A comparison by a property developer of a new home and a property built just after world war two found that new homes were better all-round for the environment and buyers' pockets.
Hillreed Homes compared the efficiency savings from one of its new properties with a house of similar size constructed in the 1930s.
Using the u-value measure, deployed by government energy experts – calculating heat lost through materials - the developer found that the older house had much higher values and would cost far more to run and heat for the average family.
The u-value of the 1930s house was 1.6, while the same value for the new property was 0.3 because of the cavity wall and 75mm full fill cavity brick face.
Standard uPVC double-glazed, argon filled windows only have a value of 1.8, while insulated doors on the same property had 1.7 – almost under half that of the solid timber doors of the older house.
See Also: Property News (6699)
Date Published: 10 February 2010
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