Two thirds of movers want solar panels, batteries and heat pumps

Puzzles Challenge yourself with today's puzzles. A lmost two thirds of movers would like a home that makes all or most of its energy amid growing concerns over the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Iran conflict on energy security. A total of 63 per cent of movers would like to be self-sufficient when powering their home, according to data from the property website Rightmove. More than half, or 53 per cent, say recent energy price rises have specifically increased their interest in solar panels and home battery storage.

Only 8 per cent would prefer to remain fully reliant on the grid. Since 2022 newly listed homes advertised with heat pumps have risen 151 per cent, and those advertised with solar panels are up 94 per cent. Most commented 1 The Horses review — lunch with an influencer, Topjaw’s Jesse Burgess Food & Drink 69 comments 2 Bill Bailey: A heckler told me to get a haircut — I refused for 40 years Theatre & Dance 33 comments 3 Tripsnacking? Finally a travel trend I can get on board with Advice 24 comments 4 Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: ‘My kids tell me to back off when they cook’ The Sunday Times Magazine 13 comments 5 My father’s Facebook posts about ‘our special angel’ make me cringe Parenting 10 comments While location and price are the biggest deciding factors for home movers, years of volatile energy prices have increased interest in energy independence and homes that can stay comfortable from climate change, according to Rightmove’s latest Greener Homes Report .

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The technology can suit any home, including older properties. John Skelton, 62, and his wife, Sue, 65, last year fitted 24 solar panels, a 17.5kWh battery system and an air source heat pump at their 150-year-old previously converted Wesleyan chapel, just south of Scotland’s border. Advertisement Property newsletter Inside Britain’s most exclusive homes, plus what’s really going on in the property market. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Property newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred.

Please use the link below. Property newsletter Explore our newsletters John and Sue Skelton have installed solar panels on the roof of their converted chapel near the Scottish border This summer they built up an £855 net credit on their Octopus energy bill because they generated much more power than they used and sold it back to the grid. Their energy bill for the month of December was £160, including for charging their hybrid car. Top stories 1 A grand coastal bolthole or a 17th-century rectory for £1.5m?

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They fitted the technology during essential work to replace the failing roof. At the same time they installed about 50cm of loft insulation and solar panels that sit in the roof instead of some tiles. They also upgraded draughty doors and windows, and last year Octopus Energy fitted a heat pump to replace their 18-year-old oil boiler, which was on its last legs. The Skeltons store surplus solar energy in a home battery system Will the UK’s first plug-in solar panels spark a renewable revolution?

“Lots of people in my village said, ‘You’re mad. You shouldn’t be going for an air source heat pump . It’s just stupid. Have you heard all the terrible stories?’” But it is so cosy inside that the Skeltons sleep under a summer duvet in the depths of winter, John says. “People are amazed.” Advertisement The couple used to spend up to £1,400 a year on heating oil. “I now can forget about all of that,” he adds. “ All of my neighbours are complaining about the fluctuations in price and the delivery.

I sit quite warm and quite smug listening to them and offer them a consolation glass of wine.” John Wybar, Rettie’s director of Edinburgh residential sales, says buyers are “far more aware of running costs than they were five years ago, so solar panels are increasingly seen as a valuable added feature. Buyers still prioritise location, lifestyle and the overall quality of a home, but energy-efficient features are becoming an increasingly attractive part of the package.”

Environment newsletter The latest climate, energy and nature news and analysis, plus reasons to be hopeful. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Environment newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Environment newsletter Explore our newsletters The cost of staying cool Families are also increasingly looking for homes that cope well in hot weather . Almost half (45 per cent) say their current home does not, while 87 per cent say a home that can stay cool during summer is important when choosing where to live next.

Searches for homes for sale with air conditioning more than doubled on Rightmove this summer, up 104 per cent compared with the same period last year. Such features are more common in homes listed at higher prices. The average asking price for properties advertised with air conditioning in September was £947,509 — nearly £580,000 above the national average. Advertisement Above the £2m price point, Edward Heaton, of the buying agency Heaton & Partners sees “a growing pool of young tech millionaires” seeking “ Grand Designs -style eco homes with all the bells and whistles”, often including rewilding zones and allotment patches.

“Those in their thirties and forties can often be more climate conscious in their purchasing decisions than previous generations. An eye-catching eco home for them is a new feather in their cap,” he says. Unsurprisingly, energy efficiency features are also more common in newer homes. About 89 per cent of new-build homes have the highest energy performance certificate (EPC) bands of A or B (on a scale of A to F), while just 6 per cent of resale homes are rated A or B. How to meet the new EPC rental rules on a budget Some new homes with solar panels, batteries and heat pumps are marketed as “zero bills” for up to ten years, under Octopus partnerships with developers such as GS8 at Medburn Yard in Radlett, Hertfordshire.

Homes at Medburn Yard in Radlett, Hertfordshire, are marketed with zero energy bills for up to ten years Another developer, Greencore, is “gamifying” energy efficiency at 42 homes, which are due to complete in March 2027 at The Canopies in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Sensors in the homes generate data that feed into an app where residents can see how much energy they are using and storing in their battery, as well as indoor air quality and patterns of overheating or cold spots.

Advertisement The app shows Canopies residents where they score in a league table without giving their neighbours’ rankings away. “It tends to make people a bit competitive,” says Jon Di-Stefano, chief executive of Greencore Homes. Properties at The Canopies in Oxfordshire will let residents track their energy use Rightmove analysed descriptions and EPC ratings of properties listed on its portal in August 2022 versus August 2026, and also surveyed 1,062 UK consumers.

It found that some of the upgrades that most boost EPC ratings do not require significant renovation work. Insulating a hot water cylinder, for example, gains almost eight EPC points (on a scale of 1 to 100) but typically costs less than £30. However, there is a gap between what people want and what they are willing to do. While 74 per cent believe action should be taken to help people make homes greener, only 5 per cent rank green improvements as their top home improvement priority.