Sustainable Living: What NI Home Movers Want

Published 21 May 2025

As climate concerns and rising energy costs continue to affect the world at large, sustainable living has also become a top priority for home movers across Northern Ireland. Energy efficient homes, eco-conscious design, renewable energy sources and green mortgage incentives are now starting to play a key role in how people search for a new home.

April 2025 marked the busiest start to Q2 for residential property sales in four years, according to PropertyPal’s latest market report which showed that house sales were 5% higher versus April 2024 and sold on average 13 days faster. Alongside this, PropertyPal has also observed a clear rise in users actively searching for properties with high EPC ratings and eco-friendly energy sources.

Homes with alternative heating sources such as wind, solar and geothermal alongside homes with existing and potential high energy efficiency ratings and lower running costs are particularly in demand. With lower energy bills and a reduced environmental impact, these properties are considered a practical choice for anyone looking to future-proof their home.

Estate agents are also now keen to highlight when properties have been upgraded with improved insulation, double or triple glazing and this is viewed as a key selling point. These enhancements significantly boost a home’s energy performance and help lower long-term running costs, especially appealing to environmentally conscious buyers.

As part of a strategic goal to lead and influence on sustainability, professional bodies for the property industry such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have published guides like the residential retrofit standard to support the movement to decarbonise the residential property sector. This standard provides a framework which RICS members can use to advise on retrofit options in homes for existing market stock.

Lenders are also supporting this sustainability shift through green mortgage products which offer benefits such as lower interest rates or cashback for energy efficient purchases or improvements, making sustainable choices more accessible for a wider range of buyers.

Sustainability is also shaping how new homes are built. Developers are rethinking the materials used, their construction methods and key design approaches in order to reduce the environmental impact of their housing developments from the outset.

For existing homeowners, small lifestyle changes such as switching to LED lighting, using a programmable thermostat or installing water saving fixtures are all simple yet effective ways to reduce energy use in the home. And a number of publicly funded grants are now available to homeowners such as the Affordable Warmth Scheme or Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme to save energy and combat rising energy prices.

As more buyers, and indeed renters, prioritise sustainability, eco-conscious living is becoming a defining feature of Northern Ireland’s property market with more and more home movers recognising the long-term benefits of eco-friendly homes.