PEOPLE who buy new build homes will save more than £2,000 per year on their energy bills, new research from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) has revealed.
As part of Net Zero Week, the HBF has this week published its Watt a Save report analysing the average running costs of homes under Ofgem’s new energy price cap.
The research shows that owners of new homes will save an average of £135 each month as part of the new cap and, when compared to older homes, this figure increases to a £183 saving, equating to an annual saving of £2,200.
Other key highlights from the HBF report includes:
- New build properties require significantly less energy use, at approximately 105 kWh per m2 each year, as compared to older properties which require an average of 252kWh per m2.
- 85% of new build houses had an A or B (EPC) rating; while less than 4% of existing dwellings reached the same energy efficiency standard.
- Average new build properties emit 2.2 tonnes of carbon less than older properties each year, with the newer homes in this dataset reducing overall carbon emissions by over 500,000 tonnes a year.
The research from HBF predicted the impact of the changes that Part L and the Future Homes Standard will have on energy use, household bills and carbon emissions, forecasting that, by 2025, new builds will emit just 10% of the annual carbon emissions that the average older property produces.
Neil Jefferson, the Managing Director at HBF, said: “The action the housebuilding industry is taking to continually improve the eco-efficiency of new homes is contributing significantly towards Government’s net zero action plan and helping to ease the mounting pressures on household incomes across the country.
“As mortgage affordability gets tougher, rental costs increase and the country’s need for homes grows increasingly desperate, lenders and Government must review affordability assessments in consideration of these numbers to support more people to get onto the housing ladder.
“Meanwhile, if Government is serious about delivering the number of homes the country needs and achieving against its environmental commitments, nationwide investment in skills programmes, retraining and apprenticeships is essential.”
To find out more about the range of new homes for sale from Genesis Homes, including our pioneering carbon net-zero emitting EcoGen homes, visit Developments Archive – Genesis Homes (genesis-homes.co.uk).