The news that the top eco-friendly home improvements for homeowners have been revealed – with a number being electrician jobs.
Homeowners were surveyed, as part of Rated People’s Home Improvement Trends Report, to discover what eco jobs they will be tackling around the house – and the top improvement was to install smart lighting, followed by upgrading to eco-friendly appliances and installing double-glazing.
- Nearly a third (31%) of homeowners are making eco-friendly changes to their homes
- Tradespeople have seen a 29% rise in green home improvement jobs
With ‘home improvement’ searches up 380% according to Google Trends, it seems we’re focused on updating and fixing-up our homes during lockdown. Interestingly, according to a recent report by Rated People, nearly a third of homeowners (31%) are looking to specifically take on eco-related work at home this year – showing that energy efficiency and green issues are of high importance to homeowners.
The report, which surveyed over 1,000 UK homeowners, also reveals the top ten eco focuses that homeowners are tackling – with the number one improvement being to install smart lighting, energy efficient LED bulbs that can be automated and controlled via an app. Nearly a third (31%) are making this style of lighting their priority with their home improvements, with upgrading to eco-friendly appliances and double-glazing next on the list.
Top 10 Eco Home Improvements
- Install smart lighting to reduce electricity use
- Upgrade to eco-friendly appliances
- Install double-glazing
- Introduce cavity wall insulation
- Install solar panels
- Start a compost heap
- Install solar water heating
- Set-up an electric car port
- Install a biomass boiler
- Install a heat pump
The results confirm that interest in making green changes to the home is increasing, with a 17% rise in people undertaking eco-friendly improvements compared to last year. Tradespeople are also seeing this reflected in the work they are being booked for, 29% have seen a rise in green-related jobs.
Tradespeople themselves are making their businesses eco-friendlier too. This year, 48% are making adjustments to their businesses to reduce the impact they have on the environment. Some of these changes include:
- Using photos and videos from customers to provide information and give quotes for jobs rather than travelling to them and using the vehicle unnecessarily (a change initially driven by the desire to be kinder to the environment and likely accelerated with lockdown)
- Using materials that have less plastic packaging
- Changing all power tools to battery operated
- Upgrading to an electric-powered van
- Reusing old materials to reduce waste
These changes may well impact the number of customers as well – the report shows that 35% of homeowners would be more likely to hire a tradesperson if they were eco-friendly.
To read the full report, visit: https://www.ratedpeople.com/blog/the-rated-people-home-improvement-trends-report-2020