Although there are benefits to building new eco-homes, the country is not making adequate use of existing properties, it has been suggested.

David Ireland, chief executive officer of the Empty Homes Agency, said that at present there is no target for re-using empty homes.

There are significant carbon savings to be made from refurbishing houses, rather than building brand new ones – even if it requires "substantial" work, the expert said.

"Basically gutting the whole house, just leaving the brick walls – still only actually uses about 15 tonnes of carbon… [And] probably the average refurbishment would require a lot less than that," he remarked.

Efforts to reduce the carbon emissions produced by the country's existing housing stock have been high on the political agenda in recent months.

Neil Marshall, chief executive of the National Insulation Association, recently said that it is "more cost effective than ever" to install insulation in a home.

Such steps help to reduce energy bills and a property's carbon footprint, he added.

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Author:  Simon Liddle

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