Green-friendly new homes can save owners money

The way new homes are constructed, insulated, heated, ventilated and the type of fuel used, are all changing, as more new home builders seek to reduce carbon emissions and reduce the cost of running a property.

New homes featuring energy efficient desirables like central heating, double glazing, high level of insulation, among other 'eco-friendly' improvements, are generally warmer, greener and up to 40 per cent more energy efficient than unmodernised homes built ten years ago, according to research undertaken by housebuilder David Wilson last year.

David Wilson's research also shows that because of modern materials and methods of construction, today's new-build homes are up to ten times more energy efficient than homes built in Victorian times.

As property buying perceptions change, Adam Feather, managing director of Robert Anthony estate agents, says that energy efficient new build homes are likely to become more valuable as they will require fewer home improvements, increasing "both the attractiveness of the home and its value".

Barratt Homes has this week pledged to put Leicester at the forefront of the green revolution by building 44 new homes at its Freemens Meadow development on Upperton Road with money-saving solar panels.

The local housebuilder says that the new homes will be some of the greenest in the country as well as saving their owners money on energy bills and generating cheap hot water.

"Solar panels enable homeowners to benefit financially from the long hours of sunshine which we saw during the summer," said Mark Wright, Managing Director at Barratt East Midlands.

"Instead of having to pay more to heat and power their home during the autumn and winter, they will be able to use the natural energy from the sun which the panels have been storing during the last few months."