From the food we eat to the clothes we wear, it’s important to weave sustainability into the tapestry of our lives, doing our part to create a healthier planet. As a homeowner, one of the more impactful steps you could take in this direction is converting to solar power. Positioned as a bright beacon of hope, this energy source is a reliable and increasingly affordable option that comes with a myriad of benefits for both you and the environment.
Solar energy is derived from sunlight, meaning it’s an endlessly renewable energy source you can harness to power your home no matter where you live. In doing so, you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint—after all, solar power doesn’t rely on fossil fuels and doesn’t emit greenhouse gases. Conversely, electric power is one of the biggest culprits of the latter, so much so that if enough homeowners made the switch to solar energy, we could reduce our overall carbon footprint by about 50 percent.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the average up-front expense for a residential solar system is $25,000, though the actual number can depend on a variety of factors, such as the cost of materials and labor, how much energy your home requires, and the size of the system installed. Luckily, you don’t have to pay out of pocket—many companies offer financing and leasing options, making converting your home to solar feasible. Further, the amount you’ll save each month on your utility bill can make up for the cost in the long run. Per SaveOnEnergy, the average US household spends about $140 a month on electricity, which means that if your system is big enough or generates enough energy to replace all your usage, you could potentially save around $1,700 a year.
In addition, going solar makes you eligible for certain tax breaks and incentives. To start, the federal residential clean energy credit allows homeowners who install solar panels before 2032 to receive 30 percent of the installation costs as a tax credit for the year they were added. So for a system that costs $25,000, you would get a $7,500 credit. Some states even offer solar renewable energy certificates that enable you to earn income from your home’s energy production, further offsetting the costs of the system.
Another perk is that any excess power from your home’s panels is delivered back to the electric grid, which your power company may then give you a credit for. Plus, solar panels have low maintenance costs since there are no moving parts that wear down over time. Instead, you just need to clean and inspect them annually and trim back any trees that could block the sun from reaching them.
Residential solar panels are becoming increasingly popular, meaning more people are looking for homes with them preinstalled. According to a 2024 report from Zillow, 60 percent of buyers consider energy efficiency to be a very or extremely important aspect of their next home. On top of that, solar-powered homes sell for 6.8 percent more on average, though the exact number does depend on the market. Being that they’re a valuable and attractive feature, it undoubtedly pays off to convert your home to solar.
As you contemplate the benefits of solar power, consider reaching out to a reputable company with any questions you may have. It can help you better understand the costs versus savings as well as how the option betters the environment, allowing you to determine the best decision for you.
Get ready to fire up the grill and savor the season with this collection of perfect summer recipes! From juicy burgers to a refreshing chilled soup to light and zesty parfaits for dessert, there’s something here for every craving.
You can never go wrong with a grilled patty topped with a slice of cheese, and this recipe takes it to the next level with a tangy, flavorful special sauce.
Rich and creamy, this cool soup features an avocado base seasoned with garlic, lime, and cilantro and deliciously grilled lobster to top it all off.
This guilt-free treat layers silky Greek yogurt, fresh lime juice, and low-fat cream cheese between crushed vanilla wafers.
Serves 4
Tip: This sauce is so special that you may want to make more! It will keep in the refrigerator for one week.
Serves 4
Tip: The soup needs to be made the day of, but the lobster can be grilled and refrigerated until you’re ready to eat!
Serves 4
A subpar furniture layout can make even a new and stylish home feel unsuitable for your lifestyle. And even the smallest elements can have a major impact. For instance, an unfortunately placed chair leg may lead you to continually stub your toe, while an overcrowded living room can force you to have to habitually squeeze through an awkward doorway.
Thankfully, there are easy changes you can make to create breezier, more stylish, and more practically arranged spaces—ones that won’t leave you with the repeated urge to shift your sofa an inch or two to the left. Use these decorating tips to update even your most difficult rooms with a fresh approach.
Start at the drawing board. Gather some measuring tape and graph paper, then sketch your best likeness of a troublesome room in your home. Use a consistent scale, such as by making one square on the page equal one square foot. Measure your furniture and larger decor, and add them to the sheet in a possible rearrangement in pencil, erasing and trying again as needed. For an interactive project, cut out paper representations of your pieces and color-code them. From there, you can easily move them around on your blueprint.
Get creative with the different possibilities and arrangements. Swap a large item, like your sofa or bed, from one wall to another, or face furniture toward windows rather than a TV or coffee table. These steps alone may inspire some surprising solutions to awkward or tired layouts.
If you’re eager for a big change, flip your current design on its head. To make a larger seating room more eye-catching, embrace the trend of circular arrangements: set furniture in a circle, then lay a round rug in the center to unify the space. Some contemporary designers even boldly place beds in the center of bedrooms and decorate around them.
To wholly distance yourself from a well-worn design, heed the advice from Kristen Fiore of Sacramento-based Kristen Elizabeth Design: use an opposite color palette and bring in furniture in different materials. For example, replace a large fabric sofa with two leatherette armchairs.
