By Abigail Sterling

Some purchases just make sense. Like replacing your dishwasher when the old one breaks, or investing in a good pair of running sneakers if you have an active lifestyle.

Then there are the purchases that maybe don’t make sense, but we don’t have a lot of options for either. Like paying a ton each month for electricity.

Thousands of homeowners across Long Island are starting to question their monthly electric bills, not only because of the rising cost of electricity, but because of their environmental impact.

One of the best ways to reduce your home’s carbon footprint ahead of time is by investing in solar energy. Solar is a clean, renewable energy that can not only lower your level of greenhouse gas emission, but can reduce your electricity bill each month.

Many solar owners find their monthly utility bill reduced to around $20 each month, the required grid connection fee, which can help you save an estimated $100,000 over the course of its 25-year lifetime. Amid rising costs, locking in electric bill savings can help you future-proof your savings every month for the next two decades.

Solar panels have become much more efficient in recent years. They have also become much more aesthetically pleasing, with many homeowners opting to install all-black panels to match the design of their houses. Installing a solar array can also help homeowners increase the value of their home up to 4%.

The next step towards future-proofing your home is switching from a traditional home heat source, like oil, with an electric heat pump.

After the heat pump is installed, it will be powered by your solar system, eliminating a separate heating and cooling bill for your home. The price of heating oil continues to rise, an electric heat pump can reduce your monthly bills.

Thousands of homeowners across Long Island have already taken advantage of federal, state, and local rebates to lower initial costs of future-proofing their home by investing in these technologies. By combining the available offers, some homeowners are able to reduce the costs of electrifying their homes by 50%.

As you evaluate these major home technology investments, there are smaller switches you can make around the home to help future-proof your appliances.

An electric cooking range that combines a stove and oven can further eliminate or reduce your monthly gas bill. You can also switch your current windows for more efficient ones that keep cold air in during the summer and warm air in the winter. This reduces your heating and cooling costs by keeping the temperature of your home more comfortable.

While not strictly a home improvement investment, many Long Islanders are also switching from driving traditional gasoline-powered cars to all-electric or hybrid vehicles. There are many public charging stations available, but the most convenient way of charging an EV is at home.

If you have solar panels, the electricity generated by the array can power your car using an EV home charger. This can greatly lower your monthly spend on gasoline, saving you upwards of $1,000 each year, and decrease your dependence on oil and other fossil fuels. 

When you go solar, the company you partner with will make sure to design a large enough system to support any additional home electrification technologies, allowing you to future-proof your home through the power of the sun.

If you’re interested in future-proofing your house with home electrification technologies, it’s important that you begin the process now to lock in savings and take advantage of all available rebates. The time is now, future-proof your home by going solar today.