The cost of living crisis is continuing to put a financial strain on UK homeowners and renters. Many Brits are struggling to keep up with the continuous rising costs of energy bills, food and petrol as well as interest rates and inflation that are now at extremely high levels.
Despite some helpful ways to cut down energy consumption in our homes, people are now being urged to listen to a key piece of advice that tells you what you should look out for before buying a new property.
Checking the EPC rating of a property you're interested in takes just five minutes, but it can help you save thousands on your household bills. According to property website Zoopla, you can save over 50 per cent of your annual energy bill by opting for a greener home.
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A home's energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating can be checked by looking at the EPC report which rates your property’s energy performance through a grading system of A to G, with A being the most efficient and G being the least.
Nick Morreym, director of mortgage company Coreco technical, told MyLondon : "As the cost of living crisis has been caused by wholesale energy price increases around the world, take a good look at an EPC report to see how energy efficient a property is and how to keep those costs down."
The report accounts for things like double glazing, draught proofing and loft insulation.
Homes with a rating of D or lower are seen as the least efficient and will use more energy, meaning higher bills.
Recent analysis by The Sun found that 9.7million homes have an EPC rating of D or lower - around 57.3 per cent of homes in England and Wales .
Every home for sale must now have an EPC rating, and these are often included in listings so you can check before viewings.
Nick added: "The report itself will have recommendations and the likely effect those changes could have on the energy efficiency of a property.
"Some recommended changes can be quite costly – like the addition of solar panels or a new gas boiler or double glazing – but others not so much, like replacing old light bulbs with new efficient ones or just laying down loft insulation."
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