Get Sust! Issue 26

Recouping the costs of sustainable homes

Do people really want sustainable homes? According to research conducted on behalf of SPONGE, the sustainability professionals’ network, the answer is “yes... but...”

Perhaps predictably, 92 per cent of the home owners who took part in an Ipsos MORI study conducted for SPONGE said they want to see sustainability features offered as options on new homes, and 64 per cent of respondents think these should be compulsory. But more than 90 per cent of respondents feel that there should be more financial incentives to encourage people to buy sustainable homes - the most popular of which are government subsidies and reduced council tax bills.

Intriguingly, two-thirds of home owners told interviewers that they would be prepared to pay a monthly charge for sustainability services, such as convenient recycling facilities, green-caretaker, and car sharing.

The authors of the report therefore conclude that house builders might wish to consider including such ‘green services’ within developments, and suggest that this could be both a unique selling point for the development (or the developer) and a way for developers to recoup investments in sustainability, instead of expecting a straightforward higher selling price for the properties.

Learn more:

	•	The study’ Eco chic or eco geek? The desirability of sustainable homes’ iss part of Building the Market for Sustainable Lifestyles, a three-year Environmental Action Fund (EAF) project co-funded by Defra and delivered by the Sponge Sustainability Network.
	•	Consumer research specialists Ipsos MORI undertook a telephone survey of 501 home owners and followed this up with four discussion groups. The Executive Summary can be downloaded from www.spongenet.org.