In a large number of cases, individuals who end up investing in a pre-owned home need to undertake repairs on replace various features around the house so as to make the new home more habitable.

Many times, new owners of a pre-owned home undertake these repairs with the hope that they will get a more energy-efficient house. This article discusses three often-overlooked upgrades that can have a significant impact on residential energy efficiency.

The Switchboard

Replacing the electrical switchboard or upgrading the existing one is among the first upgrades that new homeowners should think of once they move into a pre-owned home.

Many pre-owned houses have traditional-style electric switchboards that use ceramic fuses to break the circuit in the event of current overloads. Replacing one such switchboard with a more advanced version that uses safety switches or automatic circuit breakers for the same purpose might be a good idea. Switchboards that use ceramic fuses are outdated, and they may not have the capacity to continue handling the energy demands around the residential area without their eventual failure.

Upgrading the electrical switchboard is also a prerequisite for homeowners who may wish to install additional electrical appliances (e.g., solar panels) in the pre-owned house soon after they're settled. Contact an electrician if you need help with these projects.

The Residential Water Heater

Some pre-owned homes feature the conventional-style electric water heater that uses a tank for the storage of hot water that is to be supplied to various points of use around the house.

Replacing a conventional-style electric water heater with a tankless heater can effect a significant reduction in the quantity of electrical energy used around the house. This significant reduction is explained in two ways.

First, tankless water heaters are usually gas powered. Therefore, their use eliminates the need to use electricity every time someone takes a hot shower, for example. Second, tankless heaters will only heat water when a faucet connected to the heater is turned on. This is unlike electric heaters, which need an almost constant supply of electricity to maintain the hotness of water stored in the tank.

Roof Insulation

It's highly probable that the roof insulation on a pre-owned house will have suffered a considerable level of degradation, thereby limiting its effectiveness. A well-insulated roof is an energy-efficient roof. Proper insulation of the roof prevents the involuntary loss and/or gain of heat through the roofing system, thereby helping to maintain optimum indoor temperatures even without artificial heating.