How energy efficient are new homes?
Improved efficiency in new builds
Homes are getting more energy efficient every year. With improvements in technology, insulation, materials used and the way we build a new home is likely to be much more energy efficient than an older one. They can help reduce your carbon emissions and at the same time lower your energy bills.
Reduce your carbon emissions and lower your energy bills
Indeed, according to a 2022 study, new build homes can be expected to save a homeowner an average of £435 a year on their utility bills due to their increased efficiency.
In a new build home every aspect of the heating, ventilation and insulation is carefully planned and they work hand in hand with each other to help make the home a more eco-friendly place to live.
In an older property, even if you upgrade to the latest boiler, you may still be hindered by high ceilings, poor or no insulation, and the less efficient materials that the home is built from.
Improved heating control
With a new build home you will find they are normally built with ‘zoned heating’ controls which allows you to control the heating requirements within different areas of your home. Working along with thermostatic radiator valves in most rooms this allows a huge degree of control on individual room temperatures and timings. While some older homes can have this technology installed retrospectively it will be adding to older equipment which is unlikely to provide the same level of heating control or the same eco-benefits.
Superior ventilation and insulation
All new homes come with new windows (obviously!). However, most of our new windows include adjustable trickle vents which help improve the ventilation and well-being of your home. They allow for background ventilation which helps reduce condensation without the need for opening a window.
Reduced water bills
According to Environment Agency the average person tends to use around 150 litres of water per day. With our new homes, though, we have installed eco-friendly taps, toilets and showers which help reduce water usage often by 10 to 15% without compromising on performance.
How is a property energy efficiency measured?
New homes receive an Energy Performance Certificate (or EPC). An EPC rating is very simple to understand and is measured from A to G with A being the most efficient and G being the least efficient. With around 85% of new build homes achieving an EPC rating of A or B this is a considerable improvement compared to the average UK home rated D (ONS Data).
If you are concerned about the environment and have an eye on running costs a new build home could be exactly what you are looking for.
How energy efficient are new homes?
To conclude, new build homes are generally more efficient than older ones which over 85% grading A-B on an EPC rating, with the UK average at just a D.
Building from the latest materials, technology and techniques definitely helps improve the efficiency of the home and owners of new builds can expect to see a significant reduction in their energy bills by over £400 a year when moving to a new build property.