Home movers can be energy efficient with or without a HIP

The delay or potential cancellation of Home Information Packs (HIPs) should not put buyers and sellers off energy efficiency, says uSwitch.com, the independent online comparison and switching service.

Energy efficiency will play a vital role in the UK’s battle to cut carbon emissions and homeowners will be key, as a quarter (25%) of the country’s emissions come from homes.

uSwitch.com is urging people to make sure that energy efficiency is on the agenda when viewing or showing a property and offers the following ten tips on what to look out for:

How is the house heated and how old is the system? Older boilers are more inefficient and cost more to run.

Does the boiler have a warranty, a good service record and is there a heating cover plan in place? Most heating cover providers will allow cover to be transferred to new owners, as it is the boiler that is covered and not the occupant.

Are there water filled radiators or storage heaters? Look for individual thermostatic radiator valves, as these will ensure that heating is only on when required.

What type of lighting does the property have? Are energy efficient light bulbs being used? Watch out for halogen lights – they use up more electricity.

Who supplies the gas and electricity? Most homeowners ‘inherit’ their plan from the previous occupant and end up paying higher bills as a result. Find out what plan the owner is signed up to and how much the average bill is and then use a comparison site to see how much you could save by switching to another supplier. For the eco-aware, most suppliers also offer a green tariff.

What type of gas and electricity meters does the property have? If it’s a pre-payment meter you won’t be able to pay your energy bills by direct debit, which means you will miss out on the direct debit discounts and cheaper online tariffs offered by suppliers.

Is the property single, double or secondary double-glazed? Check for draughts coming from doors, windows or anywhere else.

Insulation is a key part of energy efficiency – make sure that the loft, hot water cylinder, and even the walls are on your checklist. Remember though, that many older properties have single brick walls so cannot have cavity wall insulation.

Does the property have a water meter? If so, most water companies will continue to bill on a metered rate so if you can reduce your water consumption you can save money.

How water efficient is the property? Look out for water wasting power showers, leaking taps (one tap can waste up to 140 Litres of water a week), older toilets (they can flush as much as 9 litres of water every time and account for approximately 30% of water used in the home) and a water butt in the garden (a hose or sprinkler uses approximately 1,000 litres of water an hour).

Geoff Slaughter, Energy Product Manager at uSwitch.com, says: “We all have a role to play in reducing carbon emissions and we don’t have to wait for HIPs to come into force to start doing so. Knowing upfront about energy and water efficiency and consumption could help save money as well as the planet. People can use the information to shop around for a better energy deal, decide whether a water meter works for them and also what home improvements would reduce energy usage and therefore their bills.”