Tomorrow’s Homes: Three tips to boost your energy efficiency
Discover how Santander’s Greener homes can help to improve energy efficiency.
Many of us are all too aware of the strain we put on the environment and taking extra care to lessen our impact where we can. But what can we do to make our homes more energy efficient? Read on to discover how Santander’s Greener homes initiative could help you with cashback offers, ways to manage your home’s energy efficiency, and helpful information.
Check your home’s energy efficiency
According to Santander’s Tomorrow’s Homes report published in April 2024, 67% of UK adults don’t know their home’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating. But who can blame them? Homeowners and renters may take note of this colour-coded rating when they first move into a property, but it might fade from memory when it’s time to unpack and settle in.
Thankfully, finding your home’s EPC rating is simple and a great first step in making decisions on improving energy efficiency. And any investments in improving efficiency can be well worth it – the Tomorrow’s Homes report shows that buyers are willing to spend on average £13,264 extra if the same property is upgraded from EPC F to EPC B.
If you’re a Santander mortgage or personal current account customer, you can get an EPC assessment at no cost and a EPC Plus report with our Greener Homes partner, Vibrant. You’ll also have access to Vibrant’s EPC Plus service to carry out any home improvements. T&C's apply. Offer can be withdrawn at any time.
Harness the power of the sun
Installing solar panels on your home can reduce your reliance on the grid and have a positive impact on your finances. Once they’re installed, you can even sell surplus electricity back to the grid under the government’s Smart Export Guarantee.
In recent years, the UK has really embraced the potential of solar power. According to low-carbon certification organisation MCS Certified, there were more than 183,000 solar panel installations across the UK in 2023 – a third higher than 2022. And with this increased demand comes lower prices. The average domestic solar panel system costs around £7,000, or around £2,856 cheaper than most people’s estimate according to the Santander Tomorrow’s Homes report.
As part of Santander’s new Greener homes initiative, we’ve partnered with Octopus Energy to bring Santander mortgage or Santander personal current account holders a £500 saving on solar installation. Octopus Energy will take care of everything from design and installation to customer support, with aftercare available 7 days a week. T&C's apply. Offer can be withdrawn at any time.
Embrace advances in technology
With fridges that alert you when the milk is running low to high-tech hubs that cover everything from your favourite playlists to home security, our homes are getting smarter by the year. While some gadgets are purely about convenience, others will save you money and support you to improve your energy efficiency.
If you’re not quite ready to handover your home to technology, a smart thermostat is a fantastic starting point. These easy to install gadgets give you complete control of your heating – you can create individual schedules to reach the perfect temperature in every room. And with the geofencing functionality, you can create a virtual boundary around your home. Using your smartphone location, the thermostat will automatically adjust your home's temperature based on your proximity – you can set it to adjust the temperature based on whether you enter or leave the geofence radius.