Buyers of new build houses can save over £3k per year on energy bills

The report comes as welcome news, as it's also found that 53% of buyers prioritise energy efficiency when choosing a house.

The latest Watt a Save report from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) found that after the Government's Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) price cap increases on 1st April, the average energy bill for new build homes (including blats, maisonettes and bungalows) will be £1,707 compared to an average spend of £4,218 for owners of older properties - meaning an annual saving of £2,510. 

When looking at houses alone, this gap widens to an estimated annual saving of £3,118. 

The report presents optimistic news for anyone thinking of a new build purchase, especially given the recent rises in energy costs.

In fact, a survey commissioned alongside the report found that energy efficiency is an increasingly high consideration for home buyers, with 53% saying that lower energy bills and increased efficiency would encourage them to buy a new home. 

Also in the Watt a Save report, the HBF found that: 

• New build properties use far less energy than older houses, at approximately 95kWh per m2 compared to 252kWh per m2. 
• 85% of new build houses had an EPC of A or B, compared to less than 4% of older dwellings. 
• The average new build emits an annual 2.2 tonnes of carbon less than older properties, meaning an overall reduction of over 500,000 tonnes per year. 

The recent rise in energy prices means that this is a substantial increase on last year's Watt-a-Save report, which found that buyers of new homes saved an average of £2,600 on energy bills annually. 

You can read the full Watt a Save report by downloading it on the HBF website, here.