Of course, you shouldn’t go too wild with your layout at the risk of functionality. When decorating a room, always remember to keep foot traffic in mind. “You want your room to be accessible and easy to move around in,” Fiore says. “Make sure the entry of the room is clear with open passage points to create a sense of welcome.” Decorating to optimize foot traffic can also help you avoid awkward shuffling in busy spaces. To see traffic-conscious design in action, check out @DearModern on YouTube, a channel that demonstrates smart layout swaps and offers troubleshooting for complex arrangements like living rooms with multiple entry points.
If you’re struggling to redecorate a small space, Fiore recommends that you scale down, reducing to only the most essential furnishings. “Try to use as much of the space as possible,” she says. “Mix solid upholstery with seating and tables that offer open external frames.” For example, opt for chairs with lean metal arms rather than thick, upholstered ones. Doing so will allow the passage of light and give the illusion of extra space.
If you’re willing to invest in some new pieces, this will certainly impact your current layout, so work out your sketches before you start shopping. “Focus on the scale of your furnishings,” says Fiore. “You can begin sourcing based on the dimensions of the items in your plan.” And remember to take measuring tape and your sketches with you on shopping trips to ensure that you always find the perfect fit.
It’s considered a truism that owning a home is a better financial option than renting. After all, as logic goes, why should you pay your landlord’s mortgage when you can pay your own? Intuitively, it feels true, too, but it can be difficult to determine how true. How can you really know you’re making the right decision?
The value of homeownership is twofold, including both financial benefits and intangible differences that encourage better financial, educational, and professional habits. These can pay dividends in a variety of ways for generations to come. Analyzing statistics associated with homeownership demonstrates that buying a home isn’t just a good idea—it’s an essential part of personal wealth building and management.
According to the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances (the most recent available), a homeowner’s net worth is nearly ten times greater than that of a renter. Setting aside the value of the home itself, how does homeownership create such an impact on wealth building? The following are just a few of the ways that homeowners benefit financially from their investment in real estate.
Forced savings strategy
Your initial investment in the form of a down payment, along with consistent monthly mortgage payments, offers a relatively painless method of forced savings. While providing a home for yourself and your family, you are building equity in it month after month. Even without taking into consideration any potential appreciation, you’ll earn tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars that can be accessed through a home equity line of credit or loan, recovered through a home sale, or held and passed on to your heirs.
Home value appreciation
The long-term pattern for home prices is upward, with differing rates of appreciation in different years and in different parts of the country. Home values tend to rise year over year, offering a steady and, for the most part, reliable return on investment. Smart updates and improvements can create even more appreciation, allowing you to maximize your home’s value and market appeal.
Fixed interest rates
Compare homebuying with a fixed-rate mortgage to renting over a thirty-year period. With the likely potential for annual rent increases, renters will experience much higher home costs during the same period while a buyer’s largest expense remains essentially fixed despite inflation and changes in their home’s total value. This means that today’s mortgage payment may feel like an outright bargain decades from now.
Tax advantages
Mortgage interest paid along with property taxes and some specific improvements, like those associated with energy upgrades and medical requirements, can provide significant tax credits. You’ll save even more on your taxes if you are self-employed and working from home in a dedicated office space. This allows you to deduct expenses associated with both finished and unfinished spaces, depending on your office and storage space requirements.
Building intergenerational wealth
In addition to your own net worth, homeownership can benefit your heirs should you pass the home on to them. For one, they inherit any existing equity along with it, giving them an asset they can tap into via a loan or by selling. Plus, if they choose the latter, they won’t have to pay capital gains taxes on the property’s prior appreciation since inherited homes are taxed at their stepped-up fair market value.
Once you get beyond the dollars-and-cents benefits of owning a home, you’ll find that there are also less obvious intangible factors at play, allowing homeownership to contribute to increased net worth and financial security. These can help create additional good habits and long-term perspectives that pay dividends in numerous ways.
Increased stability
When you’re renting, you are subject to a variety of factors that may discourage you from staying in one place. Rent increases, inadequate property management, and even unpleasant neighbors may make it easier for you to look for a new place than to stay put. Homeownership, on the other hand, encourages stability, helping you put down roots and gain a sense of permanency and security for your family.
Investment mindset
In many ways, homeownership teaches you the value of money. As you see your home’s worth and your equity increase over time, you internalize the value of investing, which can impact your willingness to make good financial decisions in other ways. In addition, you learn to understand the factors that increase your property’s value, ensuring that you take care of it with an eye toward its long-term value.
Increased focus on the future
In fact, homeownership can help create a general future-focused mentality that will benefit you and your family. Understanding long-term return on investment, homeowners insurance, maintenance, and value-added enhancements can help you make other decisions with an eye on their long-term impact. Taking the long view is a winning strategy for a variety of investment and financial-planning initiatives, and homeownership can help you flex that muscle.
