Solar panels and wind turbines are just two of the measures Brits can take to make their home more attractive to potential buyers, and there is even the possibility of tax breaks being introduced in the Chancellors March budget.
One good example of an environmentally friendly homeowner is a gentleman from Frome in Somerset who cashes in £2,500 of electricity generated by the turbine fitted water wheel on his converted mill each year.
Sophie Neary, product director of BeatThatQuote.com says: Investing in eco-friendly technology and choosing energy from renewable sources is going to be a great way to ensure your house stands out from the rest and appeals to future buyers.
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Considering that high street retailers like Currys and B&Q are selling solar panels and wind turbines (respectively) and the government offer grants of up to 50 per cent of the estimated £9,000 cost of installing such eco-friendly measures, going green is definitely easier than ever before.
Neary continues: Houses run on renewable power are going to be in great demand if traditional fuel prices keep rising, but beyond that its becoming very desirable to flaunt your green credentials. Once it was good enough to have a hand-built kitchen, now everyone wants to know that the wood came from a sustainable forest.
A standard three-bedroom house now averages an annual £1,000 on utilities. Assuming the full government grant was taken advantage of, the initial outlay of just over £4,000 would be recouped in five years and the annual utility cost would be more than halved as well as adding value to your house when it comes to selling up and excluding any extra money that could be made by selling surplus electricity to suppliers.
If this is a bridge too far, adopting greener practices will both save you money while helping the planet:
· Grow your own fruit and vegetables
· Make your own compost
· Change household light bulbs to energy saving alternatives they last up to 12 times longer too
· Walk or cycle over shorter journeys, and keep fit while youre at it
· Make sure your home is properly insulated to cut CO2 emissions and minimise heat loss
· Switch to a greener energy tariff and use renewable energy
· Lower the temperature to 30 degrees when washing your laundry and save 40 per cent of the electricity
· Only boil as much water as you need in the kettle boiling too much wastes enough energy a week to light a house for a day or keep the TV on for 26 hours straight
· Make sure electrical appliances arent left on standby and unplug those not in use
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