HOW TO IMPROVE THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME - For yourself or when selling
Whether you're buying, selling or just improving your home, it pays to know how simple energy saving changes can affect the value of a property in the long term as well as lower your bills in the short term.
This section shows you how energy saving measures can add value to your home if you're selling and what to look for in a property when you're buying. Tips are outlined below which will save you money on bills
Research by the Energy Saving trust shows that buyers are willing to pay up to as much as €10,000 more for a more environmentally effective and friendly home. Some buyers may be initially swayed by clean walls, thee smell of freshly brewed coffee or a mowed lawn, most look through cosmetics and concentrate on more important factors, such as the state, quality and age of the boiler, water cylinder and the heating system, the window type and condition and the level of insulation throughout the home.
Rising fuel prices and greater environmental awareness are encouraging buyers to pay closer attention to a home's running costs and its impact on the planet.
Here are few simple things you can do to unlock the hidden value of your home, attract buyers, and save money on your bills.
Is it timber frame ?
Let prospective buyers know that the home your selling is timber frame. If it isn’t don’t worry there are areas you may be able to improve on what you have to offer, which are outlined below. Remember when your buying a new home look for one that is using modern housing technology, tried, tested and proven timber frame.
Attic insulation
Insulating your attic space 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, and to add to your environmental conscience nearly 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per year Without attic insulation you could be losing as much as a third of your heating costs through your roof. Insulating your loft is a simple and effective way to reduce your heating bills and you can even do it yourself. Have a look at our list of Associate members to identify who sells insulation. insulation in the attic behaves like a down douvet, trapping heat rising from the house below. If you currently have no attic insulation and you install the recommended 270mm depth you could save between £180 - £220 a year on your heating bills. If everyone in Ireland topped up their attic insulation to 270mm, ~ €360 m would be saved. That's enough money to pay the annual fuel bills of over 600,000 families.
Cavity wall insulation
If your house is not timber frame we suggest that you look at your cavity wall insulation - It's cheap, clean and quick to do and could save €130 - €160 on heating bills annually. Plus it only takes around 3 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.
Lagg your pipes and hot water cylinder
You should also consider lagging your pipes at the same time for optimum efficiency.
