A Renovator’s Guide to Reducing Your Household Energy and Bills

The easiest time to make your home greener is during a home renovation. Whether you're renovating a kitchen, bathroom or the whole house, it’s a great opportunity to make energy efficient upgrades to your home – saving energy and money off your bills. Beams is on a mission to help homeowners make simple and impactful changes that's better for both you and the planet. 

Around one quarter of the UK’s total carbon emissions come from our homes – mainly from our heating, lighting and household appliances.

The UK’s housing stock is the least energy efficient in Europe (on average, they lose 3°C in 5 hours when it’s 20°C inside and 0°C outside), due to having the oldest homes and renovation rates are around three times lower than the EU.

To reach our net zero target in the UK – a balanced state where the amount of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere is no more than the amount taken away – we’ll need to improve the energy efficiency of our homes.

There are many simple, energy-efficient upgrades that homeowners can make to reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills. On average a Beams customer who renovates with us reduces their carbon emissions by 50% and saves an average of £2,500 a year on their energy bills. To put that in perspective, if a homeowner embarks on a home renovation, the annual savings over time could cover the cost of the renovation between 6 - 10 years, depending on the size of the renovation. Great for homeowners and the planet.

We carry out a free Home Energy Assessment Report for every homeowner who chooses to renovate with Beams. Following the report, we provide a Greener Package, which outlines the upgrades available, alongside the energy and money savings for your bills.


Here are some of the energy-efficient upgrades we recommend to homeowners:

Wall insulation
We recommend installing ISO-THERM - Thin Internal Wall Insulation (TIWI) – a new and innovative patented textile-based thermal wall insulation (ultra-thin), for dry and warm walls. Wall insulation is the most effective measure to improve the energy efficiency of homes because so much heat is lost through walls.

Window upgrades
Upgrading single-glazed windows with high performance double glazed windows act as effective thermal insulators, reducing the need for excessive heating or cooling within your property. In reducing heat transfer through windows, they contribute to maintaining a stable indoor temperature.As an alternative to replacing windows, we also offer secondary glazing solutions, such as Gecko Panes films, which trap a layer of air, turning it into a strong insulator, which reduces escaping heat and emissions by up to 50%. Easily installed, obstruction free and energy-efficient insulation, at a fraction of the cost.

Boiler controls installation
Installing boiler controls, such as weather compensation, will help boilers run more smoothly. Weathering compensation devices monitor interior and exterior temperatures, then modify boiler operation accordingly.

Water aerator installation
These devices reduce water flow without impacting your experience. You will use less water per minute, without any perceptible impact to water pressure.

Waste water heat recovery unit installation
Recovery trays recapture the heat and reuse it to heat water the next time you turn on the bath or shower. It can recycle 50% of the energy used and it only takes one day to install.

LED lighting installation
Most LED lights are already LED. Ensuring that the remaining 20% of lights are LED will reduce your energy consumption.


What this means for you and the planet

On average, homeowners that renovate with Beams reduce their carbon emissions and water consumption significantly, saving over hundreds of pounds a year on their utility bills with an annual savings rate of around 8%. 

If you’re interested in embarking on a home renovation and making your home more energy efficient, get a free estimate and we’ll guide you through the process.


UK data – CCC, 6th carbon budget 2020 – 87 Mt CO2e from direct emissions, 31Mt CO2e from indirect (Buildings’ share of electricity), total 522 Mt CO2e.