New homes save hundreds of pounds in energy efficiency

New homes in England and Wales are saving homeowners hundreds of pounds a year in reduced energy bills, according to a new report by the Home Builders Federation (HBF).

The report, You’ve Got The Power, claims new homes are using on average 103kWh.m2 worth of energy, compared to an average of 294kWh for older properties.

It claims this means new build home owners spend an average of £443.30 a year on energy bills, which is under half of what the owner of an older home can expect to pay (£1,072) can expect to pay over the period of 12 months.

The report adds eight out of 10 new build homes have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of A or B, compared to just 2.2% of existing properties.

According to the report, the 219,146 new builds issued with EPCs in the year to June 2017 in England and Wales cost in total around £97m per year to run.

If these properties had the same energy performance and fuel costs as existing properties this would be closer to £235m.

It claims by buying new, purchasers of new builds in this period were able to save an estimated £138m over the course of the year.

The report also points to a number of new measures in new build homes, which make them more energy efficient, including cavity wall insulation, double-glazing and modern appliances, like LED lightbulbs, which use less electricity.

Last week, the Committee on Fuel Poverty criticised the slow progress in upgrading fuel poor homes to band C or above.

According to the committee’s second annual report, the government’s own projections show 11% of such homes will be at this level by 2019.

‘Today’s new homes are significantly more energy efficient than their predecessors, delivering huge benefits both for their owners and the environment,’ said HBF executive chair, Stewart Baseley.

‘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,’ he added.

‘With house builders’ ongoing investment in innovation, it is clear that the industry is committed to driving yet more savings for homeowners.’

Photo by sludgegulper