If you are interested in making big, long-term investments in your home to make it more energy efficient and lower your carbon footprint, it is best to investigate current technologies to see what is right for your home. You can make these investment work for you personally because there are reasons to invest in your home other than to make it more environmentally friendly. Investing in lowering the carbon footprint of your home will leave you better off because it will improve your finances by lowering your energy bills permanently and increase the value of your property.

Solar panels

Solar panels are popular investment to make in the home, and they have been installed on 1.5 million houses in the UK. There are government initiatives encouraging the adoption of solar panels too that can bring down the price. Eco Experts estimate that solar panels cost around £6000 for a three-bedroom house and make a saving of £454 a year. It is possible to make money from solar panels if you buy a battery that stores solar power. Energy stored in the battery can be sold back to the grid through Smart Export Guarantee. Eco Experts estimate on a three-bed property, about £159 can be made annually, which brings the full savings to over £600 a year. Solar panels also increase the value of your house by up to 14%.

Heat pumps

Heat pumps are more expensive than solar panels and cost in the region of £11,000. There are government schemes and banks that provide discounts and other incentives to make it cheaper and more financially affordable. The amount of money you save on your bills depends on what you are replacing it with, but heat pumps are more efficient than most fuel types. If a heat pump is replacing an old gas boiler, you will save £260 annually, and if it is replacing an electric storage heater or LGP boiler, savings can range between £700 to £1200. Heat pumps electrify heating in the home and get rid of the need for gas. Since heat pumps electrifies the energy system, pairing them with solar panels will increase savings in energy bills. The savings from combining heat pumps and solar panels could easily be more than £1000 a year, whilst reducing your carbon footprint by up to 3 tonnes annually. Energy bills are set to rise in the future, and this could be a valuable investment that pays off faster than expected.

Double and triple glazing

Double and triple glazed windows will make it much easier to keep properties warmer in the winter and is essential for an energy efficient home. It is estimated to save 0.4 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

Insulation

Insulating loft, walls and floors makes the home very energy efficient as it reduces heat loss through walls, floors and roofs. Insulation will cost £1000-2000 for each area, but insulating lofts, walls and floors can bring down the carbon footprint by 1 ton and will save hundreds of pounds of your energy bill annually. Other easier investments to make are insulating tanks, pipes and radiators. A hot water cylinder jacket only costs £18 and will keep your hot water hotter for longer. The Energy Saving Trust estimate this one investment will save £45 a year because less energy is needed to heat water and save 0.2 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Money can also be saved by buying a low-cost radiator reflector panel for radiators on external walls.

Combining technology to cut bills

When green technology is combined well, it can transform your finances and make it more efficient to run your household. When solar panels are paired with heat pumps and an electric car, this will slash the cost of energy bills, and you can charge your electric car for free. The savings can be immense as well as save a few tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

Passivhaus

Another approach to building a low carbon home is to consider creating a Passivhaus. Specialist builders can redesign your house, so it does not lose heat whilst being well ventilated at the same time. This is a potentially more expensive project which requires lots of planning, however, your energy bills will be practically zero and it will increase the value of the house considerably because it reaches the gold standard in energy efficiency.