Turning up the heat: Staying warm comes at a price

TURNING UP THE HEAT: STAYING WARM COMES AT A PRICE

5 February 2015 – Households across the UK estimate that they spend close to £1,000 per year on heating bills, yet three quarters of adults (71%) still feel cold at home according to new research from Barratt Homes.

Spending patterns on heating vary significantly across the country, and although it’s one of the warmest places to live in Britain, Londoners spend the third most heating their homes. Scots, the biggest spenders, pay £171 more than those in the South West.

According to research, the biggest influence on heating bills is the age of the property. Typical new-build homeowners save on average £600 per year when it comes to heating bills.* And the gap between old and new is growing – a recent calculation from Government suggested that new build homes are 30% more efficient than even five years ago.

Rather than reaching for the thermostat, the research said other ways to keep warm in winter months include putting on extra clothes (68%), having a hot drink (54%) or cuddling up with their partner, children or pets (28%). An active 6% resort to exercising indoors to help boost their temperature.

The research also showed that, far from being the heart of the home, the kitchen emerged as the coldest room in the house for one in five homeowners (20%), with the hall a close second (18%).

Barratt Homes conducted thermal imaging of both a pre-owned and new build home, highlighting the significant differences in heat loss.

The lighter colours show that more heat escapes through doors, walls and windows of the older property compared to the new home. Green shows heat lost due to displaced insulation or air leakage through window or door frames. [Note there is no green in the new build image.]

Victorian property

New build property

Mark Clare, Barratt Developments Group Chief Executive commented: “Homeowners shouldn’t pay over the odds to stay warm at home, especially as there are many things that can be done to prevent heat leakage. Simple measures such as insulating your home or keeping furniture away from radiators all help to maximise heating use.”

“At Barratt, we use smart techniques, such as airtight doors, high quality insulation in the roof space, double glazing and high efficiency boilers to make sure draughts won’t cause the winter chills. We’ve also launched an energy saving calculator on our website, so customers can see the savings.”

Estimated heating costs across the UK depend on a variety of factors such as property type and geographic location – with colder temperature in the north reflected in higher bills.

FIVE ENERGY SAVING TIPS WITHIN YOUR HOME

1. Programme your heating. Many new builds come with a programmable room thermostat, but if your home does not have one, consider installing one, as these allow you to control when you want the heat to go on and what temperature you want in your rooms
2. Keep radiators clear of furniture - it reduces their efficiency
3. Draw the curtains or blinds at night and use draught-blockers for doors – this helps to reduce heat leakage
4. Consider living in a new build home, which can be up to 50% more energy efficient than an upgraded Victorian equivalent
5. If you have a loft, consider insulation. You could save energy by topping it up the thickness of the insulation from 100mm to the recommended 270mm

To find out how you can save money on energy bills in a new build home and to understand more about how Barratt Homes help you stay warm, visit http://www.barratthomes.co.uk/hometruths.

-ENDS-

For more information please contact Emma Pritchard on 0207 009 3100 / BarrattHomes@3- monkeys.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Research carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Barratt Homes, December 2014, among UK 2,000 adults.

Thermal images conducted by Ticor for Barratt Homes in January 2015. Victorian house is in Balham in South West London, the new build home in Buckingham, in Bucks. High res images are available on request.

* Figure calculated using the Barratt Homes Energy Saving Calculator http://www.barratthomes.co.uk/New-is/Warm/

About Barratt Homes

Barratt Homes build smart and contemporary award winning worry free homes, designed to last with an exclusive five-year warranty on all fittings and fixtures. Brand new warm homes, where your family can grow, for only a 5% deposit with the Help to Buy scheme.

Barratt Developments PLC has sold 14,838 homes in the year to June 2014, making it the biggest housebuilder by volume in Britain. Barratt Group was awarded a maximum five star rating for the fifth consecutive year in the 2014 Home Builders Federation Customer Satisfaction Survey. Site managers working for Barratt Group won 90 awards for quality workmanship in the 2014 NHBC Pride in the Job Awards. Barratt has won more Pride in the Job awards than any other housebuilder for the last ten years. Barratt is the only housebuilder to provide a five year warranty on the fixtures and fittings in its new build homes at the time of purchase.