How Improving Your Property's Efficiency Can Improve Its Value

Selling a property in this economy is not an easy feat. What can you do to improve a property's value in order to drive the sale and make it more attractive to buyers? You may think a lot of the work needs to be done on the aesthetics to get people interested in your property. The decluttering process begins, you start throwing out the things you no longer need or use to keep things neat and clean. Neutral paint hits the walls, that wobbly floorboard finally gets fixed, and you bake fresh bread to fill the house with a pleasant aroma. However, did you know that there is more to selling a house than aesthetics? To truly make a difference to the value of a property and its attractiveness to buyers, especially in this current economic climate, a major thing you want to think about is the energy efficiency of your property.

If you don't know what the EPC rating of your property is, now is the time to find out. This rating is a gauge as to how energy efficient your home is and news laws are making it a very important thing to consider. The government plans to stipulate that all homes that are being sold or rented achieve an EPC rating of C or above. Evidently, if your property is below this rating, it's going to be a lot less appealing to potential purchasers as they will be expecting higher bills when they move in, and the expenses involved in improving the energy efficiency. So, what can you do improve your properties energy efficiency and therefore increase the value of your property and boost the success of your sale?

A vital aspect of energy efficiency is in the insulation and the great thing about property insulation is the potential. You can install fibreglass insulation in your loft cavity, foam insulation in your walls, underfloor insulation to stop heat escaping beneath your feet. Using the tool of insulation, you can make sure the heat you are paying for doesn't vanish into thin are through badly insulated surfaces. Windows can also be benefited with the extra insulation of double, or even triple glazed windows. This will stop heat from escaping out of the windows, improving your EPC rating, and saving around £100 a year on energy bills. These major improvements will work towards reduce energy consumption and the need for central heating. Sufficient insulation therefore improves the value of a property and potential buyers are more likely to pay higher for a property that doesn't need this expensive adjustment.

Older boilers are less efficient and use 40 to 50 per cent more energy than newer condensing boilers. Condensing boilers are 90 per cent energy efficient, reusing the heat in flue gases proving to be less wasteful than older non condensing models. If you can make the investment to get a better boiler fitted in your property, the value is going to be higher, and customers are going to find the whole house more desirable as they won't need to make any major renovations or upgrades when they move in.

If you are looking to add value to your home and improve your chances of a successful sale, improving its energy efficiency is a great way to do it. Besides the financial benefits, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are doing something good for the environment. Future owners and tenants will be grateful for the investments you make to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

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