ENERGY EFFICIENCY
THE NEW BUILD EFFECT Buying a new build home could save you thousands of pounds a year in energy bills compared to an older property – so with big savings and smaller carbon footprints, what’s not to like?
When starting out on your homebuying journey, one of the biggest decisions to make is whether to opt for an older property or a new build home. Some buyers prefer the look of an older home with period features, while others will want a brand new property with freshly installed kitchens and zero budget required for restoration works. One big deciding factor could be the huge savings you can make by living in an energy efficient new build compared to an older home. The recent Home Builders Federation (HBF) report shows that new builds are getting increasingly carbon efficient and could save homebuyers up to £184 a month in energy bills alone.
with each house saving 2.8 tonnes of carbon per year. Buyers of new build homes in 2023 reduced carbon emissions by 500,000 tonnes. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions that a property produces depends on several factors, including the way a home is powered (gas or electricity), the efficiency of items such as boilers and how well the property is insulated. When buying any home, the property’s energy performance certificate (EPC) must be made available for potential buyers to view. This indicates how efficiently a property runs – including in terms of energy and insulation – and helps buyers to make informed decisions.
to older properties. That report found that the home building industry collectively reduced carbon emissions by 500,000 tonnes to help households save large amounts on their annual energy costs. The latest report, which gathered data up until the beginning of this year, details the difference in energy usage, energy bills, carbon emissions and EPC ratings across the different types of homes. Some of the key findings are highlighted below.
WHY THE BIG DIFFERENCE?
Conversations in politics have been dominated by household energy usage in recent years, and we’ve seen big pushes by the Government to meet net zero targets. While owners of older properties face costly and sometimes intrusive measures to reduce the carbon emissions of their homes, new builds are built to ever- evolving standards. And this has had a big impact on homebuyers’ wallets. The HBF’s first Watt a Save report was published in 2022 and compared the energy efficiency of new builds compared
GREATER EFFICIENCY AND LOWER EMISSIONS
The average new house emits just one- third of the carbon of typical older houses,
34 First Time Buyer April/May 2024
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