It’s safe to say that becoming a little more environmentally conscious when it comes to our homes is a good thing, not only for the planet but also for our pockets in the long run too. But what makes a home the ‘greener choice’?
No, it’s not having a green feature wall in your bedroom… a ‘greener choice’ property is more eco-friendly or environmentally sustainable due to the materials used to build it, or the features incorporated to make it more energy efficient.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings
According to a consumer survey we conducted on our site in January 2023, 89% of respondents told us that energy efficient homes are now more important than ever. However, when trying to spot ‘green’ properties, it can be tricky to know exactly what to look for. Historically, EPC ratings were a good place to start. Ranging from A to G, these ratings are a way of identifying the energy efficiency of a property; A being the most efficient and G being the least.
However, looking at the EPC alone isn’t typically enough to assess how environmentally friendly a home is. They’re often based on estimates and averages, and aren’t always updated to highlight the environmental impact of new sustainable technologies on energy efficiency levels. Therefore, an EPC won’t always reflect the true amount of carbon emissions associated with heating, cooling, lighting and generally living in a property.
That’s not to say they should be discounted all together, but instead a property’s EPC rating should be looked at in conjunction with additional features that when combined with a high EPC rating could secure it the green tick of approval.
More information about EPC’s can be found here.
Additional green features
More common features like solar panels or energy efficient appliances are great to look out for when searching for a greener choice property, but you may also come across less familiar features such as:
- Ground source heat pumps: these extract heat from the ground which is used to heat the home, acting as an alternative to traditional boilers
- Rainwater harvesting systems: rainwater is collected, stored and reused in different parts of the home; from flushing the toilet to watering the garden encouraging more efficient water usage
- High performance insulation: this delivers high levels of thermal insulation, ensuring better temperature regulation within the home so when it’s cold outside, you stay toasty inside
Whilst being great for the environment, these features could also help save money on your utility bills.
Fortunately, you won’t have to search too hard to find eco-properties, because with our ‘Greener choice’ filter and icon, you can easily identify greener properties with a click of a button.
Simply tick the ‘Greener choice’ filter when entering your property search on our website and we’ll return properties that fit the criteria and have eco-friendly features.
These features can include an EPC rating of A or B, good energy efficiency, solar panels, low carbon footprint, rainwater harvesting and many more. If a property has any of these features, the ‘Greener choice’ icon will automatically be displayed on the listing and you can hover over the icon to see exactly what makes the home greener and a more sustainable choice. Handy, eh?
Get started with your property search and use our ‘Greener choice’ filter here.
