The quickest and cheapest home improvements to cut your energy bills

Expert builder Kieran McCarthy answers your questions on the best options to give you a quick return on your investment

There is little point in spending on upgrading your energy sources if your existing building is wildly inefficient.

Hi Kieran, My partner and I are sick – we’ve just got our second massive electricity bill.

Help! I know we’re not alone, but this has left us stunned. How can we best future-proof our home, or at least shave back the bills? It’s a 1980s semi-d we bought six years ago and it had a C1 BER at the time. It’s pretty draught-free, at least, and has gas central heating and insulated to the standards of the day. Should we do PV panels on the roof for energy generation?