Back in 2008 when it became the law of the land for every residential property in the UK to be sold with a Home Information Pack or HIP as it was better known, there were groans of discontent from all quarters.

The sellers were disgruntled at the prospect of coughing up £300 or so for their comprehensive information pack and Estate Agents for the most part were at their wits end at the added administration involved to launch a property onto the market.

Then came along the new coalition government back in 2010 and one of the first items to go into ‘Room 101’ was the compulsory Home Information Pack Legislation…..Hurrah! However, the one element that was retained as remaining compulsory was the EPC (Energy Performance Certificate). Why so?

Whilst the new government was happy to dispense with the majority of the prerequisite information, the green element, being the EPC is seen to be hugely relevant and in step with the UK’s undertaking from the Kyoto Agreement, a legally binding agreement between signed up countries to meet emissions reductions targets of all greenhouse gases by this year, relative to 1990 levels. Do we really care?

Well, I think we are really cottoning on rather quickly. Since 2008, the EPC graphs have been gracing the foot of estate agents property particulars and initially buyers rarely seemed to take any notice. However, as we are now seeing energy costs spiralling, it is becoming far more of a relevance to look at the energy score of a property being considered for purchase. It may be fantastic to have all the touch up work done and stripes on the lawn, but is the loft insulated properly? Is my boiler running efficiently, do I have energy saving lightbulbs?

Addressing these issues prior to marketing your home will become increasingly important as buyers begin to scrutinise greener issues. The good news is that there really is no cause for despair, there is excellent guidance at hand through your local authority and in some cases grants can be obtained for better insulation and how hard can it really be to change a lightbulb or two?

So, rather like the kid at school who seemed rather ‘square’ and boring who turned out to be cool and successful, going green is really the new ‘cool’!

  • Simon Anckorn works for Richwards Estate Agents, in Henfield