New build - gas/electric cost - is it really cheaper?

mysti77

hi, apologies if this is in the wrong place. If anyone has experience of buying a new build property, would you say that the cost of gas and electricity is cheaper because it's a more energy efficient property?

I am looking at a 4 bedroom detached new build house and have no idea how much we should budget for bills.

Thanks

dimbo61

We live in a 4 bed 3 storey detached property which is 10 years old and pay about £116 a month for gas/electric on a duel fuel deal.
Yes modern houses have a much higher level of insulation in the walls/roof and energy saving lighting, double glazing etc
Rooms can be smaller but you also get enough sockets, extra bathrooms, small gardens, UPVC windows and doors, better security

scottishblondie

I live in an 8 month old 3 storey 4 bed townhouse. Since we moved in in late December I've spent around £500 total on gas and electricity. The house is always nice and warm, even during the bitter weather at the beginning of the year, and I haven't had the heating on since some time in April. There are only 2 of us living in the house though, so if you've got kids I guess the consumption could be a lot higher!

littlesparkles

I'm also in a 4 bed 3 storey house. It's semi-detached and built in 2012. Our duel fuel DD is £70 per month. We are pretty careful with our usage.

spud

We moved into a large 5 bed 3 storey detached with wet UFH downstairs & lot's of windows last September, & our combined gas & Elec is running at around £700 for the year
Keep in mind it does have LED lighting throughout and high efficiency glazing, as well as the UFH & associated insulation (and we are frugal MSE'ers), but it has been a very pleasant surprise. It's around a half of what we were paying for our 10 year old 4 bed detached.

G_M

I'm sure it costs me more to heat my 152 year old house than it would to heat a similar sized modern one!

mysti77

Thanks everyone.

The house has solar panels too, but i haven't a clue if that really is cost saving or not.

Soleil_lune

I would say a very definite yes, as everything would be all new: new windows and doors, new boiler, new radiators, new heating system. Probably cavity wall insulation and loft insulation. An older house is often dreadful for high bills.

ValHaller

mysti77 wrote: »

would you say that the cost of gas and electricity is cheaper because it's a more energy efficient property?

There are no special tariffs for new houses, so the cost of electricity and gas is the same, kWh for kWh. The real question is whether you will use more or less.

horngkai

mysti77 wrote: »

Thanks everyone.

The house has solar panels too, but i haven't a clue if that really is cost saving or not.

If the solar panel qualify for feed-in tariff (which it should), then the saving will be even more than that. If you get a summer like we just had, I suspect your bill for the year will be nearly free.

Pennylane

We live in a 4 bed detached house and our electric bills are approx. £28 a month.

We have solar panels so I think this summer they'll be even less.