What are the financial costs and savings?

If you were to install all of the 8 'modern eco-home' technologies listed above, it would cost you around £29,705 (although this is before accounting for any savings through government grants). This is likely to lower in the future, as there is now 0% VAT in energy saving materials, and hopefully more incentives on the way.

While the initial cost is a fairly large one, you could save around £37,260 over a 20 year period, more than paying off your investment. Powering your home with renewable energy in a more efficient way also protects you from the financial impact of fluctuating energy prices and rising fossil fuel costs, something we can expect more in the future. 

Realistically, most homeowner would make the upgrades one by one, rather than all at once; and many homes already have one or more in place, such as double glazing and insulation.

While air source heating and solar panels are at the more expensive end of the scale, they both come with government assistance - from October 2023, homeowners in England and Wales could save up to £7,500 on a new air source heat pump or £6,000 on a ground source heat pump through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Since January 2020, the Smart Export Guarantee also requires all large electricity companies to pay households for any excess solar energy from their solar panels that they are able to send back to the National Grid. 

Savings and incentives like these are worth adding up when you're deciding the best ways to make your home greener, as the costs are often outweighed by the benefits to your energy bills and carbon footprint.