New homes are greener

By Andrea Watson
Posted: 2007/10/26

CLIMATE change is the most important long-term issue we face, so a major benefit of buying new homes is that they tend to be greener.

Higher insulation standards and more efficient heating systems also mean lower maintenance and running costs for buyers.

For added peace of mind, most new homes now come with a 10-year Buildmark warranty and insurance cover.

The warranty is awarded by the National HousingBuilding Council (NHBC), which works to raise building standards and maintains a register of more than 20,000 builders.

Buildmark protects new home buyers against faulty construction for the first two years. If a breach of NHBC technical standards has occurred, the NHBC will instruct the builders to put it right.

The NHBC is also undertaking vital work to help builders meet the challenges of creating more sustainable homes.

A major part of the NHBC's bid to raise standards is its annual Pride In The Job competition. This is the only national awards scheme to reward site managers, who demonstrate consistently high standards on site and in the quality of their homes.

Site managers across country are currently attending regional events to find out if they are through to the UK final in January.

"More than 18,000 site managers are entered into the awards, and each is assessed across 38 aspects of site management, including their technical knowledge, consistency in the build process and leadership and organisational skills, " says Imtiaz Farookhi, NHBC's chief executive.

"In addition, towards the later stages of the competition, judges will make unannounced visits to check the day-to-day running of the site."

So if you are buying a new home, it could pay to check to see if there is a Pride In The Job logo on site flags and placards.

INFORMATION:
www. nhbc. co. uk