THE benefits of buying a new build home are many, and it is no surprise that newly constructed houses are in such high demand across the UK.
One of the most popular things about buying new is that you move into a home decorated the way you want it and you can immediately call your house your home without having to scrape some tacky wallpaper off or rip up a well worn carpet.
You also have the added peace of mind knowing that your home has been constructed to strict building requirements and under warranty so there won’t be any nasty structural problems around the corner.
What a lot of people are unaware of, however, is just how energy efficient new build homes are in ensuring fewer harmful carbon emissions are used – subsequently saving the homeowner hundreds of pounds in energy bills each year.
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) recently published its ‘Greener, Cleaner, Cheaper’ report analysing government data which highlights the major benefits of opting for new build homes over their existing counterparts.
The most striking feature of the report, in our opinion, was that new homes are reducing the country’s carbon emissions usage by a staggering total of 600,000 tonnes compared to those who purchased an older, less energy efficient property during the same year.
The teams at Genesis Homes and Russell Armer Homes are proud to say we continuously strive to build energy efficient homes, and all our new builds are built to exceptionally high standards for thermal efficiency and air tightness and with a number of features which reduces homeowners’ energy use.
The homes all have 100% energy efficient lighting, smart meters to analyse energy consumption and dual flush toilets, as well as double glazed windows and doors, efficient boilers, water saving system and quality insulation.
Our recently launched EcoGen homes go even further in removing all carbon emissions around the home and the installation of photovoltaic solar panels, solar assisted heat pumps and infrared heating panels ensure we are leading the way in removing carbon use on a daily basis and helping protect our precious planet.
The Greener, Cleaner, Cheaper report from HBF is a glowing endorsement of the work we have been doing, and will continue to do on a large scale, and it will help people think more about the positive impact buying a new house will have on the environment.
Of course, while there are many environmental benefits to purchasing a new build home, the savings on household energy bills has become more important than ever as a result of the huge hike in bills across the UK.
The HBF reports that new build home owners are saving more than £400 on their energy bills each year, with an estimated annual saving of £395 on heating bills, £28 on hot water and £12 on lighting.
Compare this to the annual average of £890 – nearly double – on household utilities for owners of older properties and it’s clear to see how better off financially you can be buying new.