How tenants could make homes more energy efficient

The possibility of lower energy bills is the major driving force for home improvements designed to improve the energy efficiency of property, it has been claimed.

And tenants living in rented property may be keen to find out what action they could take to make their homes both greener and cheaper to run.

Dr Paula Owen, head of knowledge services for the Energy Saving Trust, said over three-quarters of consumers claim the promise of lower bills is what motivates them to reduce the carbon their property emits.

"Around £8 billion of energy is wasted in the UK every year because of homes that are poorly insulated, have inefficient or poorly controlled heating systems and use electricity unnecessarily," she added.

Dr Owen noted making small behavioural changes - which may include not leaving TVs and computers on standby, only boiling a small amount of water or not leaving phone chargers on - could help improve efficiency.

Britons looking for flats to rent in Fulham or another part of London may be keen to make their new home greener.

And they may be pleased to learn they could apply for the government's boiler scrappage scheme to upgrade to a more efficient boiler, which could help them both save money and lower their carbon footprint.

Written by Charles Mackay

Published 8th February, 2010

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