“I could honestly point to all the advantages of the energy-saving features. We had considered putting in solar panels in the Victorian house we sold in Worcester, but it would have taken 15 or 20 years to pay for itself, while here they are part of the design. We were also able to change the plans for the house, giving us a double garage with a room over it. And instead of having a box-room on the landing, we left it open to use as an office,” he says.Mr Woodhurst’s next challenge is to reduce the electricity bill. The air circulating system in the house cannot be turned off, and so his thoughts have turned to boosting his power source with a windmill.Not all the residents arrive with such a strong interest in a green lifestyle, but they have been won over to its practicality and efficiency. Penny Proctor and her family are about to leave their small house on the development for a larger one.

“It would be difficult to move back to the normal new home now. Living here does make you more environmentally aware, and not just because the bills are lower. It would be hypocritical to take on the bigger environmental package and not the smaller issues, such as recycling.”The issues of sustainability – materials, labour, energy-saving – are still the concern of a small minority in the industry, according to Heinz Richardson of Jestico+ Whiles, whose team of architects designed the “House for the Future” at the Museum of Welsh Life in Cardiff. All materials were sourced locally for the timber-framed house: Welsh oak, recycled slate, even sheep’s wool. Its modular design means it can easily be adapted for a homeworker or someone with a physical disability.”Since it opened a year ago, more than half a million people have visited it and engaged with the issues.

If only people would ask housebuilders about how a house was built and about its energy-saving features, the companies would know that there was a demand,” says Mr Richardson He is disappointed with the progress made in the past year. Redrow, who built the house, have no plans to incorporate any of the features in their standard designs in the near future.It is the smaller builders who appear to be showing the most initiative. Their flexibility allows them to react more quickly and to establish themselves in a niche market.In the town of Crickhowell, in the Brecon Beacons National Park, a tiny, village-style development has won an award for innovation and emphasis on sustainability. Stapleford Estates has built some timber-framed homes, complete with recycled-newspaper insulation and condensing boilers. Everything is provided locally, from door hinges to light fittings. Only eight of the 29 homes on Upper House Farm remain unsold, ranging in price from £240,000 to £329,000.But landowners themselves hold a key to the future direction of the new-build.