars worth of your belongings, which are often worth so much more than just money. An alarm system can help prevent this from happening. Once you get it installed, make sure to put up a sign in your yard alerting people that you have a security system.

Improved Appliances

Energy efficient appliances can save you hundreds of dollars over time. Updating your dishwasher and washing machine to ones that use less water will lower your water bill. This doesn't just apply to those appliances though. Many people don't realize that changing out your faucets and shower heads can make a big difference as well. Go to your local home improvement store and ask for ones that are low flow. This means that less water will come out at once, so if you take the same length of shower that you normally do, you'll end up using a lot less water without even realizing it.

Although you may have to pay money upfront for these home improvements, the money that you end up saving over time makes it well worth it. If you still aren't sure about the cost vs benefits, do some more research and run the numbers to find out just how much you can save each year. Talk to other people who have made the switch to get a more personal opinion. Remember that you don't have to make all of these changes at once. Taking them one at a time will still help you save money but can be less overwhelming.