The research is part of the newly launched 2023 edition of the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report, where the company analysed around 1.1 million home improvement jobs posted through its platform by UK homeowners, and spoke to 315 UK tradespeople and 2,003 UK residents, aged 16 and above.
Homeowner demand for eco-home improvements has increased considerably over the past two years as people try to live more sustainably and find ways to reduce the cost of their energy bills.
Not only are they looking for ways to be greener around the home themselves, but one in three (34%) UK homeowners also say they’d be more likely to choose a tradesperson if they were environmentally friendly, so it is more important than ever for tradespeople to improve their green credentials.
This year, Rated People’s research shows electricians are the most committed to sustainability, with almost nine in 10 (86%) adapting their businesses to make them more environmentally friendly. Handypeople are second with 78% making eco changes. Bathroom fitters (75%) come third, gardeners (71%) are in fourth place and builders (64%) take fifth position.
The top trades that will make their businesses more environmentally friendly in 2023:
|
1. Electricians |
86% |
|
2. Handypeople |
78% |
|
3. Bathroom fitters |
75% |
|
4. Gardeners/ landscape gardeners |
71% |
|
5. Builders |
64% |
|
6. Plumbers |
58% |
|
7. Painters and decorators |
58% |
|
8. Carpenters/ joiners |
54% |
|
9. Plasterers/ renderers |
50% |
|
10. Roofers |
48% |
|
11. Gas/ heating engineers |
46% |
|
12. Tilers |
38% |
More than three-quarters (78%) of responding UK tradespeople say they will be making changes to their business and ways of working to be more environmentally friendly this year. Well over half (59%) say this is because they care about the planet, and 42% because they think homeowners want businesses to be more eco-focused.
More than half of UK tradespeople (52%) say they plan to take on more local jobs in 2023 to cut down travel time so they use less fuel and four in 10 (41%) will start giving quotes remotely to reduce the amount of time they spend on the road.
Tradespeople also plan to improve their recycling methods, use second-hand parts where possible, and start to drive electric vehicles to make their businesses more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
How tradespeople will adapt their businesses to become more eco-friendly in 2023:
|
1. Taking more local jobs to reduce travel time (fuel) |
52% |
|
2. Giving more quotes remotely to cut down on driving time (fuel) |
41% |
|
3. Improving recycling |
35% |
|
4. Reducing waste |
31% |
|
5. Using environmentally friendly materials/ products |
30% |
|
6. Using British parts where possible/support other local businesses |
20% |
|
7. Using second-hand parts where possible |
16% |
|
8. Getting an electric vehicle |
13% |
Almost twice as many homeowners want to have ‘eco home improvements’ installed this year than in 2022. Last year, one in four (25%) homeowners made their homes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, while in 2023, this increases considerably to almost one in two (45%), which presents a sizeable opportunity for tradespeople in the UK.
Looking at home improvement jobs posted through Rated People by UK homeowners over the past two years reveals the top 10 eco adaptations that are seeing the biggest increase in homeowner demand.
At-home electric car charging points have seen the steepest rise, with demand going up by 2406% in the last two years. In second place are biomass boilers with an increase of 225%. Energy-producing solar panels are in third position, with demand rising by 222%. Demand for thermal insulation has gone up by 143% and triple glazing has increased by 125%.
The top 10 eco-home improvements with the biggest increase in demand:
|
1. At-home electric car charging point |
+2406% |
|
2. Biomass boiler |
+225% |
|
3. Solar panels |
+222% |
|
4. Thermal insulation |
+143% |
|
5. Triple glazing |
+125% |
|
6. External wall insulation |
+70% |
|
7. Living roof |
+67% |
|
8. Double glazing |
+12% |
|
9. uPVC windows and doors |
+11% |
|
10. Water underfloor heating |
+10% |
As part of the research, Rated People spoke to homeowners who plan eco home improvements this year to discover which ones they are planning to have.
Four of the top five eco home improvements that homeowners want in 2023 are related to reducing energy usage – the top eco improvement planned is a smart meter. In second place is draught proofing, and in third position is installing extra insulation.
Other popular eco-home improvements for 2023 include: solar panels, electric car charging points, heat pumps and underfloor heating.
Top 20 eco home improvements homeowners are planning to top 20 install in 2023:
Adrienne Minster, CEO of Rated People, commented: “At Rated People, we care about how home improvements are done and it’s great to see that sustainability is becoming even more of a consideration among tradespeople and homeowners.
“Even though April’s energy price cap wasn’t increased, the price of energy is still higher than ever, so it’s no surprise that many homeowners are looking to eco-home improvements, like solar panels, to help them reduce the cost of their energy bills.
“For UK tradespeople, this increasing demand opens up a huge opportunity both in how they run their businesses and the services they provide, and we expect it will continue to grow.
“Although there are several schemes available to homeowners to reduce the cost of installing green home improvements, if more could be done, UK tradespeople would be able to help even more people to create better, more sustainable homes for the future.”
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