Install air conditioning.

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Upgrade the heating controls.

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The difficulty is deciding what should come first.

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Getting that order wrong can mean spending thousands of pounds on technology before dealing with the basic problems that are causing the home to waste energy in the first place.

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The best Green Home Plan therefore starts with the property itself.

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There Is No Single Correct Order for Every Home

 

You will often hear that every property should follow the same sequence of improvements.

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Real homes are rarely that simple.

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A Victorian terrace with solid walls, draughty sash windows and an old boiler has very different requirements from a modern detached house with good insulation but high electricity consumption.

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A ground floor flat may have very limited options for solar panels.

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A bungalow may have a large roof area that makes solar extremely attractive.

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A heavily insulated modern house may actually have more of a problem with summer overheating than winter heat loss.

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The correct order depends upon:

• The age and construction of the property

• Existing insulation

• Window condition

• Heating system

• Ventilation

• Energy consumption

• Available roof space

• Orientation

• Summer overheating

• Your budget

• Your future plans

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That is why the first step should always be to understand the home before choosing the technology.

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Step 1: Understand Where the Home Is Losing Energy

 

Before buying anything, establish where the problems actually are.

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Heat can be lost through:

• The roof

• External walls

• Floors

• Windows and doors

• Draughts

• Poorly insulated extensions

• Inadequate heating controls

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There may also be problems with condensation, damp, poor ventilation or overheating.

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Improving the wrong part of the property first can produce disappointing results.

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The aim should be to identify where your money will make the biggest difference.

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Step 2: Improve Insulation Where It Makes Sense

 

For many older homes, insulation will be one of the first areas worth investigating.

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Possible improvements include:

• Loft insulation

• Cavity wall insulation

• Solid wall insulation

• Internal wall insulation

• External wall insulation

• Floor insulation

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Reducing heat loss means the home requires less energy to remain comfortable.

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That can reduce heating demand and may also affect the size of any future heating system.

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But insulation needs to be considered carefully.

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Older buildings need to manage moisture properly, and simply adding insulation without considering ventilation can create new problems.

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The objective is not simply to add as much insulation as possible.

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It is to improve the thermal performance of the home without compromising the building.

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Step 3: Deal With Draughts and Poor Glazing

 

Windows and doors can have a major effect on comfort.

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Old single glazing, poorly fitting windows and uncontrolled draughts can make rooms feel cold even when the heating is running.

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Depending upon the property, improvements might include:

• Draught proofing

• Secondary glazing

• Replacement double glazing

• Triple glazing

• Improved doors

• Window refurbishment

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The right solution depends partly upon the age and character of the property.

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Replacing every window is not automatically the first thing a homeowner should do.

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Sometimes targeted improvements provide better value.

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Step 4: Think About Ventilation

 

Making a home more airtight can reduce unwanted heat loss.

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But homes also need controlled ventilation.

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Bathrooms, kitchens and occupied rooms continuously generate moisture.

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If insulation and airtightness are improved without considering ventilation, condensation and mould problems can develop.

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This means ventilation should form part of the improvement strategy from the beginning.

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Depending upon the property, options could include:

• Improved extractor fans

• Continuous mechanical extract ventilation

• Demand controlled ventilation

• Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery

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The best system depends upon how airtight the property becomes and how the rooms are used.

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Step 5: Improve Heating Controls

 

Before replacing the entire heating system, it is worth considering how efficiently the existing system is being controlled.

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Improvements can include:

• Smart thermostats

• Programmable controls

• Individual room temperature control

• Heating zones

• Thermostatic radiator valves

• Weather compensation

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Better control allows heat to be delivered where and when it is needed.

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This can sometimes produce worthwhile savings without the cost of replacing the complete heating system.

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Step 6: Decide Whether the Heating System Needs Replacing

 

Once heat loss and insulation have been considered, you are in a much better position to decide what should heat the home.

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Options may include:

• An efficient modern boiler

• Air source heat pump

• Ground source heat pump

• Air to air heat pump

• Underfloor heating

• Improved radiators

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Heat pumps can be very effective, but they work differently from traditional boilers.

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The home's heat loss, radiator sizes, hot water requirements and insulation should all be considered before selecting the system.

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Installing a heat pump first and then discovering that substantial improvements are needed elsewhere can make the project far more expensive than expected.

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Step 7: Consider Solar Panels

 

Once you understand the home's future energy demand, you can make a much better decision about solar.

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Solar panels can reduce the amount of electricity purchased from the grid and can work particularly well with:

• Heat pumps

• Battery storage

• Electric vehicles

• Electric hot water

• Air conditioning

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A household planning a future heat pump and electric vehicle may have much greater electricity demand than it has today.

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That future demand should be considered when deciding how much solar generation may be worthwhile.

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Step 8: Consider Battery Storage

 

Battery storage allows electricity to be stored and used later.

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This might be electricity generated by solar panels or electricity purchased from the grid during cheaper periods.

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Battery storage can be particularly useful where the home generates surplus solar electricity during the day but uses most of its electricity in the evening.

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But the correct battery size depends upon the property.

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Buying a battery before understanding your electricity use can result in paying for storage capacity that is rarely needed.

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Step 9: Plan for Summer Cooling

 

Green home improvement is not only about keeping warm in winter.

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Summer temperatures are becoming an increasingly important consideration.

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A well insulated home can retain unwanted heat as effectively as it retains warmth in winter.

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Solutions may include:

• External shading

• Solar control glazing

• Improved ventilation

• Night cooling

• Air conditioning

• Air to air heat pumps

• Window design

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Cooling should therefore be considered alongside insulation rather than being treated as an afterthought.

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Step 10: Think About Future Electricity Demand

 

Your energy requirements may change considerably over the next few years.

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You may later install:

• An electric vehicle charger

• Heat pump

• Air conditioning

• Battery storage

• Electric hot water

• Additional home technology

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Planning ahead can prevent electrical work from having to be repeated.

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It may also influence decisions about solar capacity, battery size and the electrical supply to the property.

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So What Is the Best Order?

 

For many homes, a sensible starting sequence may look something like this:

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Understand the property

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Then consider:

Insulation and draught reduction

Windows where necessary

Ventilation

Heating controls

Heating system

Solar panels

Battery storage

Cooling

Electric vehicle charging and future demand

But this is not a rigid formula.

For one property solar may be the obvious first investment.

For another it may be insulation.

For another it may be replacing a failing heating system.

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The important point is that each decision should be made as part of a wider plan.

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Avoid Paying Twice

 

Poor sequencing can become expensive.

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Imagine installing a new heating system and later substantially improving the insulation.

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The original heating system may then have been designed for a level of heat loss that no longer exists.

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Or you might replace windows and later discover that wall insulation would have delivered a better return.

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You could install a small solar system and then buy an electric vehicle and heat pump a year later, dramatically increasing the home's electricity demand.

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A Green Home Plan helps you look ahead.

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That can reduce wasted expenditure and help improvements work together rather than being selected individually.

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Grants Can Also Affect the Order

 

Available grants and funding may influence which improvements are affordable.

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Support can sometimes be available for insulation, heating systems, heat pumps, solar panels and other measures.

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But a grant should not automatically determine the entire strategy.

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The available funding should help support the right improvement rather than persuade you to install something simply because financial assistance is available.

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Start With a Plan, Not a Product

 

It is very easy to begin with:

“I want solar panels.”

“I want a heat pump.”

“I want triple glazing.”

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A better question is:

What does my home need most?

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Once that question has been answered, the technology becomes much easier to choose.

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APN Green Homes looks at the property as a whole and considers how different improvements could work together.

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The aim is not to sell you one particular technology.

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It is to help you decide what to do, what order to do it in and where your money is likely to make the biggest difference.

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Every home is different. Your green home plan should be too.

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Before spending thousands improving your home, understand which improvements should come first and how they can work together.

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Green Home Assessment £495 + VAT

 

Tip: Before you spend thousands improving your home, find out where your money will make the biggest difference.