Save money on energy through home improvements
Investing in energy-saving measures in your home can reap big rewards!
Check your property’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for guidance on its current performance and how to improve it. If the EPC is more than 10 years old, or your property has been upgraded since the last assessment, a new assessment could help to increase the EPC accuracy.
Watch a video about how to choose which retrofit measures are right for you and your home.
Use our Trading Standards Checked service to find a legitimate, reliable, and trusted trader in your area. You should also ensure that your contractor is Trustmark approved.
If you live in a designated area or listed building, you may need planning permission for home improvements. Search the Historic England website for advice.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
The Government offers grants for domestic properties to install low carbon heating systems between 2022 and 2025. You can apply for £7,500 towards the cost and installation of heat pumps, and £5,000 towards a biomass boiler. Find out more information about boiler upgrades on the GOV.UK website.
Making energy at home
Making investments in your home can save money, and reduce your carbon footprint.
Our short video features people who have benefitted from some of the ideas you'll find on this page.
Window glazing can help reduce heat loss, improve sound-proofing, and help reduce condensation build-up on the inside. It may not always be the case that triple-glazing is better than double-glazing. While costs vary, window glazing can save you up to £150 per year. For more information, visit the Energy Saving Trust website.
Walls, floors, lofts, roofs and heating systems can be insulated to reduce heat loss and, therefore, your energy bills. The UK Government Great British Insulation Scheme could help you get free or cheaper insulation.
You can install insulation yourself or pay a professional to do it.
The average home loses most of its heat through the walls and roof – try to get at least 3 quotes from local installers.
Loft insulation should be 270mm, and could reduce your energy bills by up to £340 per year.
Insulating your floor and skirting boards can save as much as £110 a year.
Solar PV, usually with panels installed on your roof, allow you to generate electricity from sunlight.
A Solar PV system may eventually cover its own costs when installed with battery storage and the Smart Export Guarantee is utilised efficiently. It can also help power your heat pump.
Read more about the competitive prices offered through Solar Together Kent, a community-purchase scheme.
Solar PV panels should last for 25 years but may need the inverter replaced in this time.
Solar thermal systems, usually with panels installed on your roof, heat your water using sunlight. This can save you money on your heating bills while lowering your carbon footprint.
Most of the emissions from our homes are from space heating and hot water. Heat pumps use electricity rather than fuels such as gas, so can significantly reduce your home’s carbon footprint. Heat pumps are also 300% efficient, meaning they produce 3 units of heat for every 1 unit of energy it receives. For comparison, a typical A-rated gas boiler is 85% efficient.
Apply for up to £7,500 towards a heat pump through the UK Government Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
If you are concerned about noise, reliability, or anything else heat-pump related, resources such as the Octopus Energy heat pump myths busters may help.
Further advice
Find advice on reducing your energy and water consumption on our household energy page.