Have you ever wondered how the energy efficiency of your home affects your house price?
March – June is the busiest time for the UK property market. Do you know how much your house is worth? With many people looking to move house, now is the perfect time to find out. Plus, see what measures you can take to maximise your return.
How Do I Find Out the Energy Efficiency of My Home?
For all homes in the UK, energy performance is dictated by your EPC (Energy Performance Certificate). Above all, this is a legal requirement that you need when selling or renting out your property.
EPCs are graded on a scale from A to G. A being the most efficient and G being the least.
An EPC includes information on numerous measures in the house, including your heating system, lighting used and level of insulation.
Additionally, the report contains suggestions on:
- how to improve the energy performance of the property
- how to cut fuel bills
- the impact these will have on the overall rating
- the costs involved.
These suggestions are a great starting point on the most cost effective way to improve your home.
How Can Energy Efficiency Impact My House Price?
Thanks to Money Supermarket, there is valuable information available on the impact a good EPC can have on house prices. As you can see from the graph below, raising an energy performance rating from a G to a B can, on average, increase the value of a house by up to 14%!
In Yorkshire, where the average property price is circa £170,000, moving your property from a D to a B/A will increase the average price to approximately £185,000, a £15,000 increase!
The chart below illustrates the impact in all regions across the country.
How Do I Improve the Energy Efficiency of my Property?
If you’re looking to benefit from making your property energy efficient, the best place to start is by consulting your EPC. The certificate provides you with a list of suggestions, ranging from small steps like energy efficient lighting through to large projects like solar PV.
At Eclipse Energy, we provide a full retrofit service for homeowners across the North of England. If you’re interested in improving your energy efficiency, we’d love to hear from you. Why not contact us today?