Save Energy at Home

Every home is different and there are important characteristics to understand in order to decide which energy reduction measures are suitable for your home. These include: house type (detached, semi-detached, terraced, bungalow), wall construction (solid wall, cavity wall) and property age. Knowing the wall construction of your home is also important. 

For those living in homes which are not detached, consideration should be given to party walls and whether the outside of your home could be insulated at the same time as your neighbour to make the most of associated costs, for example scaffolding. 

With any building projects, there are poorly designed and poorly executed retrofits which may have a negative impact on the health of your home. A qualified retrofit coordinator, trained designer, architect or building surveyor will assess the risks of any retrofit project and make sure all potential risks are dealt with. These will include issues with damp and mould, ensuring good ventilation and reducing the risk of overheating. 

All retrofit projects should make sure that all planning considerations are taken into account. You can find more information on our dedicated planning pages.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

An Energy Performance Certificate, known more commonly as an EPC, is a legally valid document which provides an energy efficiency rating (displayed on an A-G scale) in relation to a property’s running costs. This rating will take into account the potential energy performance of a property (fabric) and its services (heating, lighting, hot water). 

An EPC will give you an indication about your property's typical energy costs, and ways of reducing them. You can find an assessor  to undertake an assessment on your property online. 

All EPCs lodged can be found on the Government website and are publicly available. EPCs for both domestic and non-domestic can be found on the Government's EPC website.