Stockland seeking to power up new home market by paying buyers' energy bills
Property developer Stockland has continued last year’s trend of developers offering incentives to entice new home buyers.
The developer is also tapping into concerns over the impact of the carbon tax on energy bills in 2012 by offering buyers of land and selected house-and-land packages a $6,000 Visa Energy Card to help pay their energy bills for up to three years.
The “Power to Move” campaign runs from January 7 to February 19. The eight NSW Stockland residential communities participating in the offer are Waterside at
Last year developers attempted to entice new buyers with offers of furniture vouchers, free luxury carpets and appliances and discounted lots to name just a few.
Master Builders Australia is pleading for government intervention to kick-start new home building, as new home sales numbers dwindle.
Matthew Mears, Stockland’s general manager for residential development in NSW, says the offer recognises the burden of the household energy bill.
“The great thing is that buyers into our residential communities will benefit with Stockland paying their energy bills for up to three years. With a sensible approach to energy consumption, the opportunity exists to stretch that bonus even further,” he says.
In addition to the $6,000 bonus, buyers will also receive bonus energy-efficient builder upgrades including solar or gas hot water, an energy-saving dishwasher and energy-efficient lighting that will help reduce energy bills further.
Stockland is also promoting the idea that buying a new home is more cost-efficient than owning an older established home.
Stockland compared the living costs of a three-bedroom and a four-bedroom home built in 2011 with houses of the same configurations built in 1981.
It found new homes generated more cost savings from reduced heating and cooling costs, etter use of natural light and savings from built-in energy-efficient appliances.
According to Stockland research, running a newly built four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a two-car garage versus a comparable house 30 years older results in a savings of $2,197 in New South Wales, $1,749 in Western Australia and $1,574 in Victoria.
“The figures show that across the country, new homes clearly offer lower ongoing running costs, when compared to homes from 30 years ago,” says Ben Allen, general manager of sustainable communities for Stockland.