Supporting your customers with a home energy savings plan

Finding out how much energy is used at home has become more important in recent years, especially with more people working from home during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2.4 million fuel poor households are in need of advice and energy saving measures and the UK Government plans for a green recovery from Coronavirus relying on domestic households becoming energy efficient.

There are many tips and online advice centres that provide information to consumers on how to make their home more energy efficient, but knowing where to start is often a barrier for domestic energy consumers. So, what support could you provide?

Provide an action plan

Figuring out the energy characteristics of the property is the most important first step to provide advice to any customer. The simplest solution is to use a digital tool to do all the calculations for you, such as Halifax’s Home Energy Saving Tool, powered by Energy Saving Trust. You can learn more about how Halifax uses this tool in our case study.

This online tool is a good way to learn how much energy a home uses each year, as it comes with actionable recommendations that homeowners can implement to save money and reduce the impact their home has on the environment. After answering a few simple questions, the tool will give a personal action plan to help make the home more energy efficient.

Alternatively, the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is also a good place to start. Homeowners should already have one that is valid for 10 years from the time it’s issued. If not, they can get an energy performance survey done to help identify ways to save money on their energy bills and make their home more energy efficient.

Taking action

Once you’ve provided your customers with a list of actionable recommendations, providing them with support to implement the measures is the next step. Finding the capital to cover the cost of large home improvement projects can be a barrier for some. You could start by offering advice on how to introduce energy saving behaviour into their lifestyle, or quick-wins to reduce consumption in the household. These minor changes can quickly add up to make a big difference.

Our annual Infact savings and statistics bulletin contains verified energy saving facts, figures and statistics that can help you engage your customers and help you make comparisons to your own products.

Finding support or funding if available

Once you’ve provided them with an action plan, implementing these measures is the next step. There are various funds and financial schemes available across the UK that may be available to help improve homes that meet certain eligibility criteria, as well as the government Green Homes Grant Scheme running from September 2020 until March 2021.

What part can local authorities and businesses play?

Driving awareness of a green recovery and the benefits of home energy efficiency will not only gain you customer good-will, but you’ll be helping them save money in the long run too. Sustainability has become a breakout topic in the last decade and is prominent in people’s everyday lives, with constant news and discussion about creating a greener future.

Consider creating your own green living hub online with resources and tools to help those who don’t know where to start and drive traffic to your website and products. Energy Saving Trust is available to support you with over 25 years’ of expertise and a full suite of business tools and services, including the Home Energy Efficiency Tool. You can also look into how tradespeople and businesses can sign up for accreditation in the Green Homes Grant scheme.