Living in West Sussex, with Alice Luxmoore Styles
From the people who move you: Alice Luxmoore Styles shares her favourite places in West Sussex.
Take 5… Homes with impressive EPCs
Everyone’s talking about EPCs. Since the government introduced a timeline to get homes, rental properties and offices to specific energy efficiency ratings by various deadlines, all eyes are on how we can get buildings across the UK to rise up the EPC ranks. For our homes, the government wants as many residential houses as possible to be EPC B and C by 2035.
Rightmove’s recent Green Homes Report found that improving a house’s EPC rating from an F to a C could boost its value by 16%. And if that’s not incentive enough, our latest Housing Futures research reported that 67% of those surveyed said it’s important their future home is environmentally friendly, with this figure increasing to 75% for those aged 18-34. As the government’s deadlines get ever closer, it’s likely these figures are only set to increase.
Whether you’re inspired to make sustainable home improvements because you want to save money on energy bills, reduce your carbon footprint or add value to your home, there’s lots to consider and assess before making any changes. If you’d prefer to cut to the chase and have your next home environmentally signed, sealed and delivered, we’ve picked five fantastic homes on the market that already have high EPCs…
EPC: A
A real stand-out eco home. This New England style house in Exeter’s Duryard boasts the best EPC rating out there, thanks to extremely good insulation, underfloor heating across the majority of the house, a large amount of A+ rated glass, and the maximum number of solar panels. The solar panels even generate income through feed-in tariffs which covers the electricity and gas bills.
Three Oaks, Grinshill, Shrewsbury
EPC: B
Architecturally interesting and environmentally savvy in equal measures. With a half-sunken design and a living roof, Three Oaks has the wow factor, as well as the eco credentials. There’s solar panels, a private water supply via a borehole, and a bio-mass boiler with an intelligent heating system control.
Castara, Gold Hill, Lower Bourne, Farnham
EPC: B
A show stopper. Castara was built in 2007 and designed by Peter Huf, of renowned HUF HAUS. Constructed using an innovative timber-frame and with German engineering, the five bedroom home delivers high energy efficiency. There’s a lot of glass and it’s all triple glazed.
EPC: A
Apartment living done right. Passivhaus Plus certified, this two bedroom home offers exceptional energy efficiency and low running costs. Whilst heating and hot water comes from an Air Source Heat Pump, there’s also a Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery system which recovers 70% of heating energy, as well as providing fresh filtered air to the home. Sliding doors lead onto the terrace which overlooks Seaton Beach, a lovely pebbly beach on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast.
Home Farm, Rudding Lane, Harrogate
EPC: B
A barn conversion with a twist. Whilst there’s plenty of original features, including spectacular stonework, this home’s interiors are modern and high-spec. Highlights include a Smart Home Control system to ensure everything’s connected and working efficiently, as well as underfloor heating across the ground floor.
