Being Eco-friendly
Energy efficiency and sustainability in Hull
Back on 19 January 2021, Housing Minister Chris Pincher announced that all homes and businesses will have to meet rigorous new energy efficiency standards to lower energy consumption and bills, in order to protect the environment and to be ready for the zero carbon emissions deadline of 2025. Let’s face it, one of the main contributors to CO2 emissions is the homes we live in.
Whilst many estate agencies have decided that 2025 is just “too far away” to have any impact on their working processes, the Lime Team decided to make it their mission to help clients to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and to use their community network to help make Hull and the surrounding area as eco-friendly as possible.
Improving your home's sustainability
In order to help meet the Government’s 2025 deadline, we are working with a local “Whole House Retrofit” company called Cocuun which helps homeowners and landlords to start the process of improving their properties now to get ahead of the deadline. Free of charge, Cocuun will assess the property and provide a full report on how to make it more sustainable and energy-efficient. These are the main ways to do this:
- Reduce energy consumption through smarter devices, temperature controls and low energy lighting.
- Improve energy efficiency through outer fabric upgrades, insulation and double or triple glazing.
- Switch to renewable sources of electricity, powered in part by rooftop solar.
- Switch to renewable sources of heating, such as heat pumps and solar water heating.
Sustainable Property
Did you know that the average home releases 2.77 tonnes of CO2 every year? This comes from 4 main sources in homes:
- Gas-powered central heating
- Poor insulation
- Electricity from the national grid
- Single-glazed windows
Update
Spring 2022
Today, March 23rd, Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has reduced the VAT on energy-saving materials, such as solar panels, heat pumps, and roof insulation, from 5% to zero for the next five years, to “help families become more energy-efficient”. It isn’t yet clear whether this change will also impact energy efficiency improvements landlords are required to make to privately rented properties to ensure that their properties have a minimum energy performance rating of E.
Energy Saving Schemes
Help the UK achieve its 2025 net carbon zero obligation
At Lime Property we work closely with our friends at Cocuun. They are the first national accredited organisation providing all qualifying energy efficiency measures, primarily supplying external & internal wall insulation systems to homeowners & landlords. They also help to arrange the funding to install these measures and we urge all of our clients to consider a chat with them, sooner rather than later!
Helping the environment
It is not just housing that must be improved in order to protect the earth. At Lime we are all committed to doing our bit for the environment and our team values include some very simple changes to our daily lives, we urge you all to consider joining us!
- We are all committed to reducing waste, reusing what we can, and recycling in order to conserve natural resources and reduce landfill sites.
- We conserve water, not leaving the tap on when brushing our teeth, opting for quick showers rather than long baths where possible and using water butts in our gardens to reduce hosepipe use.
- All light-bulbs are long-lasting and energy-efficient, in our own homes and those we are managing for our landlords.
- We try to walk to appointments if they are close to the office, rather than jumping in the car, and we are currently looking into electric cars for our negotiators.
Supporting Project One Hull of a Forest
Sustainable forestry
Hull needs more trees – they reduce the temperature in urban environments, remove pollution from the air, reduce carbon dioxide and provide homes for wildlife. Hull is the least forested city in the UK. Together, Hull & the East Riding have only 2.6% woodland cover against a national average of 8.4%. A total of 641 sites have been identified in Hull to plant trees. But for each site, permission must be gained, funding secured and ultimately, trees planted. For every property that we sell at Lime, we plant a tree in Hull, why not join us?
Green Mortgages
A “green mortgage” will reward you for buying or owning an energy-efficient home, or for making improvements or renovations to your home in order to make it more energy-efficient.
Green mortgages can be split into three main types:
- Cheaper rates for properties with high energy efficiency ratings (i.e., EPC rating of ‘B’ or above)
- Standard mortgages that offer a cashback to homebuyers who buy energy-efficient properties
- Standard mortgages that offer cheaper rates, or cashback, when homeowners make energy-efficient improvements
The main point of a green mortgage is to incentivise homeowners to be greener. Our mortgage advisor, Graham Lock of Mortgage Advice Bureau can talk to you about green mortgage options, click the link below to enquire.
