The Housebuilder’s survey, conducted by Atomik Research and involving 1,002 UK respondents, found that 30% of the existing homeowners and first time buyers surveyed said buying new would be “kinder on the pocket” in the long term. Meanwhile, 19% thought converting second hand properties would be more cost-effective.

Redrow said it undertook the research to discover how aware the public was of the government’s plan to improve the energy efficiency of homes. This includes banning gas boilers from homes, improving the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of most of the country’s housing stock and grants to switch homes to low-carbon heating systems such as electric heat pumps.

But the housebuilder discovered that 49% of pollsters were “in the dark” about the government’s environmental targets, either not knowing of the objectives or having “no concept” of their impact on them as home owners.

Redrow also revealed that the calculated running costs of a renovated 1930s property equated to £1,409 a year, while those for Redrow came to £597, based on the use of gas. This was the result of a sustainability consultant conducting a technical comparison of the expected EPC results of the two types of property.

The housebuilder reported that improving the energy efficiency of an older property from EPC band D to C can cost up to £3,653 with a one-bedroom apartment. This could be as much as £12,540 for a larger property.

Redrow stated there was an “onus” on the industry to continue to inform the public of the comparative credentials of different types of property. Its survey showed that three quarters of respondents had not made changes to their property “with the government’s green strategy in mind”. Only a fifth considered an EPC of a property to be important when considering buying a property.

Julia Green, Redrow’s head of sustainability, said: “As a nation, the majority of us have embraced ways of living that are more sustainable, such as recycling our waste, using energy-saving lightbulbs and reducing journeys as a result of the increase of working-from-home. However, our analysis shows that many people have something of a blind spot when it comes to the energy use and carbon emissions from their own homes.

“There is also a lack of understanding around the government’s commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and how it intends to achieve the target which is something it needs to communicate more effectively. As a business we are taking the responsibility to help educate and inform home owners and future buyers of what is required and by when.”