The price cap will rise by £63 in October, the third increase this year. That single figure is driving more UK homeowners than ever to search for eco homes, according to new data from This is Money. The analysis, based on online search trends, ranks Britain’s greenest towns, and those where interest is falling behind.
As reported by This is Money, towns such as Brighton, Bristol, and Edinburgh top the list for eco-home searches, while areas like Blackburn, Hull, and Stoke show lower interest. The gap reflects real differences in household energy costs and property values, as well as differences in politics and lifestyle.
Who qualifies, and who doesn’t
The data ranks towns by online search intensity for terms like ‘solar panels’, ‘heat pumps’, and ‘eco home’. Brighton leads with a search index of 100, followed by Bristol at 97 and Edinburgh at 94. At the bottom, Blackburn scores just 12, Hull 14, and Stoke 16. The pattern correlates strongly with average EPC ratings: homes in Brighton and Bristol are far more likely to have an EPC of C or above than those in northern industrial towns.
But the catch is that interest does not always mean ability to act. A homeowner in Blackburn on a median income of £28,000 faces a very different financial calculus than a Brighton earner on £42,000. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers £7,500 off a heat pump, but the typical installation still costs £7,000–£13,000 after the grant. Without savings or a green mortgage, many simply cannot afford the upfront cost.
What it costs a typical 3-bed semi
For a typical 3-bed semi using 12,000 kWh of gas and 2,900 kWh of electricity per year, an air-source heat pump could cut heating bills by £200–£400 annually compared to a gas boiler, assuming the home is well insulated. But insulation itself costs: cavity wall insulation runs £2,000–£3,000, loft insulation £500–£1,000. The Energy Saving Trust estimates total upgrade costs for a D-rated home to reach C can exceed £10,000.
Yet the payoff extends beyond bills. Nationwide Building Society data shows homes with an EPC rating of C or above sell for an average of 8% more than equivalent D-rated properties. In Brighton, that premium can be £40,000 or more. For a Blackburn homeowner, the same percentage uplift might be £12,000, still significant, but harder to achieve if local installer capacity is low.
Why the gap matters for policy
The regional divide in eco-home interest is not a curiosity, it is a policy failure. Ofgem’s network charges, for instance, are lower in the north of England than in the south, but that advantage is dwarfed by the higher cost of heating older, draughtier homes. The government’s own data shows that 40% of homes in the North West have an EPC rating of D or below, compared to 28% in the South East.
What this misses is that the towns with lowest eco-interest also have the oldest housing stock and highest fuel poverty rates. Blackburn has one of the highest proportions of pre-1919 homes in the country, solid walls that are expensive to insulate. The Great British Insulation Scheme, launched in 2023, has so far reached only 150,000 households nationally, far short of the 3 million target. Without targeted support, the gap will widen.
Households in any region can check their EPC rating for free at gov.uk. Those in lower-rated homes should contact their local council for energy advice, many offer free surveys through the Home Upgrade Grant. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme runs until 2028, but installer waiting lists are already stretching to six months in some areas. Act now, or wait and pay more.
Frequently Asked Questions
The This is Money analysis provides a ranking based on online search data. You can also check local property listings for mentions of solar panels or heat pumps, higher numbers indicate growing demand. For a more direct measure, compare average EPC ratings in your postcode via the government's EPC register.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (£7,500 off heat pumps) and the Great British Insulation Scheme (free or subsidised insulation for low-income households) are UK-wide. The Home Upgrade Grant is available in England for off-gas-grid homes. Eligibility depends on household income and EPC rating, not location.
