Homeowner’s looking towards the future with energy efficiency.

New research has suggested adults looking to move home are happy to pay a premium for the inclusion of energy-efficient devices, such as heat pumps or electric heating.

A survey of 1000 adults conducted by Samsung UK, who were specifically looking to buy or rent in the next five years stated they wanted the technology due to heightening anxiety over the environment and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Knowledge Increasing

71% of those surveyed said that energy efficiency would be a key factor when moving into a new ‘smart’ home. This high positive response catapulted Air Source Heat Pumps to being in the top three search terms for smart products.

The results, particularly for heat pumps, show a remarkable improvement in public knowledge of the types of products available to cut emissions.

Similar surveys, such as the ‘National Home Energy Survey 2023’ conducted at the beginning of the year, found that only half of those in the UK had heard of a heat pump and only 2 percent had purchased heat pumps.

This significant change in behavior goes to show the pace at which energy-efficient change can be enacted or at least considered.

Even if homeowners aren’t buying ‘smart homes’ fitted with energy-efficient devices, over a third said they would move into a home without smart technology - but would install it at a later date.

Electric heating manufacturer Fischer provides customers with a free heating survey that determines each home's suitability for a range of ‘efficient electric' heating systems. It is clear that air-source heat pumps are not right for all UK homes but an electric boiler may prove beneficial.?

Making heat-loss calculations a mandatory part of every heating installation means Fischer can recommend a heating solution that strikes the right balance between being powerful enough to meet peak demand for heat and being efficient enough to keep consumption and emissions down.

The Internet

The transition into summer is not the most obvious time for thinking about heating solutions. Internet searches for “energy-efficient new build homes” doubled between March and April. The increased rate shows either, pre-emptive thinking or continued financial worry.

In the past year, 54 percent of people have heated their home less frequently, 37 percent have cut their electricity usage, and sadly others have resorted to eating less to keep the power on.

Room by Room control with Fischer’s Wireless Thermostat is a unique aspect of electric heating. Instead of heating the entire house, it allows for individual rooms to be raised to a specific temperature, lowering energy usage by not wasting heat on rooms not in use.

Echoes of the cold winter snap at the tail end of 2022 could be a driving factor in the surge of Google searches or even younger entries into the market.

Generation Z, those who are born between 1997 and 2010 are increasingly more climate aware and likely to make informed energy choices as they begin to enter the housing markets.

40 percent of those considered ‘Gen Z’ said they wanted their next home or first home to be ‘smart’.

Against The Tide?

With many citing the cost-of-living crisis as a driving factor for looking at more efficient devices, the survey revealed many were willing to pay at least 6.5 percent more if a home was fully equipped with smart devices. Adding an extra ￡18,000 onto the average UK house price.

Homes with energy-efficient products, like Electric Heating or Air Source Heat Pumps eliminate wastage by using 100 percent of the energy it generates. Traditional heating, using fossil fuels can only convert a maximum of 90 percent. During the long term, the additional upfront cost, in theory, would be made back over continued savings over time from having these 100% efficiency products in the home.

While 43 percent of respondents said rising energy prices and monetary constraints had made them less likely to consider purchasing low-carbon technologies this year, 47% still managed to purchase at least one item. It will be interesting to see if anxiety about climate change overrides the difficulties faced by the rising cost of living.