The average house price in the UK fell by 0.3% between October and November - the first monthly fall in more than a year, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This brought the annual growth rate to 10.3% in November, down from 12.4% in the previous month as the average UK house price stands at £295,000, which is £28,000 higher than this time last year. Average house prices increased over the year to £315,000 (10.9%) in England, to £220,000 in Wales (10.7%), to £191,000 in Scotland (5.5%) and to £176,000 in Northern Ireland (10.7%).

However, despite the fall in November, homes with high energy efficiency seem to be holding their value as the latest survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors showed that 61% of the agents and surveyors polled reported that homes with high energy efficiency aren’t suffering from the same price falls.

Also, sellers are looking to take advantage of their home’s energy efficiency as four-in-ten institution members reported that sellers of eco-friendly houses were trying to attach a price premium.
This comes as a study from Cornerstone Tax has found that making homes more energy efficient is becoming a key focus for homeowners, with 36% thinking that making their home more energy efficient is a priority for them throughout this year.

The firm reported: ‘It is evident that there is significant demand as around 40% of estate agents said they were seeing greater interest from buyers in homes that are more energy efficient. However, many homeowners are finding the price of making their home energy efficient a major obstacle, resulting in a staggering 45% of homeowners finding it too expensive to make these changes without government support.’