The summer’s closing out, and while we’re bound to have a rather warm – but often wet – autumn, the bite of a cold winter is on its way. So, many people will be looking for ways to upgrade their homes to keep them warmer and make them more energy efficient. If unable to themselves, many will seek more efficient accommodation.
For would-be sellers, this could prove to be a boon. Upgrading the energy efficiency rating of a home is much easier now with modern tech and a widespread understanding of what’s required. Best still, this could add value to your home. So, what can you do to upgrade the energy efficiency of your home, and why will it appeal to buyers?
What to Improve to Have a More Energy-Efficient Home
The most clear-cut way of improving the energy efficiency of your home is to upgrade your home’s insulation. This means filling the wall cavities with insulation materials, ensuring that your attic has lots of insulation down, and that the roof is insulated. Any potential avenue of escape for heat that can be mitigated should be.
Increasing insulation can be as simple as putting down more mineral wool fibre in the attic. For walls, if you’re working with a solid wall, you may want to consider building a stud wall on the interior and adding insulation as you go. If you already have wall cavities, a professional can inject beads, or you could cut in to insert wool yourself.
As for making the energy itself cheaper and more efficient, you could switch to green energy companies like Octopus that offer lower rates at non-peak times and for electric car chargers. For direct upgrades, consider energy-saving light bulbs, solar panels to generate your own energy, or a heat pump for more efficient heating.
All of this will add to the value of your home if you’re looking to sell, especially in the current economic environment. In the UK, the Energy Price Cap will go up on 1 October 2025, which will see energy prices increase by roughly two per cent. Plus, there have been big changes to who qualifies for the Winter Fuel Payment.
Increasing Your Appeal in a Buyers’ Market
Right now, UK home sellers need to leverage every avenue possible to secure a sale. As was reported in the summer, a prime time to sell, the market entered the toughest sellers’ market in a decade. A stark increase in stock to active buyers has given the buyers more leverage in price negotiations.
So, having an array of energy efficiency-boosting upgrades installed and ready to advertise can greatly help you to sell on the market. However, on a base level, making these upgrades will automatically help to increase the value of your home. As such, even if you decide to skip the market and sell your house for cash, you’ll see an uptick.
In a buyers’ market, a buyer can rightly negotiate a price down to a fair bit below the asking price if the seller is keen enough to sell, which could negate the value increase from the upgrades. With a cash buyer, the seller gets a free cash offer immediately, so they know exactly where they stand throughout the process.
Across the UK, it’s been found that increasing the rating on an Energy Performance Certificate can have the greatest impact in the North East – owing to the impact of the cold up there. Making improvements can increase the base value by up to 12 per cent, which is a big uptick for market or cash selling.
So, if you want to increase the value and appeal of your home before you sell, it’d be wise to increase its energy efficiency with a few upgrades.
