Buyers focusing on energy costs

Bills: New research from Purplebricks reveals that more than half of house hunters surveyed would be prepared to downsize to cut energy bills.

Of those who are in the process of downsizing, 60 per cent are doing so specifically to reduce household bills. Over a quarter of 45-54 year olds and almost three in ten of those aged 55 and over are looking to downsize. The agency says that as household bills look set to soar, this is a significant shift away from the recent “racefor-space” trend seen among homebuyers, who are also taking more notice of a property’s Energy Performance Certificate.