Protecting Your Properties Through Eco-Upscaling
Philadelphia’s location within the Delaware Valley puts it at significant risk of environmental disaster. Indeed, as Wharton outlines, flooding remains the greatest environmental risk posed to properties across the city - and most properties are at risk, with the risk of a 100 year flood increasing every month. While certain methods are effective in protecting the property against acute risk, the only realistic long-term way of protecting a property portfolio is through bringing in eco-friendly design. What’s more, potential tenants or buyers are likely to come flocking towards sustainable properties, as opposed to competitors in the local housing market.
Bringing in solar energy
Philadelphia is a certified hot market for renewable energy. According to Penn Environment, the city and wider state have the 9th highest solar power potential in the country, with only those sunbaked states like CA, TX and NV coming out ahead. The environmental benefits of moving to renewable energy are clearly huge, and the steps to installing it are becoming easier to afford, too. Renewable energy experts EcoWatch highlight just how property owners can benefit. The federal solar power tax credit incentivizes up to 26% of the cost of installation, and an individual PA-wide scheme can provide $200 per kilowatt hour installed. When considered alongside the lifetime savings in the property that can be offered to tenants or buyers, there are huge savings to be made.
Changing the airflow
One of the key causes behind heat and energy loss is a lack of proper insulation. Further on from this is the challenge of trapped air; old, stale air being caught in pockets around a property, and inefficient airflows for colder air, creating issues with heating, and potentially leading damp into the home. Tackling these airflows is best achieved through full insulation, according to the AHS, but there are even better options. Take, for instance, the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities HouseZero project, which has shown how subtle changes in window openings and the layout of the home can help to promote proper airflow, providing natural heating and cooling - whether through sunlight or ventilation. While embracing a fully smart home is difficult, steps can be taken, such as properly sealed windows and thoughtful home design. Doors and windows can be powerful in making sustainable housing.
Embracing greenery
Plants act as a carbon store, provide oxygen to the environment, and have an appreciable impact on wellbeing. Furthermore, greenery cannot only include lawns, which actually have a deleterious impact on local ecosystems. Instead, homes must be constructed with generous use of plants, including trees, wildflowers, and natural lawns. These will provide shade, encourage wildlife, help to retain water, and improve carbon stores.
Plus, it will make the property more attractive to tenants and buyers. Any steps you take to promote the environment, and show sustainable credentials, will improve the sell-on price. As many sustainable measures share space with quality of life improvements, it will almost always be a double bonus to improve a home’s sustainability credentials.