With home energy costs headed in one direction – UP, many home buyers are asking about utility costs, before they make an offer.

According to a March 2021 survey by the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), significantly more buyers are willing to pay extra for a home if they understand it will lead to annual savings in utility costs. In fact, 57 percent are willing to pay $5,000 or more, on top of the price of the home, in order to save $1,000 a year in utilities.

A growing number of consumers are seeking homes with features that are good for the environment and, by extension, good for their wallets by reducing utility expenses in the long run. The NAHB survey found more than 50 percent of home buyers are interested in sustainability, and nearly a third of the realtors said they were involved in the buying or selling of a property with “green” or eco-friendly features in the last year.

If we estimate the median price of professionally installed residential window film at $8 a square foot and divide $8 into $5,ooo, that comes to 625 square feet of installed energy saving window film. But most homes have an average of 10 windows with an average window size of 2′ x 3′. That means only 60 square feet of window film would be needed for 1o windows and this may cost about $500, leaving the home seller more money to stash away. If the cost of professional installation is higher, say $10 a square foot, there is still plenty of savings to pocket.

Window films professionally installed on structurally sound single or double pane windows may reduce energy consumption by as much as 30 percent, while the installation cost may be 91.5 percent less than putting in new windows.

Solar-control films can block as much as 80 percent of the solar heat coming through glass into a building, may decrease the heat load on the air-conditioning system, thereby reducing energy costs.

There is also the additional benefit of reducing 99 percent of the sun’s UV (ultraviolet energy) from passing through the glass and contributing to the fading of floors, curtains and furnishings in general.

Even if you aren’t putting your home on the market to sell, you would be wise to have window film installed to reduce your utility bill and reap all the year-round benefits and savings that window film offers.