For years the government has encouraged us to create more homes and to construct them to a better standard – especially when it comes to energy efficiency and sustainability. It’s a call self builders have taken to heart. Once we’ve leapt through the hoops and obtained the land and the right permissions, the houses we build tend to be of a much higher standard than mass-market properties, which are typically designed to scrape through the regulations while maximising the developer’s potential profit.
Quite often, a person who is creating their own bespoke home goes the extra mile, specifying materials and heating systems that might be expensive to install but have a minimal environmental impact through higher performance or a low carbon footprint.
There have been numerous attempts to bring housing stock, new and old, to a higher standard. Schemes like the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) have been successful because they've incentivised people to invest in green products, typically by cushioning the effects of the additional outlay required.