HOME GREEN HOME: Three in four Brits are prepared to splash the cash for eco-friendly homes

Eight in ten Britons (79%) are committed to installing eco features in their home, with LED lightbulbs (40%), double glazing (37%), smart meters (31%) and dedicated recycling areas (16%) all making it into the top ten most popular trends, according to new research by cardboard campaign group Beyond the Box.

With sustainability a priority for more people than ever, substance surpasses style for one third of Brits (33%), who say an eco-friendly home is far more important than a fashionable abode.

What’s more, while half (50%) note sustainable home design is a priority, two in five (43%) say it would be the most important consideration if they could design their own home from scratch.

Despite two fifths (44%) thinking it costs too much to make eco-friendly design choices, many green-minded Brits are willing to splash the cash when it comes to making their home better for the planet.

The average Brit is willing to spend almost £3,500 on sustainable design tweaks to make their  home more eco-friendly. While, if money was no object, they’d happily splurge more than five times this amount (£19,950).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, homeowners are prepared to spend the most (£4,700) but even renters are willing to fork out over £2,000 to improve their living environment.

The greenest group of all? Millennials and Gen Z are leading the charge when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is.

Gen Z (aged 18-24) is on average willing to spend over £7,000 on their homes, followed by younger millennials (aged 25-34) who would cough up £4,400, compared to tight-fisted over 55s, who would invest just £2,600 in making greener choices.

And if money were no object, again the over 55s would spend less than younger generations (£18,900) compared to those under 35, who would spend almost £10,000 more (£27,300).

“It’s great to see that the younger generations are committed to investing in their homes to future-proof them and make them more environmentally friendly,” explains Andy Barnetson, spokesperson from Beyond the Box.

“However, before investing in solar panels or installing a wind turbine in your garden, there are simple steps you can take which can make a big difference. One easy and cost-effective change that every household can make is to create a dedicated area for your recycling – whether that’s adding another container next to your general waste, upcycling a decorative storage box or even building a new bin store in the garden.

“Making recycling an attractive part of your house means you can carry on recycling your cardboard packaging, without it ruining the Instagrammable corners of your home! Cardboard continues to be in high demand and continuing to recycle  means that the paper fibres used to make it  can be reused again and again – typically up to seven times. This means it’s more important than ever to keep on top of your household recycling.”

The research also suggests social media inspiration is a driving force for eco-friendly home trends. One in four Brits (25%) draws home inspiration from social media platforms, with Instagram the most influential channel for one in five (22%). The same number (22%) reveal social media directly inspires them to integrate more eco-friendly home design features.

And in addition to home décor, social media is inspiring whole generations to ramp up their focus on sustainability. Gen Z and millennials are the most inspired, with 39% and 35% respectively admitting social media encourages more sustainable behaviour, compared to almost one quarter of the general population (23%). Plus, a third of younger generations (33%) are inspired to integrate eco-friendly design features into their homes from social media, compared to less than a fifth of over 45s (15%).