Energy reports help all homeowners reduce their carbon footprint as well as saving energy and money.

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is best known as a compulsory component of the HIP that empowers home buyers by giving them the ability to easily compare properties in terms of fuel bills and from a green perspective, as well as providing information about improving energy efficiency.

However, few homeowners realise that they do not need to be selling their property to instruct a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) to carry an energysurvey and issue an Energy Performance Certificate with the associated benefits.

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Tony Bright, founder of hipCENTRAL the UK’s leading Home Information Pack directory, commented: "All homeowners want to reduce their carbon footprint and reduce their impact upon global warning. I have never heard anybody say otherwise. There are also the added benefits of cost savings. It costs between £100 and £150 to get an independent energy survey carried out and the survey can easily pay for itself, if the suggested changes are made.

"The associated costs with some of the more expensive home improvements, such as double-glazing, may be a deterrent to some. This is because the payback periods can be unacceptably long to all but the greenest homeowners, especially when conservative estimates of future fuel costs are used. However, it is always worth checking on the Energy Saving Trusts website: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk to find out whether there are any

grants or incentives available for green home improvements.

Bright added: "It is worth noting that these improvements will improve the energy rating of your home which will be reflected in the property’s Energy Performance Certificate and is likely to improve both the saleability and the asking price."

(JM)