Hunting for a Green Home? Pick These Eco-Friendly Features

When you picture “eco homes”, you may conjure up images of living off-grid in a cabin in the woods, or a tiny, grass-covered hut nestled into the landscape. The truth is that these days, sustainable homes of the future take form in many shapes, sizes and materials.

And eco-friendly features for homes come in a potpourri mix of practical solutions, from biomass boilers to photovoltaic panels to air-source heat pumps and sustainable materials. Not only do they sound jazzy, but they're the real deal too.

To charge up your ideas and inspiration about eco homes for sale and eco-friendly home improvements, read on. 

What is an eco home? 

An eco home is just what it sounds like: it’s an environmentally friendly house designed to have little negative impact on our planet. It’s attempting to be as sustainable as possible, reducing energy consumption and waste. It may sound like a mouthful, but the reality is there’s no set definition, and so it can be relative to your own situation.  

Eco-friendly homes don’t just benefit the planet; they positively impact the people who inhabit them, from lower utility costs to improved health and productivity. Win-win. 

Yet, that doesn’t mean you need to live in a wooden shed to benefit the planet. Eco homes are incredibly vast and varied in today’s market, from nature-loving cabins to innovative, stylish and technologically advanced city homes, to older properties with modern, green installations.  

Both the construction industry and homeowners recognise the necessity for sustainable homes in the face of a changing climate. With three-quarters of adults in Britain worried about the impact of climate change, there’s never been a better time to look for an eco-friendly home as your next purchase. So, when hunting for property for sale what should you look out for? 

Features of eco homes for sale 

• Renewable energy 

Using renewable energy is a crucial part of the eco trend. Only in recent years have technologies entered residential homes, though there is a greater desire for many renewable features, propelled forward by the cost-of-living crisis.  

Renewable energy in the home can include: 

• Solar panels: Notably, the most popular renewable energy installation, solar panels (also known as photovoltaics) are installed on south-facing roofs to generate electricity. They can be pricey, but the savings you can make in the long run are huge – both in terms of carbon and cash.   

• Biomass boilers: Biomass boilers are up-and-coming, using wood pellets to power heating and hot water.  

• Heat pumps: Air source heat pumps extract heat from the air to heat your home and water boiler. 

These technologies allow you to generate your own energy in a cost-effective way, reducing your reliance and overall usage on fossil fuels. These technologies aren’t just reserved for multi-million-pound homes, either. Today, more and more homes, both old and new, feature renewable energy devices, so buyers of any budget can enjoy less dependency upon non-renewable energy sources.  

• Insulation 

While generating warmth is key to comfort, so is ensuring it stays within the four walls. Eco homes hold onto heat better by minimising draughts and leaks. Looking into insulation (and the quality of that insulation), airtightness and double- or triple-glazed windows play a large role in keeping the home feeling cosy while maintaining green credentials.  

• Eco-friendly garden 

Who doesn’t love a garden for enjoying and entertaining? Believe it or not, but a property with a garden go green for the planet, from making use of the natural climate and soil to avoiding harmful chemicals.  

There are endless ways to make your patch eco: inspire your green fingers to grow your own fruit and vegetables, create a wildlife-friendly space to increase biodiversity, install an integrated watering system or a built-in composting area.  

Even if the homes you’re viewing only have a standard lawn, you can put your own green print on the great outdoors once you have the keys. 

• A good EPC rating 

Each house for sale, apart from listed buildings, will come with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which is a review of the home’s energy efficiency. The scale ranges from A to G, with A being the most efficient and G being the least. Buyers will get to see the property’s current rating as well as the ‘potential rating’, which is how efficient the house can be if the suggested improvements are installed.  

In short, even if your next home isn’t a green one, you can make green improvements and additions to turn it into your dream eco abode. 

Find your next eco home for sale

Now that you know what makes an eco home, where will you begin? When looking for your next house for sale, keep in mind that you can make green improvements to reach a desired eco homes status. If you’re preparing to sell, book a house valuation to see how your earth-friendly enhancements have helped the value of your home.