Selling your house

Whether you're buying, selling or just improving your home, it pays to know how simple energy saving changes can affect the value of a property in the long term as well as lower your bills in the short term.

Research shows that buyers are willing to pay more for an environmentally friendly home. Though buyers may be initially swayed by a lick of paint or a mowed lawn, more than two thirds look past cosmetic improvements to more important factors, such as the condition of the boiler or the quality of the windows.

Rising fuel prices and greater environmental awareness are encouraging buyers to pay closer attention to a home's running costs and its impact on the planet.

Here are five simple things you can do to attract buyers, and save money on your bills.

Loft insulation

Insulating your loft is not very expensive and can save around £205 a year on heating bills, or upgrading your existing insulation can save around £60 a year - a real selling point for buyers.

It's cheap, clean and quick to do and could save around £160 on heating bills annually. Plus it only takes around 3 hours on average to install.

Over a third of buyers are put off buying a property with an out of date heating system. Installing an energy efficient boiler will make your home more attractive to buyers.

Nearly a fifth of buyers are put off by single-glazed windows. Energy Saving Recommended double glazing adds value, lowers bills and reduces noise.

Installing heating controls, including a thermostat and automatic timer switches for heating and hot water will improve the efficiency of the heating system, cutting costs further for prospective buyers.