Reducing your carbon emissions has never been more important. See how you can improve your EPC rating and lower your carbon footprint.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are required in the UK when homes are built, sold or let. They give an indication to how much a property will cost to heat, light and the level of carbon emissions used. They can range in grading from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient).
So, how can we improve our EPC’s?
There are various different ways in which we can improve our homes efficiency, ranging from low cost easy changes to higher cost methods.
Low Cost Methods
- One of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve on your homes’ energy efficiency is to change to LED light bulbs or to upgrade the existing LED light bulbs. This could not only improve the homes energy performance but can also help save on energy bills.
- Using a smart meter is a great way to monitor your homes’ energy usage and act accordingly to help reduce your consumption and lower your energy bills.
- An uninsulated loft can lose up to 25% of heat through the roof so insulating your loft space is fundamental in ensuring that you make best use of your energy. The recommended amount of loft insulation is 270mm thickness and can improve your energy score by up to 20 points.
- Double glazing is another alternative to help improve your energy score. Although it could set you back a little on price this change could help improve your EPC score by up to 10 points. Most up to date properties should have double glazing however these can need changing and updating every 20 years or so.
- Changing from an inefficient boiler to a newer model can also help to improve your homes energy use. Nearly 53% of the yearly energy use is spent on heating alone which means a new boiler is one of the most important investments in your home. Pair this with a smart meter and intelligent thermostat and you can really see your savings.
- Wall insulation is also a very popular choice, paired with loft insulation. Cavity wall insulation can help protect the property from losing heat through the walls. The costs can vary dependant on the property size. There is also the option of hard wall insulation on older properties which do not have a cavity wall which is considerably more expensive but just as worth it.