EPC News
EPCs increase property value RICS report finds
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) have been found to increase the value of a property, a new report has found. Research by RICS (the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) found that in the Netherlands - one of the earliest adopters of EPCs - the certificates have led to a 2.8 per cent premium on house prices for properties with an A, B or C rating.
This, the organisation claims, shows that homebuyers are willing to pay more for energy efficient homes. Other findings revealed that in areas of weak market demand, more sellers are getting an EPC, leading to suggestions that the energy certificates can also help homeowners market and sell their property.Campaigners hit out at green deal caps
Capping the amount that can be claimed per home for improvements through the government’s green deal efficiency scheme will severely limit its effectiveness, campaigners have warned.
In a report published this week the Existing Homes Alliance says a cap of £6,500 or even £10,000 will ‘undermine the ability to meet the UK’s carbon targets’.
The government’s Energy Bill includes the legislation required to set up the green deal. Under this, householders would be able to get energy efficiency improvements made to their home, with the upfront costs met by green deal providers. These could include social landlords, as well as major retailers, working in partnership with energy companies.
The cost of the work would then be paid back over 25 years using savings made as a result of reduced energy bills.
The Existing Homes Alliance is calling for a high degree of flexibility in how the scheme operates, with demand driven by the market. It says energy performance certificates must be reformed for the green deal to work, and a robust quality assurance and accreditation framework will be needed.Save Money With Your EPC
Homeowners, landlords and tenants can now go online and use a new tool that suggests ways of saving energy and cutting household running costs.
Those looking to make their homes more environmentally friendly can visit EPC Adviser, view their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and then click on the options available. From there, consumers can see how to improve their EPC rating and the kind of savings they can expect in fuel bills as a result.
EPC Adviser forms part of a range of measures the Government is taking to help reduce emissions from homes and the site will eventually link up with the Green Deal initiative, which will allow homeowners to pay for energy-efficient schemes through savings on their fuel bills.
Britons will 'spend money to save money' on eco productsUK consumers are prepared to spend money to save money on environmentally friendly products, one eco expert has claimed. Nigel Berman, founder of nigelsecostore.com, noted that there are more people who are interested in buying small products in order to be more energy efficient, such as consumer electronics and white goods.
He also stated that people who are thinking about saving money by saving energyare "by default" thinking about the environment. Kelkoo.co.uk found earlier this year that the green products market will be worth £17.1 billion by 2015, suggesting that consumers are interested in energy saving productsThe HIP is dead, long live the EPC?
With the aftermath of Christmas upon us the New Year headlines will be dominated with talk of election dates, policies and promises. For anyone connected to the property market the key question remains – what is the future for home information packs? Read More
Most UK Homes Not Energy Efficient
Fewer than a quarter of homes in England and Wales are rated "above average" for energy efficiency according to Halifax research. This is based on the Energy Performance Certificate's energy efficiency rating (EER) bands. Read More
New research reveals the majority of Home Information Pack consumers are satisfied with the delivery of their HIP, with further findings demonstrating the ease with which they were completed and support for the provision of up front information in the home buying process. Read More
New property industry body launched
A new body has been formed to represent the property information providing industry. The Federation of Property Information Providers (FPIP) brings together the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) and the Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) under one umbrella, recognising the increasing prominence of the role of these industries in serving consumers. Read More
Hips Cost Home Sellers Millions
New figures released by the Conservatives show that around two million vendors have paid a combined total of £657.6 million since the controversial scheme was launched amid opposition from estate agents in August 2007. Read More