Energy Efficiency Raises the Value of a Home

Although many homeowners are aware of the practical benefits of adding rendering to their home, such as those of extra insulation, improved appearance and enhancement of the building's structure, many are unaware that rendering can also raise the value of their home.

Part of the reason for this is that it is a measure well-known for being energy efficient.

Why rendering is good for the environment

It stands to reason that when an extra layer of insulation is added to a property, it can improve the way that the home in question uses energy. Because the layer prevents the escape of heat and negates the need to use additional power, the homeowner loses less heat and therefore does not need to use as much artificial heat from their gas or electricity supplier. This may lead their property to be classed as more energy efficient.

The government is currently undertaking measures to ensure that each and every UK home reaches a certain level of energy efficiency. The reason for this is that the escaping heat and fumes from a home affect not only the homeowner, as they have to use more heat and therefore more money in order to power their home, but also, on a much larger scale, the environment.

Heat and fumes that escape from a property are known as carbon emissions and can rise and become trapped in the atmosphere. They then become greenhouse gases and eventually contribute to climate change and other environmental disasters.

Therefore, it stands to reason that the governments of large nations such as the UK need to minimize greenhouse gases and have been set certain targets by the EU and by the United Nations to cut carbon emissions from their country as a whole.

How does that affect the property values?

One of the measures which the previous government introduced was Energy Performance Certificates (known as EPCs). An EPC is a legal document which a homeowner requires in order to legally sell their property.

The EPC gives a breakdown of all the ways that the property uses energy and how efficient it is in the way that it uses said energy.

Because of the various benefits of buying a more energy efficient home, those homeowners whose properties attain a higher energy rating are perceived as much better investments in terms of the buyers and what they will need to pay out for their fuel bills. As a result, prospective buyers are generally happier to pay higher prices for more energy efficient homes.

Furthermore, from 2018 it will be illegal to sell or rent any property which has a low energy rating - to be exact, below “E”. Therefore, it stands to reason that any steps which a homeowner can take now, such as the addition of insulation in the form of loft insulation and rendering, can not only benefit them in the short and long term but also further raise the prospective asking price of their property.