PRACTICAL GUIDE · UPDATED 2026-10-30

Make a home energy plan before choosing new equipment

Combine safe everyday savings with a survey-led plan for insulation, heating, solar and tariffs that fits your home and budget.

1. UnderstandRead bills and record use and comfort.

2. Reduce wasteUse safe controls and suitable fabric improvements.

3. Assess optionsGet a whole-home survey.

4. Compare plansCompare full costs and predicted performance.

A practical order for a home energy plan. A useful sequence, not a rule to delay essential repairs. Good ventilation and safe hot-water temperatures remain part of the plan.

Write down what you want to improve: lower bills, warmer rooms, more reliable hot water, lower emissions or several of these. Record annual electricity and gas kWh, occupancy, heating schedules, uncomfortable rooms and expected changes such as an electric vehicle. Use the GOV.UK home-energy recommendations service for an initial shortlist. Its estimates depend on the property details supplied and should lead into a site assessment rather than substitute for one.

Start with safe routine changes, then investigate why the home needs so much heat. Suitable draught proofing and insulation can reduce heat demand whichever heating system you use. Preserve planned ventilation and investigate damp before covering it up. Ask the assessor which fabric improvements are practical for your building and how they change the required heating capacity. An EPC is useful background, but request a room-by-room heat-loss calculation for heating design.

Compare coherent options: improving existing heating and controls, replacing it with a heat pump, and adding solar where suitable. Ask for annual purchased energy, expected comfort, hot-water provision and emissions assumptions separately. Lower carbon emissions do not by themselves establish lower bills. Solar generation, battery storage and a heat pump interact, so do not simply add savings from three separate sales estimates. Have the combined proposal modelled against the same household demand and tariffs.

Request exact written quotes after site assessment, with equipment, radiator or cylinder changes, electrical work, roof or access work, controls, waste removal, VAT and exclusions identified. Compare warranties, servicing, replacement allowances and handover support. Ask what happens to the cost forecast if energy prices change or seasonal heat-pump performance is lower than predicted. Treat any payback calculation as a scenario with stated assumptions, not a guarantee.

Check current government support through GOV.UK before signing or paying, including Boiler Upgrade Scheme rules where relevant. Eligibility and approved application arrangements matter; an advert is not confirmation of funding. Compare the supplier's written tariff contract alongside the installation proposal, including peak rates, standing charges and exit terms. Do not assume a retained gas connection becomes free when it is rarely used. Tenants should agree property alterations with their landlord before commissioning work.

At handover, obtain commissioning records, manuals, warranty details and a demonstration of heating and hot-water controls. Have the qualified installer record hygiene and scald-protection arrangements, especially for stored water. Keep gas work with an appropriately qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. Review actual consumption and comfort through the first heating season, allowing for weather and occupancy, and arrange follow-up if the system underperforms.

Your checklist

Build one brief covering bills, comfort, hot-water demand and carbon goals.
Get a site assessment and compare exact quotes for the same scope.
Verify funding and tariff terms directly before committing.
Keep a staged budget, commissioning paperwork and a plan to review performance.

Sources & further reading

General information, not a property assessment, booking or assurance about a listed business. Dates indicate content updates; they are not invented publication dates.

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