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Modern home must-haves include heat pumps, solar panels, triple glazing, and boiling water taps, according to Laurence Llewellyn Bowen

Brits’ ideas of a classic home are changing as a result of people being more conscious about their home’s impact on the environment (38%), according to new research from Daikin UK, the UK’s leading experts in sustainable climate solutions.

Some 81% believe that environmentally friendly features such as a heat pump, an EV charging point and solar panels are now a modern home must have, rather than a nice to have, with a WHOPPING 90% agreeing that they are something that house buyers look out for when buying a new home.

A further 94% believe that everyone has the responsibility to protect the environment for future generations, with 18-to-29-year-olds (96%) the most passionate about protecting the planet. 

As a result, eight in ten (81%) wish their current home was MORE environmentally friendly, and are worried about the impact it is having on the environment (71%), but HAVE NO idea where to start to rectify it.

Nine in ten (91%) believe the Government should be doing more to stop the use of fossil fuels in UK homes, with Gen Z’s (97%) the most likely to be looking at the Government for action.

Interior designer and TV personality, Laurence Llewellyn Bowen has partnered with Daikin UK to highlight the importance of sustainable climate solutions for the home. Commenting on the findings he said: “This research shows how what we want from our homes is changing and that people are not only thinking decoratively but also environmentally when it comes to what they want their home to be like, and what it says to others.

Many of the ‘modern home must-haves’, like heat pumps, are thoughtfully designed and can be incorporated seamlessly into homes without compromising on style.
Interior designer and TV personality, Laurence Llewellyn Bowen

Iain Bevan, Residential New Business Director at Daikin UK, which commissioned the survey, says: “Buildings currently account for around 20% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions1. A staggering two-thirds of this comes from residential buildings, so reducing the amount of emissions related to heating our homes will have a huge impact. The vast majority of homes in the UK are suitable for an air source heat pump - and they can save you money on your heating bills, plus there are funding schemes that can make the cost of installing a heat pump roughly the same as a gas boiler.”

Installing environmentally friendly heating and energy solutions in your property makes it more attractive to buyers and can increase its value too. According to Rightmove, a property moving from an EPC rating of F to a C could increase its value by an average of 15%, or almost £56,267 when looking at the national average asking price.

Rightmove’s property expert Tim Bannister says: “Our data shows that there’s a green price premium on top of the local house price growth, when people sell their homes with green improvements. In the coming years, a home's energy efficiency rating will likely play an increasingly significant role in buying or renting decisions, given the substantial cost savings on energy bills and the added resale value."

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the benefits of installing a heat pump should go to Daikin‘s website.

1 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: 2022 Provisional emissions statistics report

Our data shows that there’s a green price premium on top of the local house price growth, when people sell their homes with green improvements
Rightmove’s property expert Tim Bannister

30 MODERN HOME MUST-HAVES, ACCORDING TO BRITS:

  1. Open-plan living spaces – 50%
  2. Solar panels – 44%
  3. Triple glazed windows – 43%
  4. Ensuite bathrooms – 41%
  5. Boiling water tap – 38%
  6. Bookshelves – 37%
  7. High levels of insulation – 36%
  8. Smart lighting – 36%
  9. Air conditioning – 35%
  10. Kitchen island – 35%
  11. Smart Energy meter – 35%
  12. LED lighting – 35%
  13. A vegetable patch in the garden – 34%
  14. Plant balcony – 34%
  15. Underfloor heating – 32%
  16. Home office – 32%
  17. Fresh flowers and plants – 31%
  18. A garage or allocated parking – 30%
  19. EV charging points – 28%
  20. Integrated music system – 25%
  21. Air purifier – 21%
  22. Wet rooms – 20%
  23. Shutter blinds – 20%
  24. Garden fire pit – 20%
  25. Bifold glass doors – 18%
  26. Granite kitchen worktops – 18%
  27. Scandinavian style furniture – 18%
  28. A low carbon heat pump – 18%
  29. Hanging pendant lights – 17%
  30. Freestanding baths – 17%

30 HOME FEATURES THAT ARE NOW CONSIDERED OUTDATED:

  1. A landline phone – 66%
  2. Wood chip wallpaper – 56%
  3. Single glazing – 55%
  4. Frilly curtains – 40%
  5. DVD/CD player on show – 38%
  6. Oil tanks – 37%
  7. Coloured bathroom suites – 37%
  8. Carpeted bathrooms – 34%
  9. Net curtains – 32%
  10. Lace tablecloths – 31%
  11. Candles in wine bottles – 31%
  12. Pebble dash – 28%
  13. Fake Flowers – 27%
  14. A separate dining room – 27%
  15. Water beds – 26%
  16. Wooden sash windows – 26%
  17. Decorative wallpaper borders – 25%
  18. Word art (e.g. live, laugh & love signs) – 24%
  19. Beaded curtains – 24%
  20. Cottage-style kitchen units – 23%
  21. Floral patterns – 23%
  22. Shag pile carpets – 22%
  23. Cream or white painted walls – 21%
  24. Bean bag furniture – 21%
  25. A pantry – 19%
  26. Wooden decking in the garden – 16%
  27. Too many cushions on the bed – 16%
  28. Frosted glass – 16%
  29. A fish pond in the garden – 13%
  30. Shabby chic furniture -13%