UK homes need 'green improvements'

Homes in the UK need to be built in a more environmentally-friendly fashion in years to come, it has been claimed.

A research team from Oxford University has concluded that British houses are among the least energy efficient in Europe and action needs to be taken to improve the country's performance in this respect.

People can self build their own home in order to ensure that it is relatively eco-friendly but the Federation of Master Builders has called on the government to encourage a greener focus within the construction sector.

"Making low-carbon housing mainstream will be good for business and good for jobs, as well as reducing energy bills and CO2 emissions," said Gavin Killip, the lead author of the study.

Most households around the country are aiming to reduce their energy use in order to keep their annual energy bills down, a recent study by Tescocompare.com revealed