Efficient homes 'seen as a hassle'

One of the barriers to people installing green initiatives in their home is that they do not want to deal with the upset caused by the disruption, it has been suggested.

A spokesperson for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, has claimed that the hassle created by such home improvements is proving to be a barrier in people "engaging with energy efficiency and decarbonisation".

Anyone who embarks on a self build project can implement green technologies from the offset and factor it into the whole building process, to help relieve this perceived "hassle".

The spokesperson claims that recent suggestions of an annual or biennial assessment of a property's energy efficiency "emphasises the importance of energy efficiency at home and in the workplace in reducing carbon emissions and could go hand in hand with other polices to tackle the aspects that put people off".

A poll has revealed that almost half of people believed that estate agents do not put enough value on the green features of a house, while potential buyers are willing to pay an average of £3,350 more for a green home, the Energy Savings Trust has found.