Thanks Richard.
In the UK it is now mandatory to supply an energy efficiency certificate when selling a house (new build or not). There is no mandatory score that must be met, but it does declare to the potential buyer what the likely energy spend will be. It may also give an idea of the cost of making the home more efficient.
Presumably the thinking is that they want to encourage people to improve their homes in this regard so that they may sell quicker and at a better price.
The problem, as the article in the Economist states, is up front costs. Living where I live you can quickly bring bills down with a heat pump, in-ceiling insulation, and a full gas stove. But all of that costs, and the return is several years down the line.
The only quick saving in this neck of the woods is to switch to pre-paid: You’ll recover the outlay in 3 or 4 months, but you’re not using much less power.
Several years ago the company I work for moved buildings. You could see the difference then already. Better insulation, modern aircons, heat pumps. Smart lighting that would turn different zones on or off (or dim them) depending on activity. This was a newly built building.
The owners of big commercial buildings can afford it because it’s the cost of doing business. So there should be wins there. Though - and again, where I live - a lot of them have gone solar already, to bring down bills and to ensure continuity of power supply.
Actually I don’t care if all of this is done just to reduce bills. That’s fine. It gets done.
Question is what the shoppers are looking for. Do they go out looking for energy efficient buildings. or do they shop on price? Do they start looking forwards and thinking that the rent is higher there, but look how much I’ll save on electricity.
I do like the opening lines of that piece in the Economist. It rings true for me. The cheapest way to save is to not use so much. This is the mission I’ve been on for 20 odd years now, starting with low-flow shower heads and energy saver light bulbs.
Asked and answered, M’Lud!
I increasingly see new complexes being built and the advertising mentions heat pumps, sometimes solar. Either this is regulatory (I’ve heard, but I don’t see all new build complexes having heat pumps - unless they are very well hidden) or these things are seen as a feature.