Buyers not interested in ecohomes, research shows

People are not ready for zero-carbon houses and are not that interested in energy saving when they buy a house, according to research published today.

The report, by the National House Building Council foundation, also showed that the money people would save by having virtually no energy bills in a zero-carbon home would most likely be spent on an air ticket for a holiday abroad.

Under the government's Code for Sustainable Homes, released last year, all new homes will have to be zero carbon from 2016 onwards, making extensive use of insulation and renewable energy technologies.

The code has sparked a wave of innovation and research and development by the country's housebuilders who are racing to comply with the challenging deadline.

But the NHBC foundation research showed that without intervention and explanation from government and the industry, homeowners could be discouraged by some of the features of zero-carbon homes such as airtightness, as well as the potential additional costs and the reliability of some of the new technologies involved.

The survey of householders and housebuilders showed people do not consider energy efficiency as a major factor when buying a house. Most would prefer a higher specification bathroom or kitchen to personal investment in energy efficiency measures.

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