It's HIPster time

From now on, UK home owners selling properties with four or more bedrooms will need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) included in a Home Information Pack (HIP) created for the buyer.

And six of the biggest power companies have promised to tell new owners about any green grants or offers they have available.

Grants of £100 to £300 are already available for loft and cavity wall insulation, and the scheme should be expanded next year. According to the Energy Saving Trust, measures recommended in the standard EPC could help save £300 a year on fuel bills.

But HIPs haven’t exactly been popular on the street, so the current version is massively watered down from what it was. On the plus side, at least the EPC part of it has some genuine benefits. If only the rest made as much sense.