Energy Efficient Homes Attract More Buyers

Buyers are increasingly looking for more energy-efficient homes, with 39% of survey respondents noticing greater interest from buyers, an increase from 34% when the same question was asked last year.

43% stated that sellers were looking to attach a premium to homes that are more energy efficient and 37% said that higher energy-efficient homes were holding their value in the current market.

Upgrading insulation, installing energy-efficient heating systems, and incorporating renewable energy sources like solar panels are increasingly popular.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched a new Residential Retrofit Standard in response to demand for high-quality retrofit advice due to high energy prices and government net-zero targets.

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EPC Recommendations

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) continue to be the main method of determining how energy efficient a home is. Each certificate provides a rating from A to G reflecting the current energy performance as well as a potential rating if improvements were to be made.

EPCs usually contain a number of recommended measures designed to improve the EPC rating of the property. There are 41 commonly recommended measure such as solar panels, cavity wall insulation, draught proofing etc.

Analysis of all EPC certificate recommendations across England and Wales (2023/24) by Dataloft reveals the top 10 most recommended measures by tenure. Solar photovoltaic power tops the list with 57% of all private rental and 79.6% of owner-occupied properties having this recommendation.

The analysis shows that internal/external wall insulation recommendations are an improvement more common to private rental properties than owner occupied. With generous grants for this type of insulation available to many private tenants, it is a low/no cost way to improve energy performance that may have been overlooked.

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Need further property advice for your Kent home?

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Call us 01795 429836 or email hello@quealy.co.uk to chat with a member of our friendly and experienced team about anything to do with property.

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Source: #Dataloft, DLUHC 2024, RICS Residential Property Monitor January 2024