A clearer view of green refurbishment

The ‘Trigger Points’ report from the Energy Savings Trust highlights what makes consumers tick with regard to saving energy in the home

More than 60 per cent of UK householders cite hassle and lack of knowledge as the main reasons they don’t implement energy saving measures like insulation and energy efficient glazing in the home. But the desire to be energy-efficient is there: nearly 90% of householders are willing to stretch their home improvement budgets to save energy.

The new report Trigger points: a convenient truth identifies energy saving trigger points: those times when householders are most interested in installing energy saving measures, because they’re already planning refurbishment work on their home.

The study found that 22 per cent – four million – UK households are planning or anticipating a major refurbishment project within the next three years. Seven out of 10 householders upgrading a room are interested in implementing energy saving measures as part of their work while nearly 90 per cent admitted they would be willing to increase their budget, by an average of 10 per cent, to incorporate some form of energy-saving into any works. This equates to £527 on smaller projects and £1,027 on larger projects.

Most interestingly for the window industry, people are most willing to stretch their budgets for energy efficiency when they’re replacing windows – the average householder thinking of fitting new windows claims to be willing to spend 40 per cent extra to get a more energy efficient product. That’s good news for the retailers of A-rated windows.

There’s also good news for the glazing industry in research that the Energy Saving Trust conducted with landlords. We found that most landlords remain sceptical about the value of energy-saving improvements such as insulation, because they don’t currently envisage it being reflected in rental or capital values. However, the notable exception to this rule is double glazing: landlords believe double glazed windows attract a better-quality tenant and a longer lease. The energy savings from installing new windows are not small fry: as an example, single glazing replaced with B-rated double glazing could save £135 per year and 680kg CO2/year based on a gas heated semi-detached house with 3 bedrooms.

Of course people don’t just like new windows because of the energy saving. Most people talk about their need and desire to improve their homes in order to improve the aesthetics – the look and feel of the home, for functional reasons such as creating more space. Changing windows and doors to better performing ones can also improve the looks of a home, reduce street noise and improve security through better locks.

Based on these multiple benefits that appeal to consumers, the Energy Saving Trust research also highlights how windows – as a popular energy saving measure - might be installed alongside other energy saving improvements within home refurbishment projects. There is currently little uptake of some of the important energy saving measures such as solid wall insulation for older homes. The government is introducing the Green Deal from 2012. Under the Green Deal, retailers will sell packages of refurbishment measures to households. The customers will pay back the cost of the refurbishment over several years, through a charge on their energy bill. Our view is that, for companies building packages of measures for the Green Deal, popular, A-rated glazing may be a very powerful part of the deal. In fact, offering A-rated efficient glazing alongside internal wall insulation may become a standard home improvement package for older homes in the Green Deal.

The Energy Saving Trust’s research rounds up with some technical analysis looking at the energy and carbon savings that can result from installing multiple measures on homes when people are also carrying out refurbishments in different rooms in their homes. We worked on the basis that when each room in an older house is refurbished, ‘A’ rated double glazing, internal solid wall insulation and low-energy lighting are installed. Floor insulation is fitted in ground-floor rooms, and in the kitchen and bathroom, water-saving measures are installed.

We found that the biggest potential bill saving comes from the living room because it is the largest room and has a large single glazed bay window: applying double glazing achieves a big reduction in heat loss.
But whether such a step-change in energy efficiency action can be put in action through trigger points depends on a number of factors, such as making sure people take on the right added measure at the right time when they’re thinking about refurbishment projects.

The key issue now is to make sure people get the right advice at the right time. For example, how can a customer be persuaded to use the upgrade of a kitchen to address energy efficiency needs of the house at the same time? What should the builder be advising their client? And what does the householder need to hear to be persuaded to use this opportunity and trust the builder? The Energy Saving Trust’s public report is just the tip of the iceberg. A wealth of quantitative and qualitative data was collected as part of the work to help guide those industries that will be the key players in the green economy.

E: david.weatherall@est.org.uk
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk