When you’re looking to sell property in Guildford or anywhere else in the home counties, you’re probably considering ways you can add value to your property. You may have considered upgrading some of the features of your house to more environmentally friendly alternatives, such as changing to LED light bulbs or installing solar panels. 

Taking steps to make your home greener is nearly always the right thing to do. It lowers your household’s carbon footprint and usually saves you money in the long run. But it doesn’t necessarily translate into instant value when it’s time to sell.

It’s important to remember that most green solutions require a large financial outlay at the beginning. In this blog, we look at the different eco features home owners can install, and what they mean for you when it’s time to sell your house.

1.     Solar panels

Solar panels allow your home to gather its own energy which you can use to light your home, power your appliances and – if you have the right hardware – charge your electric car. 

At time of writing (summer 2023) Surrey County Council are running a group buying scheme to allow homeowners to buy solar panels at a discounted rate. More details here!

However, there are two potential issues to note with solar panels. Firstly, unless you also buy a battery, you cannot store solar energy to use in your home after sunset or on a rainy day. During this downtime, you will draw energy from the National Grid. 

Secondly, even with the council scheme, solar panels are not cheap. And because of the battery issue, they don’t necessarily add a great deal of value to your home when you sell it. With this in mind, it’s not usually worth it to install solar panels just to make it more appealing to buyers or increase the value. Instead, only install them if you know you’ll have time to let them pay for themselves before you sell your property. 

2.     Electric vehicle charging point

EV charging points make powering an electric car a more affordable option than if you had to rely on filling stations or public car parks. If you already have an electric car or you’re thinking of buying one, installing a charging point is a no brainer. 

But it’s important to note that, like solar panels, an EV charging point is rarely a deal-breaker for someone buying a house. It will add some value, but only if it has paid for itself before the time comes to sell.

3.     Insulation

An energy efficient home is always the greener choice. Insulation can add value through improving your energy performance. This will be reflected on your energy performance certificate (EPC).

With well-insulated walls, windows and loft, your home will keep heat in. This means you use less power to heat it, and what power you do use stays in the home and keeps it warm. 

4.     LED light bulbs

Swapping over to LED light bulbs means you can light your home using less energy. LEDs are also much brighter, so you get lighter rooms for less! 

Changing to LED light bulbs probably offers the most value, in terms of upfront costs, the energy you save and the impact on your EPC. 

5.     Heat pumps

An energy-efficient heating system like a heat pump will enable you to warm your home for less, translating one unit of energy into four units of heat. If you need to replace your boiler, it’s well worth considering greener options like heat pumps. But if your old boiler is still going strong, you’re unlikely to see the return on your heat pump investment before you move.

Do eco-friendly solutions add value to a property? 

If you are considering selling your property and you made some eco-friendly changes to it that have now paid for themselves, they will add value. 

However, it probably isn’t worth adding them just to appeal to buyers or increase the property’s value. The amount of value they add is unlikely to cover the cost of installing them. 

Sell property in Guildford

If you have property to sell, we’d love to help! Get in touch today on 01483 457 000.