Energy efficient towns & cities

It’s been well documented that energy bills have risen, and this can cause stress having to manage your finances to account for the additional costs every month. That’s why it is important to ensure your property is wasting as little energy as possible so that you are getting your money's worth.

EPCs are graded on an A to G scale, with A having the highest energy efficiency. Our data looks at the percentages of buildings under each local authority that have an EPC of grade C or higher. The average number of buildings that have an EPC of band C and above is just 40% across all of England and Wales.

Here at BOXT, we’ve used our expertise to calculate how much the value of your home can increase with better energy efficiency. We looked at each local authority and the percentage of EPCs at grade C and above, as well as the average house price in each local authority to find out how much your home’s value can increase when more energy efficient.

How much can your home’s value increase?

Across England and Wales, the general trend was that the local authorities with a higher percentage of EPCs at grade C and above had a higher average house cost. But by how much? We’ve divided the EPC data into 10% intervals, and got an average of house prices for the local authorities within these intervals. From this, we were able to calculate how much your house value could increase by improving its energy efficiency to the next interval.

1 - 20%-29% - 28.02% increase in house value

If your house has 20%-29% of EPCs at grade C and above, then improving it to between 30%-39% can increase your house’s value by almost 30%. 

2 - 30%-39% - 17.04% increase in house value

Below 40% is still under the average across England and Wales. By increasing the percentage of EPCs at grade C and above, you could potentially add the equivalent of just over £60,000 to your house’s value. 

3 - 40%-49% - 11.32% increase in house value.

11% might not sound like much, but with the house price value increasing, it could potentially equate to an additional £45,000 on top of your house's value. 

4 - 50%-59% - 36.34% increase in house value

Our biggest increase in house value is from 50%-59% to above 60%. However, it’s important to note that there are only two places in England and Wales that have 60% of EPCs at grade C and above.

5 - The average increase in house value - 23.18%

Overall, by increasing the percentage of EPCs at Grade C and above by around 10%, you could potentially add 23% to your house’s value. It will take some investment to improve this though, however, in the long run, it could be hugely beneficial.

1 - Knowsley, North West - 9.31 energy value score

Knowsley in the Liverpool city region tops our list with a percentage of EPCs at grade C and above 12% higher than the average. This coupled with a reasonable house price of £165k, makes for a perfect balance. 

2 - Salford, North West - 8.79 energy value score

Despite having a higher percentage of EPCs at band C and above, Salford has a higher house price which places it second on our list. Salford has the highest number of grade C and above EPCs in the North West region, with Knowsley second in that list. 

3 - Halton, North West - 8.53 energy value score

Continuing with our North West theme is Halton which takes third place with an energy efficiency score of 8.53. The Cheshire local authority has a low house price with the percentage of EPCs at grade C and above 6% higher than the average. 

4 - Telford and Wrekin, West Midlands - 8.48 energy value score

The West Midlands’ Telford and Wrekin sits in fourth place in our list, with the highest EPC percentage in its region. Despite having the same percentage of EPCs at grade C and above as Knowsley, house prices are just over £50,000 more expensive.

5 - Torfaen, Wales - 8.26 energy value score

In Wales, Torfaen makes for a good spot to live in, as the percentage of grade C and higher EPCs is 5% above the average, as well as having very reasonable housing prices. The Welsh local authority comfortably sits in fifth place on our list with an energy efficiency score of 8.26.

Housing

If the percentage of EPCs at band C and above is really low in your local authority, then it may make you want to move house. That’s why we found out the cheapest average house price.

1 - Burnley, North West- £110,890 average house price

The cheapest housing award goes to Lancashire’s Burnley, with a low average house price of just £110,000. It does come at a cost, however, with just 23% of EPCs at band C and above. Great for a cheap house but might have your energy bills soaring through the roof.

2 - County Durham, North East- £122,818 average house price

North East England’s County Durham takes second place with a very cheap house price of just over £120,000. What makes it even more reasonable is that the percentage of EPCs at band C and above matches the national average. 

3 - Pendle, North West - £124,139 average house price

Another Lancashire local authority takes third place, however like Burnley, it comes at a cost. Pendle has the lowest percentage of EPCs at band C and above, 2% lower than any other local authority.

1 - Kensington Chelsea, London Region - £1,451,567 average house price

There will be no surprise that our top three are dominated by London local authorities. The most expensive average house price is Kensington Chelsea, which will set you back a whopping £1.4 million. Although the number of EPCs above band C is just higher than the average, it is nowhere near the best value for money.

