Renovating Your Home with Sustainable Energy Solutions

A major renovation not only offers the opportunity to change the footprint and layout to better serve you, but also introduce sustainable alternatives for heating, ventilation, plumbing and electrics.

Many homeowners choose to retrofit their properties owing to the cost-saving benefits of not moving house, plus the array of eco-friendly products and systems available to improve and future-proof your home.

First Steps for Planning a Home Renovation

An eco retrofit will attract many of the same pre-build checklist items as self building a new home from scratch. You may need to appoint a designer or architect, seek planning approvals (depending on project scope) and source a reliable builder and set of tradespeople to carry out the work.

Do Your Ideas Fit Your Budget?

Decisions on eco-friendly solutions must go hand-in-hand with costing up your project. The scale of works can vary enormously depending on what you are trying to achieve. So, if your goal is creating a low-bills home, but not necessarily extending or remodelling, do your research and cost up suitable retrofit solutions that meet your needs and budget.

Protecting Your Eco Renovation Works

Most home insurance policies exclude works that exceed the value of £25,000 or which significantly alter the structure of your home. When retrospectively upgrading your house with eco energy alternatives, you must consider the impact these systems and products could have during your renovation works.

Most manufacturers of these products will not cover accidental damage when on site (or damage to your site). Solar panel batteries cost £1,000s, for instance. So, you need to ensure the whole house, as well as the products you have specified, are protected until they’re installed.

Altering your roof structure or creating openings in your home also exposes you to several risks, such as water or storm damage, or security issues. These would not be covered under home insurance, hence why a site insurance policy is so important.

Top Eco Retrofit Options

Improving the energy efficiency of your home is likely to be a top priority. Renovating using eco solutions, from insulation upgrades to low-carbon renewables, is an intelligent choice for the environment, your wallet and your lifestyle. Here are just a few options to consider:

Solar electric panels convert sunlight into electricity, which can be stored in batteries, reducing grid dependency. Solar panels will lower your monthly bills and are a proven, reliable renewable tech. They can even increase property prices, as many buyers look for homes with sustainable energy sources, including EV charging points, which can be linked to solar panel systems.

With any works, you should always check your suppliers and installers are aware of the latest requirements. For instance, a new British Standard took effect in March 2024, covering fire safety for home battery storage.

Heat pumps harness natural thermal energy from the ground or air, providing a renewable solution that reduces environmental impact and contributes to long-term energy sustainability. Although both systems use electricity, they are much more efficient than traditional heating and cooling methods – producing three to four times the energy they consume.

Heat pumps are a well understood technology, but you should always ensure a proper handover, so you know how to operate the system efficiently and fully understand any ongoing maintenance requirements.

Rainwater harvesting systems collect and store rain from rooftops or other areas. The captured water can be stored in tanks for use around the home and garden, such as flushing toilets, watering plants, cleaning and washing clothes. If it includes a water purity filtration system, it can also be used for bathing and even drinking.

Insulation measures. A draughty house is not efficient! Installing double- or triple-glazed windows will reduce heat loss. This, coupled with appropriate insulation in walls and roofs, helps to retain warmth inside during colder months and block heat from entering during the summer, so a comfortable indoor temperature can be achieved all year round.