New homes save buyers £629 a year on energy bills

According to new findings by the Home Builders Federation, a new build home could reduce energy bills for its owners by £629 a year.

Related topics:  Property
Warren Lewis
23rd October 2017
energy efficiency

HBF's new report reveals that new homes being constructed in England and Wales are “considerably more” energy efficient than their older counterparts.

It points to Energy Performance Certificate data which shows that more than eight out of ten of new builds achieve the top A or B rating for energy efficiency against only 2.2% of existing properties. Because of this, according to government data new homes are consuming on average 103kWh/sq m of energy compared to an average of 294kWh/sq m for existing homes.

This leads to an average spend of £443.30 a year for heating, hot water and lighting for a new home, comparing to the £1,072 that the owner of an existing home can expect to spend, HBF said – a saving of £629 per annum.

HBF’s report lists how owners of new build abodes could choose to spend the money they are saving on utility bills, including buying a season ticket at their favourite Premier League football club, paying their monthly broadband and mobile phone bills, or covering almost a month’s worth of mortgage costs.

HBF also says that with housing representing almost 30% of the UK’s energy use, new homes are providing “significant benefits” for the environment, with housebuilders applying innovative design and more efficient materials – for example, installing boilers that only provide hot water when it is needed.

Stewart Baseley, HBF’s executive chairman, said: “Owners are saving hundreds of pounds a year in energy bills due to the modern design of their homes and the materials used to construct them. With energy bills expected to increase further, households will continue to reap the financial rewards in the future allowing families to spend more of their money on the things they want instead of simply keeping warm.”

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