What are the benefits of retrofitting?

In today’s climate of rising costs, investing in your home might seem like a luxury. But retrofitting — the process of improving your home for better energy efficiency — offers a wealth of financial and eco benefits that can enhance your quality of life.

Put simply, retrofitting your home can be a smart investment that pays off in multiple ways. In this guide, we’re going to explore some of the key benefits of retrofitting that you could unlock by improving your home.

Before we dive in, if you’re new to retrofitting, we recommend reading our introduction to retrofitting to get a basic understanding.

Reducing your energy bills

Let’s kick off with one of the main financial benefits of retrofitting. Older homes, built in an era with less focus on energy efficiency, often suffer from significant heat loss. This translates to higher energy consumption and soaring fuel bills. While your home may have lovely historic features, it can also have draughty windows, poorly insulated walls and roofs, which all contribute to wasted energy and money.

By retrofitting your home, you can begin to find solutions to some of these issues. From small changes, like swapping to a more water efficient shower, to larger projects, like adding insulation, they all help to reduce heat loss and use utilities more efficiently. This means that your home won’t need to work as hard to keep you warm, happy and healthy, and your bills should drop as a result.

You just need to look at the numbers to see this in action. According to data from Rightmove, the average annual energy bill for a three-bed terraced home with a D-rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) in 2024 is £2,307 per year. If you upgraded your home so that it was EPC C-rated, your bill would reduce by £650 to just £1,657 per year.

Boosting your property value

Another financially motivated benefit of retrofitting is the uplift in property value your home could enjoy as a result of being upgraded.

Buyers are looking for homes that are cheaper to run and more eco-friendly. In fact, a survey by JLL found that they consider this one of the most desirable features, and 70% of buyers would be willing to pay over the odds to secure a home that fits the bill.

By retrofitting, you may be able to tap into this extra resale value if you’ve got an older, inefficient home. An EPC certificate is the way your home’s efficiency is measured and communicated to potential buyers, so making enough improvements to increase your rating can be key to improving your asking price.

Contributing to a greener future

Retrofitting is playing a vital role in the UK’s transition towards a sustainable, low-carbon economy. By reducing energy consumption in existing buildings, we lessen our reliance on fossil fuels and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

The UK has the oldest housing stock in Europe (health.org.uk) and 29 million homes need to be retrofitted before 2050 to hit the Government’s target of being net zero by 2050 (UKGBC). By choosing to enhance your home, you will be making a responsible choice that benefits both your wallet and the planet.

Improving your health and the health of your home

We don’t need to point out that the UK is a mild, windy and rainy island. And we’ve been building homes to deal with the climate for hundreds of years. But, we also have a lot of very old houses — 1 in 5 were built before 1900 (Zoopla) — which means that they weren’t built with efficiency in mind and are more likely to be in a state of disrepair.

By retrofitting, you’re essentially giving your home an upgrade so it’s better equipped to deal with the UK’s climate. By retaining more heat, you’ll be less prone to problems like damp and mould, and your heating won’t have as much stress placed on it. In the long run, your home will stay in a better condition, with less maintenance needed.

Alongside your home’s health, retrofitting can also benefit your own health. The impact of poor quality housing on resident’s health is estimated to cost the NHS over £540 million a year, and a BRE report identified that strategic retrofitting could be the key to resolving this issue in the long term.

When you unlock the benefit of retrofitting, you will be creating a healthier living environment for you and your loved ones with improved insulation and ventilation to reduce moisture build-up, prevent mould growth and improve indoor air quality. It’s safe to say it sounds like a smart move to make.

Ready to retrofit?

Retrofitting your home is an investment that offers long-term benefits. From reducing energy costs and increasing property value to creating a more comfortable and sustainable living space, the advantages are clear.

Take the first step towards a more energy-efficient home by using our Retrofit Explorer tool to get insights into your EPC rating and how you can improve it.