Now could be a great time to think about how your home energy can work for you in the long term.
Investing in energy upgrades could save you money, increase your energy independence and help you maintain a comfortable temperature all year round – even through those sticky heatwaves and bitterly cold winters.
Here’s our top seven reasons why moving house could be the perfect time to upgrade your home energy.
Whether it’s keeping the heat in with good quality insulation, or switching to an efficient heating system, an upgrade can reduce your energy demand and save you money on bills. The sooner you make an upgrade, the sooner you’ll start benefitting from financial savings.
With the right upgrades, you should find it easier to keep your home at a stable, comfortable temperature. Insulation and efficient heating will make temperature fluctuations a worry of the past. What’s more, having a stable temperature may even help you maintain your new home by reducing the risk of condensation and mould.
"We had a heat pump installed and the house is consistently warm now. The temperature is no longer fluctuating like it did with the gas boiler." — Luke, Southampton
It can sometimes take time to learn how to use a system you’ve inherited from a previous homeowner. Investing in new, efficient energy measures means you’ll know exactly what you’ve got from the off. You’ll be much more motivated to learn how to use a system you’ve directly invested in yourself.
If you’ve recently moved home, you should have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). An EPC is a useful source of information that can give you a good starting point for potential upgrades.
Making energy upgrades might be especially helpful if your EPC is low (rated D – G). The payback period for new upgrades may be especially short if you’ve bought a home with an outdated and inefficient heating system. Replacing it with low carbon upgrades might pay itself off sooner than you think.
In a 2022 YouGov survey, many future buyers said that they would be willing to pay a premium for a low carbon home, ranking low energy bills and insulation as more important buying factors than property size or transport links. A report commissioned by National Energy Foundation on the value added by home upgrades estimated an added property value of 4% for double glazed windows, 5% for solar PV and 7% for air-source heat pumps.
Some home energy upgrades can be a bit disruptive, so tackling them before you get too settled could help to minimise disruption in future. The first few weeks in your new home might be the perfect time to consider replacing radiators, insulating floors or facilitating other disruptive upgrades, before your new home furnishings are in place.
The UK is shifting away from gas and towards a cleaner energy system. For homeowners, this could mean gas becomes more expensive with time, and gas boilers might become harder to replace in future. Why not keep ahead of the national picture and protect yourself from future changes in housing standards and fuel costs?
In Hampshire, our homes are responsible for just under 30% of regional greenhouse gas emissions. Switching to low carbon solutions, particularly away from gas, will make a significant difference to your property’s carbon footprint. Adapting your home is one of the most impactful changes you can make.
Making a plan that suits your property, timeline and budget might feel daunting, but it doesn’t need to happen all in one go. A call with a My Home Made Better adviser can help you to understand which steps to take first to suit your new property’s energy needs and begin making upgrades.
This free and impartial service offers tailored advice on futureproofing your home energy, accessing grants, funding and cost-savings, and step-by-step planning to spread the work over a comfortable timescale.
Call the team on 0800 804 8601 or email myhome@environmentcentre.com to get in touch.
