Improving the energy efficiency of homes is essential for decarbonisation. Millions of British homes require retrofitting by 2050, but homeowners struggle to find reliable advice on how to improve their home’s energy efficiency.
Energy Efficient Home: Challenges and Solutions
Overview
Improving the energy efficiency of homes is essential for decarbonisation.
The Problem
Millions of British homes require retrofitting by 2050, according to the UK Green Building Council. However, homeowners often struggle to find reliable and practical advice on how to improve their home’s energy efficiency.
Challenges Faced by Homeowners
Many homeowners face difficulties in determining where to spend money on retrofitting their homes. They may not know which measures will provide the best return on investment or how to incorporate energy-saving technologies into their existing homes.
Solutions
Some organizations are moving to improve the advice available to homeowners. Ecofurb offers an initial consultation for free but charges £470 for full plans with personalized input from a retrofit coordinator. The company can also oversee any works as they are carried out by contractors.
Industry Response
The industry as a whole does not appreciate the importance of good retrofit advice, according to Gerald Charles, head of housing retrofit at the Centre for Sustainable Energy. This lack of appreciation has led to a shortage of reliable and practical advice available to homeowners.
Neighborhood-Scale Schemes
Experts suggest that neighborhood-scale schemes might make more sense and could include more people in one go. For example, providing solar power to a whole street might be more practical than individual installations. This approach could also help reduce costs and increase the effectiveness of energy efficiency measures.
Improving the energy efficiency of homes is essential for cutting emissions.
According to the UK Green Building Council, around 29 million British homes require retrofitting by 2050. Retrofitting involves measures such as improving home insulation, upgrading heating systems, or installing energy-generating devices like solar panels or private wind turbines.
Challenges in Getting Good Advice
Homeowners face challenges when trying to get good advice on making their houses more energy efficient. Simon Duffy, a director of sustainability think-tank Citizen Network, estimates that he spends £3,100 every year on heating and electricity despite being someone who cares about climate change. Mr. Duffy finds it difficult to find expertise for better insulating his house and is unsure whether he can install solar panels due to living in a conservation area.
Organizations Offering Help
There are organizations that offer to help homeowners plan a retrofit, such as Get a Heat Pump website launched by Nesta and The MCS Foundation, which explains what heat pumps are and how they might fit into a home renovation plan.
