Energy efficiency 'will have to be taken into consideration'

Eco-friendly alterations to properties will play an increasingly important role in coming years - from a financial as well as an environmental point of view, the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC) has said.

The government has announced that it intends to make all new build homes carbon-neutral by 2016, and owners of existing properties could also find themselves being obliged to make environmentally-friendly alterations to their properties, according to NHIC.

NHIC has suggested that the introduction of Home information packs (Hips) represents the first such step in this direction via the mandatory Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

"We are going to reach a stage, and it's not too far away now - within the next couple of years, where mortgages and getting a mortgage on a house will tie in with how efficient the house is," claimed Andrew Leech, technical consultant at NHIC.

Anyone who has an inefficient house and is thinking of selling in a couple of years time maybe ought to think about whether their house is efficient.

"The EPC in the Hips will give you a rating on this and it will be seen by the prospective buyer. It is something you will have to take in to consideration," added Mr Leech.

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