2 - Westminster, London Region - £1,030,679 average house price

Second place goes to Westminster where the average house price is also over £1 million. The percentage of EPCs at band C and above is 11% higher than the average, however, which makes its value for money ever so slightly better. 

3 - Camden, London Region - £868,105

Completing our London-dominated top three is Camden, with an average house price of £868k. Camden also has a reasonable number of EPCs above band C, with a score of 48%. However, it isn’t enough to compensate for the expensive housing prices.

Energy efficiency

With energy bills rising anyway, it is important to make sure that you aren’t paying for any energy which you aren’t using. A low percentage of EPCs at band C and above can mean that more energy could be wasted, this could result in your bills rising more than they need to. That’s why we compiled this list to show which local authorities in England and Wales have the most EPCs at band C and above.

1 - Tower Hamlets, London Region- 73% of EPCs at band C and above

Taking first place in our top three is London’s Tower Hamlets with an incredibly high score of 73%. This is 33% higher than the average and 10% higher than second place. An amazing place if you want to make the most of your energy usage. It does come at a £480k average house cost, however for a London house, this could be a lot worse.

2 - City of London, London Region - 63% of EPCs at band C and above

In second place with a score 23% higher than the average across England and Wales is the City of London, with a very good score of 63%. This will come with a large average house price cost of £750k. 

3 - North Northamptonshire, East Midlands - 59% of EPCs at band C and above

The only local authority outside of London to make our top three is North Northamptonshire with a very high percentage of 59%. It also comes at a reasonable house price of just over £250k which makes this an amazing middle ground to live in.

1 - Pendle, North West- 20% of EPCs at band C and above

Across England and Wales, it’s Lancashire’s Pendle which has the lowest percentage of band C EPCs. At just 20%, Pendle is half the average of 40%. Although houses are cheap, it’s likely that there will be a lot of wasted energy which could cause your bills to rise even higher.

2 - Gwynedd, Wales - 22% of EPCs at band C and above

With the lowest percentage of EPCs at band C and above in Wales, is Gwynedd which is 14% lower than the average in its country. 

3 - Burnley, North West- 23% EPCs at band C and above

Another Lancashire local authority completes our top three. Although Burnley boasts the cheapest housing prices, its low percentage of band C EPCs could have your energy bills rising. 

How Can You Improve Your Home's Energy Efficiency

If you want to make the step of improving your energy efficiency, then we’ve got you covered. Whether you want to reduce your energy costs or increase your home’s value, we’ve got some top tips to help better your energy efficiency. 

• Using LED lights

A small but effective step you can take to improve your energy efficiency is upgrading the lighting throughout your home to LED (light emitting diodes) lights. They are more energy efficient and eco-friendly, which can reduce your energy bills over time. It is a great and relatively inexpensive way to improve your energy efficiency at home. 

• Insulating walls and roof

The struggle of getting out of your warm bed during the winter is something we can all relate to, and the dilemma of putting the heating on overnight and wanting to save money can often cause a bit of a headache. One way of fixing this is through insulation. A lot of that heat when you put the heating on can be lost through the walls and the roof. By insulating these areas in your house, less energy will be lost. Therefore, it will take less energy to heat your house, and also a lower temperature to feel the warmth. 

• Investing in double/triple glazed windows

It’s not just your walls and roof that can allow energy to escape. Your windows also play a role in preventing you from getting your money’s worth. Whilst it can be a significant investment, it can reduce your energy efficiency and expenditure. 

• Install a more efficient boiler

Installing a new boiler can be an expensive improvement, but luckily for you, this is where we thrive. Our expertise in boilers can help you save up to £580 a year on your energy bills. A new, more efficient boiler can make serious improvements to your home’s heating system and can save you a lot of money. 

• Install a smart meter

If you want to see the effects of our tips, then a smart meter is a great way of closely monitoring your energy expenditure day by day. A smart meter gives you the chance to monitor your energy usage, and act quickly if you see it increasing. This can limit your costs every month, and save you money.

Methodology

We used the Land Registry’s UK House Price Index to find out the average house price between March 2022 and May 2022 for each local authority. 

We then used data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities to find out the energy performance certificate grades for each local authority.

We then divided our local authorities into categories based on their percentage of EPC at grade C and above. These categories were 20%-29%, 30%-39%, 40%-49%, 50%-59%, 60%+. To find the average house price within each category, we simply added the house prices together, and divided this by the number of local authorities within each category. 

To find out how much your house value could increase by, we found the difference in house values between consecutive categories (eg 30%-39% and 20%-29%). We then divided this number by the above category to calculate the percentage that your house’s value could increase (eg. (house value for 30%-39% minus the house value for 20%-29%) divided by the house value for 30%-39%).