People across the country struggle to make ends meet and pay all the rising energy bills in their homes.
Energy bills have remained high in 2024. Families throughout the UK are looking for ways to save money on their energy bills.
So, how can UK households do this? And how can you make your home more energy efficient?
EPC ratings: Find out how energy efficient your house is
Each property in the UK has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating attached to it. It measures a property’s energy efficiency.
EPCs will be a requirement for selling most properties in the UK from 2028.
A to G grade
Graded from A to G, an EPC of A means the property is energy efficient, whereas a result of G means serious room for improvement.
Based on average property prices in England, research pertains that properties with an EPC rating of A or B tend to sell for 14% more than those ranked G.
G to F grade
Even improving your property’s EPC from G to F could increase its value by 6% if you were to sell.
This means a property originally valued at £300,000 with an EPC rating of G could increase to £318,000 by moving to up to band F.
With prices for improvements starting at £70 and peaking at around £8,000 there is still profit.
The cost of green property changes
Making your home green and improving your EPC rating inevitably comes at a price.
Jumping from G to A can be extremely costly and eat into any profit you make upon selling.
However, jumping one or two EPC ratings doesn’t break the bank and can still result in a higher property valuation.
Steps to make your home more energy efficient
There are many gadgets to help make your home energy efficient. However, the main ways should be tackled first.
1. Upgrading to low energy lighting
There are many ways to invest in switching to low-energy lighting (LEL), from complete refits to bulb upgrades.
Incandescent lighting has been around for over 100 years and is the least efficient way to light your home.
They have been phased out in the UK, and bulbs can rarely be purchased anymore.
Today, LED lighting is the most efficient way to light a property. Usually, all refurbished and new-build properties in the UK are fitted with LED lighting systems.
EPC testing of lighting
Lighting is calculated very simply when an EPC test is carried out.
All the lights in a property are counted, and the number of low-energy lights is tallied.
While improving the lighting in a property won’t have you jumping EPC bands like fitting a new boiler, the points will make a difference.
Some households have jumped a band, which can impact the value of your property by one or two percent.
2. Installing a new boiler
Typically, older boilers such as back, open-flued, and old fire boilers are rated G.
Installing a high-efficiency boiler can see the EPC rating for some properties jump two bands, such as G to E or D to B.
The cost of a new boiler and installation is expensive: typically around £2500 and upwards.
But in the long term, you will save money and improve your EPC rating (which means more money if you sell).
3. Improve your insulation
When you improve the insulation in your property, you will reduce the need to turn on the central heating. This is better for the environment and reduces your utility bill.
The best places to add extra insulation are the walls, roof, chimney, doors, windows and floors. Some things you can purchase to insulate these things include:
- Double or triple glazing
- Draught-proofing strips
- Chimney balloon
- Foam insulation for your floors
- Cavity walls
There will undoubtedly be experts in your area who can implement these things.
If you have experience doing so or feel confident, you can purchase and install the necessary items yourself.
Loft and cavity wall insulation
Modern cavity and loft insulation is one of the cheapest ways to improve your property’s EPC rating (and reduce your heating bills).
Different thicknesses of insulation will result in a different number of points.
- 270mm is the bare legal requirement for lofts so it is important to check yours is suitable.
- For solid and cavity walls, insulation starts at 50mm and typically peaks at 270mm, although larger volumes are available.
Even though every property differs, ensuring your property is correctly insulated can greatly impact your EPC rating. Some properties have moved two bands through making this change.
Be aware of old insulation methods
Older insulation techniques can cause problems for property owners.
For example, cladding can reduce the value of flats. And asbestos needs to be professionally removed.
Ways to reduce energy usage
You can also make your house energy-efficient by simply reducing energy usage.
Turn off lights wherever possible
In the UK, energy bills are expensive for everyday families, predominantly high electricity and gas charges.
This means that it is important for families to save on electricity wherever possible – and turning off lights is one way to do this.
UK families need to consider how they could use natural light more.
If it can be taken advantage of during the hours when the sun is up, it will eliminate the need to turn on the lights.
Turn off standby appliances
A second excellent way to save money on electricity is by turning off standby appliances.
Computers and printers are common examples of items this applies to, as these still often use energy in ‘standby mode’.
In addition to this, you may also wish to consider purchasing energy-efficient appliances for your kitchen, as doing so might be another way to save on your energy bills.
Reduce your central heating usage
Central heating represents a significant cost for families in the UK, particularly during the year’s colder months.
Therefore, you should try to reduce your central heating use as much as possible. This will ensure that your heating costs are not too high and you will save on your energy bills.
For example, some electric fires are much cheaper than heating the entire house.
Cook meals at the same time
If many different people live in your house, your energy bills will be very high if people constantly cook meals at different times throughout the day.
For example, it may be worth encouraging everyone in the family to start eating dinner simultaneously.
Hence, the oven is only on once for all the food, rather than being on for the entirety of the night while different people cook their food at different times.
Your family’s eating habits could also be amended to save on your energy bills.
For example, eating cold or pre-cooked food that doesn’t need to be cooked in a microwave or oven will ensure that the person is well-fed without raising energy bills to cook it.
This could be considered when completing your regular food shop.
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