<p><span>The Home Builders Federation (HBF) is calling on mortgage lenders to introduce “green mortgages” which recognise the energy efficiency of new homes and the savings they bring, as research it has published shows new build properties could save home owners more than £3,000 on annual energy bills.</span></p> <p><span>HBF has published its updated <i><a href="https://hbf.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ae1ea235d8d65f51fa4218853&amp;id=c0cd380553&amp;e=b65edadf6c"><span>Watt a Save</span></a> </i>report today (February 20), citing the latest analysis of government Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data. This reveals that buyers of new build flats and houses could save an average of £2,520.73 a year on energy bills when the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) increases on April 1. </span></p> <p><span>HBF said this figure increased to £3,117.85 when comparing new build against existing homes.</span></p> <p><span>The report also shows that, according to government data for the year to December 2022, 85% of new build homes had an A or B (EPC) rating. Less than 4% of existing homes reached these high energy efficiency levels.</span></p> <p><span>HBF also referred to a recent consumer survey in which 53% of respondents said they would be encouraged to buy a new build home due to its increased energy efficiency, bringing them lower utility bills and running costs.</span></p> <p><span>Meanwhile, 18% of the survey’s participants …