The number of homes coming onto the market with dedicated access to an electric car charging point has increased six-fold in a year, new figures reveal.
Those listed for sale with such a charging point either on the premises or in a nearby street has increased 541 per cent in the past 12 months, according to Rightmove.
It looked at the number of homes being added to its property website that mention the green feature in the property description, with a third of them having been added since the beginning of September.
This seven-bedroom semi-detached property in Epsom, Surrey, has an electric car charging point and is for sale for £825,000 via Barnard Marcus estate agents
Its research excluded new build homes in a bid to determine the uplift in older homes having charging points installed or available nearby.
Rightmove attributed the rise to a combination of homeowners upgrading their properties with electric charging points before selling, rising numbers of public charging points being installed across Britain, and more agents highlighting charging points in property listings.
An electric vehicle is said to be 47 per cent cheaper a year to run than a petrol equivalent, according to separate research by Compare the Market and they now make up around one in 10 new car sales.
Most people choose to install a straightforward 7kW home charger on their premises as this will charge a car three times faster than a three-pin plug.
This four-bedroom detached home in Grampound, Cornwall, has an electric car charging point and is for sale for £700,000 via Liddicoat estate agents
It comes amid the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow and growing interest in eco-friendly features at home, with the fuel crisis also prompting the focus on electric cars.
Tim Bannister, of Rightmove, said: ‘This week, concerns about the environment are rightly front and centre of the headlines, and this study is an interesting example of how growing awareness about the environment and energy efficiency can impact the property market.
‘The number of electric vehicle charging points is continuing to rise, and in turn, we’re hearing from agents that potential buyers are increasingly adding access to a charging point to their list when choosing the right home.
‘Alongside the energy performance of a home, we anticipate electric car charging points will become more important for buyers over the next few years, and will be an additional selling point for movers listing their home.’
This five-bedroom detached property in Tonbridge, Kent, has an electric car charging point and is for sale for £725,000 via Freeman Forman estate agents
This three-bedroom detached house in Morpeth, Norhumberland, has an electric car charging point and is for sale for £265,000 via Goodfellows estate agents
Estate agents also reported evidence of more buyers are enquiring about electric car charging points in homes for sale.
Charlie Gladding, of Peter Joy Estate Agents, said: ‘Stroud has a reputation for being environmentally aware and it’s something we’re certainly hearing more about from both buyers and sellers.
‘Not only are people more enthusiastic about energy efficiency upgrades, but the fact they are acting and having them installed means people are more conscious of ‘futureproofing’ their home.
‘With COP26, our carbon footprint, and climate change in general, more people are certainly aware of their actions, and enquiries about whether electric car chargers are installed, or it is possible to install them will be a theme that consistently grows into conversations over the next couple of years’.
And Guy Gittins, of Chestertons, said: ‘Buyers are understandably becoming increasingly eco-conscious and want their home to reflect this.
‘On top of good EPC ratings, house hunters now demand more from their property and we expect the requirement for charging points for electric vehicles to continue to rise.’
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
