A few alterations to a home can help to make it more environmentally friendly, with insulation and lighting existing as two areas of improvement, a specialist has noted.

Increasing the insulation of properties can help to improve their environmental credentials, while updating all light fittings to LED ranges can further improve energy usage, interior designer Danielle Proud has advised.

Ms Proud also stressed that environmentally-friendly improvements will not hinder the aesthetics of a home.

"Now that it [LED lighting] is a legal requirement in building regulations you get much nicer colours. It is not all that horrible stark, glowing white, you get the warm whites now as well, so it doesn't have to be an aesthetic downgrade."

The importance of having an environmentally-friendly home was recently outlined by Graham Lock from housenetwork.co.uk, who explained that energy efficiency measures can help to increase the value of homes across areas of the UK.