As we move towards a more environmentally conscious world, more and more people are wanting to understand and limit their carbon emissions.
While we know that heating our homes and utilising electricity contributes to this, is it possible to adopt a more sustainable approach towards fulfilling our home energy needs?
Having energy-efficient homes complements the steps towards sustainability and environmental consciousness, but, do you know if your residential property is energy-efficient?
If not, then perhaps it’s time for you to look into getting an Energy Performance Certificate. Available for residential properties all over the UK, EPCs are a quick and easy way to establish how energy-efficient our homes are.
At Gio Property Solutions, we understand that an energy-efficient property not only means lower energy bills but also means a reduced carbon footprint. Before we dive into the strategies to improve EPC ratings, let’s understand EPC certificate ratings and EPC rating requirements in more detail.
All About EPC Ratings
What Are the Different EPC Ratings?
Energy Performance Certificate ratings are a mark of how energy efficient your property is. After being assessed on multiple factors, your property is given a rating on a scale of A to G, where G is the least efficient and A is the most efficient.
What Is the Average EPC Certificate Rating in the UK?
The average EPC rating in the UK is D, which means properties score between 55 to 68 points on the assessment. By upgrading your home, however, you can increase your rating before your next EPC certificate renewal.
How Can You Improve the EPC Ratings?
As per Rightmove’s 2023 Greener Homes Report, increasing the EPC rating from F to C can boost your property’s value by up to 15 per cent.
With this understanding, let’s explore the 3 strategies to use to improve the EPC ratings of your residential property.
3 Strategies to Employ for Improving Your Home’s EPC Certificate Rating
1. Optimising Insulation
The impact of proper insulation on your EPC rating is huge. It is one of the most impactful ways to boost your property’s EPC rating and can raise your score by up to 8 points.
That being said, it is helpful to understand the correlation between insulation, energy usage and energy efficiency. Simply put, insulation is a material used to prevent heat loss by reducing heat transfer from the inside of your property to the outside.
Good insulation can decrease the loss of heat in your home and maintain a stable temperature indoors, which means you need less energy to heat your home, leading to energy conservation that helps raise your EPC certificate ratings.
Different Insulation Types for A Residential Property
- Loft insulation
- Cavity wall insulation
- Solid wall insulation
- Insulating roofs like flat roofs, sloping roofs and pitched roof spaces
- Hot water cylinder insulation
With the right insulation, owners and landlords like you can save significantly on heating costs, leading to lower heating bills.
When you have the experts at Gio Property Solutions on board, improving your EPC rating is easy. A thorough examination of your home’s insulation is conducted and an action plan is mentioned with cost-effective improvements. Get in touch with us right away to receive a quote instantly.
2. Choosing and Installing the Right Energy-Efficient Appliances
Your EPC rating also depends on the type and size of appliances you use around your home. If your home has old devices and appliances, they are likely to consume far more electricity and energy than modern alternatives.
High-energy consumption home appliances like dishwashers and washing machines can consume around ten percent of a household’s energy consumption total, which is a factor you should consider before your next energy performance certificate validity period ends.
So, how do you go about selecting a home appliance that promises better energy efficiency? Here are some points to consider before purchasing.
Energy Labels
Many modern appliances have energy labels on them to tell you how much energy they consume. It compares these consumption quantities to similar appliances, helping you find appliances using the least energy quantities.
Similar to EPC certificate ratings for properties, energy labels also give appliances a rating from A to G, with A being the most efficient and G being the least efficient.
Size of the Appliance
In addition to the energy labels, the size of the appliance is also one of the factors in determining their energy usage. In simpler terms, two appliances of differing sizes with the same energy rating can use different amounts of electricity.
It is necessary to not just check the energy label but also choose the product with the best energy rating in the chosen size.
Other Ways to Reduce Energy Wastage
- Avoid leaving your devices on standby and switch them off when not in use.
- Use heavy-duty appliances like washing machines and tumble dryers less frequently.
- Avoid halfloads for dishwashers and washing machines.
3. Upgrading to a Heat Pump
Heat pump installation is another strategy to boost your EPC rating before the EPC certificate renewal process. They are an alternative to traditional gas or fossil-fuel boilers for heating homes. Being a more sustainable way of home heating, heat pumps are considered better on the EPC rating front. Depending on the size and type of the pump you install, it can move your EPC rating up by one to two bands.
How Do Heat Pumps Work?
Using electricity, a heat pump takes in heat from a colder area, raises the temperature and then moves the heat back inside your home.
Though these pumps work on electrical energy, they generate much more heat than the electricity they consume.
Reducing your dependency on fossil fuels for heat generation, heat pumps reduce carbon dioxide emissions and gradually lower your EPC rating.
Different Heat Pump Types
Using heat pumps in your home is another strategy to boost your EPC rating before the EPC certificate renewal process. They are a superb alternative to traditional gas or fossil-fuel boilers for heating homes.
Contact The Experts at Gio Property Solutions To Improve Your EPC Certificate Ratings
Now that you know the importance of good quality insulation and choosing energy-efficient appliances, you should consider implementing them yourself. Understanding your property’s energy performance certificate validity period and implementing these strategies before the next EPC assessment is equally vital.
If your home’s energy performance certificate validity period is ending and the EPC certificate renewal is on your mind, let Gio Property Solutions come to your assistance with timely EPC checks and assessments! Reach out to us today!
In addition to EPC renewals, we conduct air tightness tests and retrofit assessments for your property.
Contact us to find out more about our services.
