Making your home more energy-efficient could:
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) rate your home's energy performance from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). The average EPC rating for a home in England and Wales is D.
The higher the rating, the lower your energy bills are likely to be.
For England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you can find out if your home has a valid EPC on the government register and download it for free. It also provides recommendations on how you can improve your home’s rating. There’s a separate register for Scotland.
There are many ways you can save energy – such as turning down the thermostat or washing your clothes at a lower temperature. But as well as changing your habits, you can also make changes to your home to make it more energy efficient.
From kettles to washing machines, more and more household appliances are becoming energy-efficient. According to the Energy Saving Trust, using these can help you use less energy and save money on your bills.
Even simple changes can add up. For example, switching to low-energy light bulbs can save you up to £40 a year.
A smart meter can help you get a more accurate idea of how much energy you use.
The government has given energy suppliers until the end of 2025 to offer homes in England, Scotland and Wales a smart meter. Find out more about getting your smart meter.
More than half the money spent on energy bills, in a typical household, goes towards heating and hot water. But in uninsulated homes, about a third of heat is lost through the walls and a quarter through the roof. Heat is also lost through windows, doors and the floor.
You can reduce this heat loss by:
Remember to keep your home ventilated and ask for advice from a professional.
Renewable energy is generated from sources such as the sun, wind or water and reduces our reliance on fossil fuels. As well as choosing a renewable energy supplier, you could generate your own power by installing things like:
If you generate your own renewable energy in England, Scotland or Wales, you could also benefit from the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). It pays you for any extra electricity you make and put back into the grid.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a UK-wide scheme to reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. It supports low-income and vulnerable households in making energy improvements, paid for by large energy companies. Find out if you’re eligible for ECO.
If you have cash available, using your savings can be a good option to fund home improvements, especially smaller projects such as draught-proofing. You can also avoid paying possible interest that may come with borrowing. But make sure you check to see if there are any charges for withdrawing your savings and whether you’ll have enough money left over for an emergency fund.
You may be able to borrow more money against your home. This can help fund home improvements, like making your home more energy-efficient. You’ll need to think carefully about securing a loan against your home as it can be repossessed if you can't to keep up with the repayments. Calculate what your monthly repayments could be.
A home improvement loan allows you to spread the cost of your project without increasing your mortgage. Our home improvement loan calculator can help you work out what your monthly payments could be, based on our representative rate for the amount you enter.
The representative APR for loans between £7,000 and £15,000 is 6.9%. Please note this rate is subject to change. The APR may vary based on the amount borrowed and credit is subject to status.
