Greener homes
Green issues have never been higher on the agenda than they are at present. The Government is keen to encourage us to make our homes more energy efficient and there are a number of incentives for doing so. So, making your home greener could be a very good investment indeed.
The Energy Saving Trust’s website is an invaluable source of information about making your home more energy efficient and saving money on household bills.
If you are an existing mortgages customer and wish to reduce your carbon footprint through improving your homes energy efficiency, The Co-operative Bank has launched a new mortgage option to help you. You can use the equity in your home to pay for energy efficient home improvements and we will reward your commendable efforts by offering you an exclusive deal!* For more information see Energy Efficient Advance.
Green things that could help you sell
Here are just a few of the things that they recommend to enhance the value of your property and make it easier to sell:
loft insulation
Insulating your loft or upgrading your existing insulation is not very expensive and can save around £180 - £220 a year on heating bills, a real selling point for buyers.
cavity wall insulation
It's cheap and quick to do and could save £130 - £160 on heating bills annually. Plus it only takes around three hours on average to install.
upgrade to an energy efficient boiler
Over a third of buyers are put off buying a property with an out of date heating system. Installing an energy efficient boiler will make your home more attractive to buyers.
invest in Energy Saving Recommended double glazing
Nearly a fifth of buyers are put off by single-glazed windows*. Energy Saving Recommended double glazing adds value, lowers bills and reduces noise.
install heating controls
Installing heating controls, including a thermostat and automatic timer switches for heating and hot water, will improve the efficiency of the heating system, cutting costs further for prospective buyers.
10 ways to save energy, money, and help prevent climate change.
Here are some simple measures you can do right now.
- Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent. You could save around £40 per year.
- Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60°C/140°F.
- Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
- Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
- Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances on charge unnecessarily.
- If you're not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme.
- Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle).
- A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off!
- Use energy saving light bulbs. Just one can save you £100 over the lifetime of the bulb - and they last up to 12 times longer than ordinary lightbulbs.
think you know about saving energy? why not play the game?
The Energy Saving Trust's website features an interactive game that allows you to choose five energy saving home improvements to enhance the value of a home. But be careful not to let the value drop too low – play the game.
get a FREE energy efficiency report for your home
The Energy Saving Trust’s website also offers the facility to answer an online questionnaire about your home and then receive a FREE personalised report showing you how much energy and money you can save in your home. An average household could save up to £300 per year on energy bills and around two tonnes of carbon dioxide. Get your FREE report
run your home on renewable energy
There are a number of exciting new ways to produce renewable energy for your home. Visit the Energy Saving Trust to find out more.
green energy suppliers
Since you’ll be changing your energy supply from one address to another when you move home, why not consider changing to a greener source of power at the same time?
Around 75% of the UK's electricity is produced from the burning of fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change. But there are some energy suppliers who offer a viable, cost effective alternative.
Ecotricity
Ecotricity is one such supplier. They take the money their customers spend on electricity and invest it in clean forms of power like wind energy. They are the only green electricity company actually building new renewable energy sources. This year alone they’re investing £25 million in wind energy.
* subject to terms and conditions
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.
