Netter Real Estate Inc
Richard Bocchieri, Netter Real Estate IncPhone: (631) 848-0748
Email: [email protected]

The Eco-Budget: How Living Exterior Features Reduce Homeowner Bills

by Richard Bocchieri 10/16/2024

Many of us have heard of a living or green wall. They’re excellent choices for reducing bills, counterbalancing emissions from basic home living and adding a beautiful touch of nature to your home’s exterior. But what are some of their other perks? Are there other external living features that can be applied to a home to further reduce your monthly utility bills?

Here are three external living features that will do just that, starting with the living wall.

Living Wall

Living walls are walls that have some sort of greenery attached to them. A common variety includes vines or ivy being gently guided along the siding of the home with a green facade or vertical trellis. Others include having the plant directly embedded into the structure of the siding or exterior panel.

Living walls are excellent at reducing noise from neighboring homes, other residents within the community or general life sounds. Other facets of living walls include temperature equalizing, which reduces the strain on your heating and cooling system. Since it isn’t working as often or as hard, living walls can also help you reduce your utility bills.

They’re also marvels at reducing fade damage from the sun or eventual erosion from rain, since the plants living on them require both to stay nourished.

Living Roof

Like living walls, living roofs are great for maintaining your roof. The plants keep the sun and harsh rain from damaging the exterior shingles or layering. However, living roofs offer another benefit: insulation. Living roofs help insulate the uppermost area of the home, the area that holds most of the heat during the warmer months. If you have central air, your system may work twice as hard with a conventional roof, even with proper attic insulation, than with a living one.

When working with proper upcycled or eco-friendly, insulating material, living roofs offer an outer layer or barrier of insulation. The outer insulation helps the inner insulation in the home keep up with the demands of the surrounding environment and further reduces the strain on in-home systems.

Living Floors (Grass Alternatives)

Living floors are typically alternatives to grass. Some grass species are invasive, while others can do tremendous amounts of harm to the soil, especially if not cared for. Living floors, like clovers or moss, may not provide the same type of savings, but they will do wonders for your lawn maintenance needs. For example, clovers and moss do not need excessive mowing and can be grown relatively easily with few resources, which will lower your water bill and the bill for new equipment like mowers or extensive weed whackers.

Living exterior features can improve your home’s value if your target demographic is among the emerging, eco-friendly group. With more homeowners looking for ways to save money while staying green, there’s no wonder why so many of these living exterior features are showing up on the market for a wide-range of homeowners with a wide range of budgets.

About the Author
Author

Richard Bocchieri

Welcome to Long Island Living at its best! The South Shore of Suffolk County is a suburban area that runs along the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean. Homes in this area consist of primarily residential properties. This area tends to be diverse in culture and income as it varies by hamlet, village or town. Residents along the South Shore have access to many beaches, parks and recreational activities. I pride myself on my honesty, integrity, hard work and personal service. My first career was in education, starting as a teacher then finishing as a guidance counselor and achieving my Master’s and two PD's. In 1986, I began my real estate career. In a sense, I am still an educator and offering guidance; this time I am outside of the classroom educating my clients on the selling and purchasing processes; which have become so complicated recently and guiding them safely through the confusing and ever-changing real estate market. It is very satisfying to me to help people with not only the greatest financial asset in their lives but their greatest emotional asset; where they celebrate holidays, raise their families and live their lives. I take the needs of my clients very seriously and as a result, I am proud to say, over 90% of my sales are the result of referrals and recommendations. Primarily, my areas of service are the Townships of Babylon and Islip on Long Island’s beautiful South Shore, near pristine beaches and wonderful boating, yet only 55 minutes from Manhattan; truly the best of both worlds. I'm a graduate of the Real Estate Institute and am certified as a Senior Real Estate Specialist. I also hold a license as a Notary Public. Please feel free to call or visit so I can help you fulfill your real estate dreams. I am a Full Service Licensed Real Estate Associate Broker and provide the following: Free appraisal Rental Mortgages International relocation services Sales Home warranty new homes Free school report Waterfront specialist Notary public Please feel free to call or visit so I can help you fulfill your real estate dreams.

For every sales transaction, a a portion of my commission will be donated to Pronto of Long Island, a nonprofit community outreach center who feed the hungry, clothe the needy and provide hope for our neighbors.  

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