4 Home Energy Retrofits that Pay for Themselves in One Year
Last Updated: Apr 9, 2025Updating to a completely zero-energy ready home, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy, might be an option for some homeowners. These tips for a low carbon retrofit are also worth considering if your monthly energy bills cut into your retirement savings. And, of course, putting a few solar panels on your roof is a fantastic way to reduce your carbon footprint.
But what about those homeowners who are genuinely interested in living more sustainably but do not have the economic freedom to invest in upgrades to a home that is more environmentally friendly? Below, we review four of the top home energy retrofits that can immediately impact the environment. The reduced price tag on these home renovation tips allows them to pay for themselves within one year.
Table of Contents
- Water Heaters
- Low Flow Showerheads
- Smart Thermostats
- LED Lighting
Low Flow Showerheads
Tankless water heaters are most effective in households that take steps to reduce their water demand. According to one estimate by the Alliance for Water Efficiency, “in an average home, showers are typically the third largest water use after toilets and clothes washers. The average American shower uses 17.2 gallons (65.1 liters) and lasts for 8.2 minutes at an average flow rate of 2.1 gallons per minute (GPM) (7.9 LPM).”
In a four-person household where each member takes an average of one shower per day, 25,000 gallons of water will be required for yearly showering. The average price of water in the United States is incredibly inexpensive, at about $1.50 for 1,000 gallons. Homeowners, then, can expect to spend about $40 per year on water for their showering needs.
One of our favorite products at Rise is the Nebia Showerhead. This spa-style showerhead uses new technology to atomize individual droplets of water. Essentially, you end up bathing in a cloud of warm, misty water. Besides being ridiculously comforting, this showerhead uses us 0.75 gallons per minute (GPM), which is far less than the 2 GPM required by the EPA Water Sense-rated fixtures.
Based on our figures above, switching to a Nebia showerhead will cut your water costs by as much as two-thirds. The Nebia showerhead 2.0 currently costs $499. When you factor in the energy savings that accompany reduced water demand for showers, we expect a payback period of about two years. Of course, it is hard to put a price on luxury, and this product helps to dispel the myth that more sustainable homes are also more austere and less comfortable.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
