by Thomas Mayne

Created on: August 09, 2009   Last Updated: August 10, 2009

Maximise both the overall value of your house, and your savings through these economical and energy saving home improvement ideas. Whether you simply want to reduce your household bills through energy saving tricks, or are planning a big move and want to maximise your home's value, these cost effective improvements are for you! The goal of this article is to provide you with a number of ideas for investment which should dramatically add value to property and reduce your bills through economical and green living.

Fix up your roof:

The roof is a very important aspect to your home as a lot of heat is lost through the winter months through here, resulting in high bills and reduced value. Adequate insulation in your roof is beneficial in both summer and winter for keeping your home cool in the heat and warm in the snows. Insulation fitting costs around 250 for a three bedroom semi-detached house and can generate savings of up to 160 a year if laid to the recommended depth of 270mm.

Another idea for your roof is to fit solar panels, especially on a south facing section of the building. These can produce up to 70 percent of the energy required to provide hot water in a home and should allow you to turn your boiler off entirely through the summer months. Installation costs around 3000, with a payback period of around 6-8 years these are a more long term investment but are shown to add significantly to the value of a property.

Home improvements:

There are a number of small changes that can be made both inside and outside your home to maximise value and reduce costs. Firstly refitting your windows with ones that comply with the window energy ratings (WER) will make them more efficient at keeping heat in and thus reducing energy costs. Another idea is to enclose your front door in a porch as even the most energy efficient door will be less efficient than a wall. A porch will significantly control heat loss and will also add storage space to your home.

Inside the home you should replan as opposed to renovate. Full extensions do indeed improve space but they also chew up a lot of your resources and do not significantly increase the value of your house in proportion to the cost of construction. Instead you should consider the existing layout of your home and think about moving things around to maximise the space you currently have available for a minimal cost.

Ecofriendly flooring is another option to consider, sustainable options including bamboo, cork and wood. These floors

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