With the consequences of climate change becoming ever clearer, and the cost of living pushing up energy prices, homeowners are on the lookout for ways they can improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Over the last few years, the mortgage market has seen a host of green mortgages and initiatives pop up to incentivise homeowners to make positive changes that can not only help save money on bills in the long term, but also reduce their home’s carbon footprint. But when making practical changes to a property, how do you know which improvements are likely to have the biggest impact? 

Energy efficient home improvements can vary in terms of what qualifies and in terms of price. For example, higher cost examples include the installation of improved hot water controls, a new boiler or energy generation changes (such as solar/wind turbine installation). But lower cost improvements also matter, including energy efficient window glazing or topping up loft insulation. 

There’s a broad range of schemes available that will offer financial incentives for making energy efficient home improvements to your home. At Coventry Building Society, our Green additional borrowing provides you with a lower interest rate if you use at least 50% of your borrowing on improvements designed to make your property more efficient (while the rest of the funds can be used for any home improvements). 

Using tools such as our Home Energy Efficiency Tool can help to quickly generate an energy saving plan, highlighting how you can make your property more energy efficient. The tool can help you to create an action plan suited to your home, and also takes into account your budget considerations. The Home Energy Efficiency Tool can also help you to understand the current and potential Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of your home. You can use the Government EPC checker to find your existing EPC. And if you don't currently have one you can obtain one here too.

 

The plan can also reveal the carbon emissions of your property, estimated energy costs and the potential you could save in pounds by making sustainable changes. In fact, if you have details of your energy consumption the Home Energy Efficiency Tool will be able to calculate even more accurate energy savings predictions.

 

As more homeowners increasingly look to create a more environmentally friendly property and reduce their energy bills, knowing what changes to make and whether they’ll have a real impact is an important first step.