Your EPC tells you how energy efficient your home is, giving it a rating from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). The report also gives recommendations on how to improve your EPC rating, for example, from E to C.
Here we look at the top EPC recommendations to help you understand how much you could save on your energy bills.
Why should I improve the EPC rating of my home?
The more energy efficient a home is, the less it will cost to heat and light. Also, energy efficient homes have lower CO2, so it’s good for your budget and for your carbon footprint.
Some of the recommendations on the EPC need a little bit of investment and require you to be a homeowner. But there might be support available, depending your circumstances. Take a look at what financial support is available for improving your home’s energy efficiency.
Even if you rent, you could still make some of the recommended improvements, such as switching to more energy efficient light bulbs.
We’ve ordered these recommendations so that the actions that are easiest to do come first. However, the actions towards the end of the list will have the biggest impact.
While this isn’t likely to make a huge difference to your EPC rating, it’s by far the easiest and least expensive to do.
If you swapped your halogen lightbulbs with energy efficient LED lights, it would cost around £180 and should save £40 a year in Great Britain (GB) and £50 in Northern Ireland (NI).
2. Insulate your hot water cylinder
A hot water cylinder jacket costs about £18, and it should be easy to install – just follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
If you already have a jacket fitted around your tank, check the thickness. It should be at least 80mm thick – if it isn’t, consider buying a new one.
Topping up your insulation from 25mm to 80mm, using a British Standard jacket, could save you around £40 a year in GB and £45 in NI.
3. Install heating controls
Installing and using heating controls effectively requires a bit more investment, but could save you money in the long-term.
If you already have a thermostat, try turning it down by just one degree (for example, from 22 to 21 degrees) to save around £90 a year or £100 in NI. If you don’t have any heating controls, installing and using a full set can result in significant savings.
Typical heating controls include:
A programmer
A room thermostat
Thermostatic radiator valves for all radiators
While you’ll have to pay around £860 for the full installation, you’ll save £110 each year in GB and £120 in NI in an average semi-detached house.
4. Replace boiler with a new condensing boiler
If you’ve moved into an older home, your boiler might need upgrading. The costs for replacing an old inefficient boiler will vary, but an A-rated condensing gas boiler replacement plus a full set of heating controls will typically cost about £3,900.
But there are potentially significant savings to be made. Upgrading from a G-rated gas boiler with no controls to an A-rated boiler with all heating controls saves you £420 a year in GB and £500 in NI for upgrading an oil boiler. Given that the average lifespan of a boiler is 10-15 years, you’ll have paid back your investment with plenty of time to enjoy your savings.
5. Replace single glazed windows with double glazing
Around 18% of your home’s heat is lost through your windows. Double glazing is the most popular option to stop this, though costs vary depending on the materials and style. PVC windows tend to be cheaper, while hardwood frames are the most expensive.
Installing A-rated double glazing to windows in an entirely single-glazed, semi-detached, gas heated property, should save £140 a year in GB and £160 in NI.
6. Install or upgrade your loft insulation
Unless you live in a mid or ground-floor flat, around 26% of your home’s heat will escape through the roof. While most homes have at least some loft insulation, often it’s not enough.
Topping up from 120mm to at least 270mm of insulation will help – and it’ll save you around £20 each year on your bills in GB and £25 in NI. If your loft is easy to access and has no damp or condensation problems, it should be easy to insulate. In many cases, it’s possible to install loft insulation yourself.
7. Insulate your floor
Floor insulation could save you around £70 a year in a semi-detached property in GB and £80 in NI, or up to £110 if you live in a detached house in GB and £130 in NI.
If you’re looking for a quick fix, you can seal the gaps between floors and skirting boards to help draught proof your home yourself, using a tube of sealant from any DIY store.
8. Install wall insulation
One of the most common recommendations on an EPC is to install wall insulation. Around a third of all the heat lost in an uninsulated home escapes through the walls, so it’s worth thinking about. Though adding wall insulation can give you the greatest savings, it’s also one of the more expensive recommendations on the EPC.
Most homes in the UK have cavity walls, and you can fill the gap with insulation. We estimate that insulating your cavity walls could save you around £240 a year in GB and £270 in NI on your energy bills.
You can insulate solid walls from the inside or outside of your home. While costs and savings vary, we estimate a semi-detached house could save around £320 a year in GB and £370 in NI after installing solid wall insulation.
9. Install solar panels
If your budget for EPC improvements stretches to some bigger home renovation ideas, consider installing solar panels. These are the most common domestic renewable energy source in the UK. A once you’ve paid for installation, your energy costs will be significantly reduced.
We estimate solar panels cost around £7,000 to install – but you’ll see savings of around £340 a year.
What’s more, you’ll cut your household CO2 by an impressive 750kg of carbon dioxide a year.
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