AT A time when Yvette Cooper, Labour’s housing and planning minister, has announced radical plans to create "zero carbon" housing developments, a recent online survey conducted by Real Estate TV indicates only one third of respondents would be willing to pay more for a green home in the face of rising household energy bills.

More encouragingly, most people surveyed were at least aware of the various ways to improve the eco-efficiency of a property, with most rating loft and wall insulation as the most important way of saving energy. In fact, it is estimated that about one-quarter of Britain’s total CO2 emissions come from our homes alone.

Mark Dodd, managing director of Real Estate TV, comments: "We ran an online survey to gauge awareness of the green issues surrounding housing as we pride ourselves on keeping right on the pulse of all things property-related.

"The results seem to show that while people do seem pretty aware of things that could be introduced to houses to make them less wasteful, there may be some way to go before people will actually start parting with their money to incorporate them.

"It will be interesting to monitor how the Government’s new initiative will influence people over the next few years."

Launched in October 2004, Real Estate TV is the UK’s leading property channel for viewers looking to invest in property or keep fully up-to-date about the market, both at home and abroad.

It contains information on property selling and buying, upcoming areas and increasing the value of a property, and is shown on Sky channel 279, NTL and will soon be launching on Telewest.