6 Benefits Of Retrofitting Old Houses

ou must agree old buildings has loads of history and character. Yet, we tend to forget these buildings have some significant downsides. The main negative is they are not energy efficient. Unfortunately, this is something homeowners cannot ignore.

We must agree that energy is expensive, and buildings are responsible for 40% of energy consumption in the US alone. So what can we as residents do to make our home more energy efficient to reduce carbon consumption?

The simple solution is to retrofit our homes to reduce energy use. Yes, it might sound easy, but some essential things must be remembered. So today, we will discuss these crucial things and the advantages of retrofitting your living place.

How to Make Your Home Energy Efficient

Maybe you live in an old home; then you know it has solid walls built with lime mortars, renders, and plasters.

Using these materials allows the floors and walls to breathe, allowing damp and moisture to escape.

So if you use non-breathable fabrics trapping moisture from plastic paints to cement, it can result in dampness or decay forming, leading to ill health for you and the building.

Thus, when planning a modification, you must consider practical ways to resel your residential building on the real estate market.

Thus on average, homeowners with retrofits can reduce monthly bills and still make a huge investment in the long run.

Quick Wins to Improve The Energy Performance

While there are many advantages to helping realtors modify buildings, some measures you can take that are quick resolutions for energy savings exist.

Quick Modifications:

• Loft insulation in buildings

• Overhauling the HVAC system to have a less environmental impact

• Energy-efficient light bulbs

• Investing in energy-efficient appliances like new heaters, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.

• Buying thermally insulated blinds or curtains for windows

• Repairing windows with draught strips and a second glazing

• When you install water tanks, it helps with the preservation of water you can use in the garden. Hence, it makes the water demand less with loads of savings.

The above are some fast retrofitting solutions that preserve high costs. But when it comes to substantial projects, take your time.

For example, tackling replacing a window, reducing heat costs, or changing a building, you do not want to make costly mistakes.

So what are the advantages of modifying a home for property owners? Well, stay a while longer to find out!

Retrofitting Challenges

While you can easily do a retrofit to buildings, there are problems you can face:

• Regarding retrofits, contractors face many challenges, especially in old buildings and the surroundings. Hence, it is best to have an estimated plan before starting any residential restoration.

• Another concern is safety, as you may have an unoccupied living space for a while, depending on the retrofits you plan to do.

• You need to ensure the team of contractors that do your retrofitting has all the qualifications and insurance to handle the job, and they also need to comply with an energy audit.

Hence, we recommend you get the right support for analysis before changing a cooling to a heating system to make your home modern and more sustainable.

Top Benefits Of Retrofitting Old Houses

So you want to reduce the carbon footprint to make your old building look contemporary yet cost-effective. Then you have made the right decision, as tearing it down to rebuild it using green construction is not an option. But with retrofitting, which can be tricky, you can add new components to make it perform better for many reasons.

Economical in The Long Run

Yes, reconstruction saves energy, but it helps reduce heat and energy use adding to savings. So, you have a win-win situation. While you may spend more costs as a homeowner, it increases energy efficiency when updating energy-saving systems in the home.

Thus, the energy improves, saving you up to 213% on your energy usage yearly. So, you will reduce the carbon footprint and conserve energy with upgrades to a furnace or adding insulation to the basement, walls, and more.

So, why not start to preserve money on your energy bills today? It will enhance your life, and you will benefit from your asset. If you are unsure how to do it, contact a reliable architect to help.

Environment-Friendly Impact

Reducing carbon emissions by having a retrofit done as it lowers energy expenditures is the best thing you can do.

The best part is there is no need to tear down your old home. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Green Lab, renovating an existing structure is more beneficial for the environment.

The report states that modifying the ecosystem is greener for human health, quality, climate change, and resource depletion, and the best to have existing structures remain.

Further, it has a more incredible boon on the economy than new building projects.

You Can Make Your Home Disaster Proof

For example, when you have your house earthquake retrofit, it creates safety of the foundation. Doing this attaches the foundation and the walls to prevent them from sliding off in disasters leading to injury and collapse. It saves you many financial issues in the long run as your home is not condemned. So it limits the economic impact of the damage.

Improved Health and Wellness

Living in an old building, you or your family may suffer from colds or allergies. One of the significant improvements of a retrofit is to provide efficient ventilation systems. It provides comfort and well-being when controlling temperature, humidity, and air quality.

Energy Efficiency

When you have modifications done, it helps with energy efficiency:

• You have heating to ventilation, add water-conserving fittings, lighting upgrades, and install renewable energy.

• As mentioned, it improves your well-being by changing a window for a natural outside view. In turn, it saves loads of money on the power bill.

• Having insulation done saves money in the long run.

• Whether you have added a water-conservation flush toilet, motion sensors, timers, to LED lights, these provide energy efficiency.

Higher Resale Value

When it comes to your property, there might come a time when you want to sell your home. Modifications boost the cost of the home. When new homeowners know that their house is earthquake and energy-efficient retrofitted, they can get a higher market value and be more likely to buy.

Final Thoughts

Modifications have many advantages for old buildings and homeowners. While you still face some challenges depending on the project. It remains a worthwhile investment in the end. Make sure to check out our retrofitting home ideas to get some inspiration.