Reward offered to build eco-home

Norwich and Peterborough Building Society (N&P) has launched a competition for homeowners to build their own eco-friendly house, offering £5,000 to the winner.

The aim of the competition is to raise awareness of how homes can be built in a more environmentally-friendly way, according to N&P.

The competition is open to all homeowners and the winner will have submitted a property that has the most positive impact on the environment - in the judges' opinion.

Energy-improving features that can be implemented in a home include building on a "brownfield" site (non-virgin countryside), water recycling systems that re-use household water, super-efficient insulation and/or double-glazing and energy-saving central heating/water heating systems.

Commenting on last year's winner, Graham Wood, managing director of N&P's surveying arm Hockleys said: "This house, which Paul and Kerry designed themselves, took just 65 days to construct. The property has solar heating, a rainwater recovery pond and zero CO2 emissions. All the materials that went into its construction are from sustainable resources and it?s a very attractive home!

"The competition's aim is to raise awareness that making homes more energy-efficient is really an option for everyone, from major developers to the individual. Making homes energy efficient saves people money and helps the environment ? everyone wins."

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