How energy-saving technology can benefit homeowners
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a rising percentage of the population is struggling amid the cost-of-living crisis, with almost half of UK adults finding it difficult to afford their energy bills, rent, or mortgage payments.
Unsurprising, the continuing crisis has propelled energy-efficiency to the top of homeowners’ priority lists – according to property maintenance solution provider Help me Fix, 74% of homeowners rank the energy efficiency of their home with greater importance amidst the cost-of-living crisis. However, while many homeowners are thinking about installing renewable technologies and other energy-saving measures, they are failing to take actionable steps.
Their reluctance can be attributed to various reasons, including:
· Having a limited understanding of their home energy use and how to make improvements that align with their personal goals
· A poor grasp of the advice and grants available
· A complex and frequently changing financing landscape that varies across the UK
· An often disjointed and complex customer journey with varying levels of support across different regions
· Low confidence in projected savings
· Lack of trust in installers
Because of these factors, and without a clear understanding of the benefits, many homeowners are hesitant to make large investments in energy-saving measures.
Whilst challenging, this presents industry – from installers to Financial Services Providers (FSPs) – with an opportunity to educate homeowners and dismiss the idea that improvements and upgrades are too costly or difficult to implement. Key to this is employing technology that can present homeowners with energy-saving options in an easy-to-understand way.
Leading with technology
One tool available to industry to educate and guide homeowners is the Heero app, which offers personalised home energy insights and recommendations, as well as valuable information on the financing and installation of energy-saving home improvements.
The app, which is available as a white-label or co-branded solution to lenders and installers, is designed to streamline the user experience and guide homeowners through the entire retrofit journey.
For service providers, the benefit of using an independent energy platform such as the Heero app is that it allows them to deliver agnostic, bespoke property information to guide their customers.
For example, FSPs can use the platform to present homeowners with personalised and targeted finance offers, while installers can use it to highlight specific measures based on their ability to improve the thermal efficiency of the property and to generate energy/heat from renewable sources, as well as to show the cost of installation and energy bills savings associated with the suggested measures.
Furthermore, the app can be used to recommend installers based on customer feedback, estimated cost of work, and proximity to the householder.
Helping homeowners
Although Heero is not a direct-to-consumer app, the benefits of the technology to homeowners are clear – it offers personalised energy recommendations with up to 95% accuracy whilst addressing challenges such as the disruption caused by invasive energy efficiency measures and confusion over financing and government funding.
Additionally, it identifies the most effective improvements and equips homeowners with the knowledge and tools to make decisions that will positively impact their cost of living.
For more information, visit https://www.heerotechnologies.com/