Sellers should reveal home energy costs, says EST
A call for estate agents to state the annual average energy costs for homes has been issued by the Energy Saving Trust (EST), allowing buyers to identify those that are expensive to heat.
The EST wants home energy consumption to be as transparent as the fuel efficiency of cars.
The reason given is that energy bills are set to rise to pay for the new energy infrastructure, estimated to cost £200 billion.
As H&V News went to press, the EST was set to publish a report to show how homeowners can be persuaded to reduce emissions and save money by upgrading boilers and windows, as well as investing in insulation.
The EST believes homeowners need more incentives to get involved with schemes such as the Green Deal, which will provide loans to reduce energy use.
These will be tied to the property, rather than individuals, meaning that repayments would pass on to the new owners when homes are sold.
The Trust said that displaying the cost of energy bills will encourage sellers to make improvements to keep figures low and more attractive to buyers.
EST chief operating officer Fraser Winterbottom said: “It will make energy efficiency part of the negotiation between buyer and seller.”
He said the current A to G ratings within Energy Performance Certificates were too difficult to understand.
The National Association of Estate Agents said the scheme would be difficult to implement due to the variables involved, such as the number of people in each house and which energy supplier is used.
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