Your Green Home: Appliances and Solar Power
By Ashley Zimmermann, Creative Content Director for @designREMODEL
Welcome to Part 2 of our Eco-Friendly Remodeling series! In this post, we will cover some ground about energy-efficient appliances and solar power as key elements to consider for your home remodel.
Energy-Efficient Appliances
Image by chriskeller from Pixabay
Like LED lighting discussed in our Part 1 article, new efficient appliances bring benefits to both you and to the environment. EnergyStar.gov says it is a simple choice. I agree- why would you not want to introduce better products into your life and home, knowing the rewards of the investment? To play devil’s advocate, perhaps you don’t want to take on the cost of new appliances. However, if you are in the process of remodeling or even modestly upgrading your home, these new appliances are worth the cost:
Washers
Dryers
Dehumidifiers
Dishwashers
Windows
Computer monitors
TVs
Refrigerators and coolers
The EPA has introduced ENERGY STAR Most Efficient 2021, a new award. A few other incentives of investing in green appliances include possible federal income tax credits and rebates. No matter what item you are shopping for, you can start on the EnergyStar.gov landing page and look around. Your local appliance store will also be happy to tell you about all the green items they have to offer.
Toilet Talk
Let’s talk water-saving toilets. A few weeks ago, while heading out on a last-hurrah summer road trip, we happened upon a rest stop in Illinois with dual-action toilets: push the lever up to use less water and down to use more water. I thought, that is a pretty great idea; easy and environmentally conscious, available to the masses who come in and out of the rest stop.
Low-flow and water-efficient toilets are becoming the new standard. The EPA created its WaterSense label certification (akin to the ENERGY STAR label discussed above) to incentivize and reward manufacturers for creating products that “are 20 percent more water-efficient than average products in that category.” For example, Kohler’s extreme 1.0 gallons per flush Highline toilet earned them some EPA rave reviews early on. Older standard toilets used 3-7 gallons per flush. Holy crap!
Consumer Reports has a list of “Best Water-Saving Toilets for $200 or Less” for you to consult. Or, you can use the Search Products tool on the EPA’s WaterSense site. Here is a WaterSense fact to leave you with: “Nationally, if all old, inefficient toilets in the United States were replaced with WaterSense labeled models, we could save 360 billion gallons of water per year, or the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls in about 9 days.”
Solar Power
So, can solar work for me?
Image by ulleo from Pixabay
We’ve all heard that solar power is a good idea, but a follow-up question often asked is: is it worth it to go solar-powered in my area? A quick Google search introduced me to Project Sunroof, a cost-estimator tool for solar power savings. Project Sunroof says: “Estimate how much you can save on your electric bill with rooftop solar.” The results I received said the estimated savings for the average home in Massachusetts is $28,000 over 20 years after the solar purchase. For my home in Wisconsin, the results gave me $11,000 estimated net savings for my roof over 20 years. The tool uses analysis of weather patterns, the size of your roof, and nearby trees to calculate.
However, solar is a serious investment and there are many factors to consider. As always, talk to your trusted contractor. The team at NerdWallet echoes similar sentiments in their article “What Do Solar Panels Cost and Are They Worth It?” Their answers: “Consider solar if you have a high utility bill, live in a prime location, and qualify for tax breaks or other savings.” Their article offers some really critical steps and advice, so I’ve listed said steps below:
Review your electric bill
Evaluate your sunlight exposure
Estimate residential solar panel cost
Look for incentives
Keep an eye on trade policy
Make the call
I’ve listed an excerpt from their ‘Incentives’ section here:
“The government offers homeowners significant incentives for installing solar panels as an alternate energy source. For example, a residential federal tax credit allows taxpayers to claim 26% of installation costs for systems placed in service by Dec. 31, 2022. The credit dwindles to 22% in 2023 and expires starting in 2024, barring renewal from Congress.
The federal tax benefit is nonrefundable, meaning you can’t get the savings in the form of a refund. Instead, you can reduce — and possibly eliminate — the amount you owe on your taxes.
Additional credits vary by location. Depending on your state, you may receive extra incentives like cash back, property tax exemption, waived fees, and expedited permits. In some states, homeowners with solar panels can sell excess power to their local utility companies. Look up credits available in your state by reviewing the database of state incentives for renewables and efficiency.”
Continue to read up about solar. EnergySage has a wealth of knowledge available. I recommend their following articles:
“Solar power as a home improvement strategy”
“Are solar panels worth it?”
“Residential solar panels: what to know about rooftop solar panels”
I hope this has been a helpful installment in our Eco-Friendly Remodeling series!
References:
https://www.energystar.gov/about/federal_tax_credits - Federal Income Tax Credits and Other Incentives for Energy Efficiency
https://www.energystar.gov/rebate-finder - ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder
https://elemental.green/all-you-need-to-know-about-low-flow-toilets/ - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LOW-FLOW TOILETS, AND WHICH ONES TO CHOOSE
https://www.hgtv.com/design/rooms/bathrooms/the-lowdown-on-low-flow-toilets - The Lowdown on Low-Flow Toilets
https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watersense-products - WaterSense Products
https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watersense-label - The WaterSense Label
https://www.epa.gov/watersense/residential-toilets - Residential Toilets
https://www.kohlercompany.com/news/press-releases/kohlers-support-of-watersense-program - Kohler's Support of Watersense® Program Once Again Earns EPA Recognition
https://www.consumerreports.org/toilets/water-saving-toilets-for-200-dollars-or-less-a2630076354/ - Best Water-Saving Toilets for $200 or Less
https://sunroof.withgoogle.com/ - Project Sunroof
https://news.energysage.com/solar-power-as-a-home-improvement-strategy/ - Solar power as a home improvement strategy
https://news.energysage.com/are-solar-panels-worth-it/ - Are solar panels worth it?
https://news.energysage.com/residential-solar-panels-for-home/ - Residential solar panels: what to know about rooftop solar panels
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/solar-panel-cost - What Do Solar Panels Cost and Are They Worth It?
https://www.solarreviews.com/solar-calculator - SolarReviews