The generation currently battling to become first-time buyers is already familiar with the concept of carbon footprints, and property experts believe the environmental credentials of a house will become an increasingly important part of its value to buyers.

The government hopes that the introduction of Home Information Packs (Hips) will also provide a step in the right direction. A decade in the making, and unpopular with many in the industry, Hips now focus mainly on how much energy a house wastes.

All homes for sale after December 14 will need to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate, which will provide their home with a rating between A and G, depending on how green it is.

While the government doesn’t expect the rating to make a huge difference to a property’s value now, it hopes that owners will be encouraged to take steps to improve their home’s energy waste by making alterations.

Currently, fewer than 1 per cent of people in the UK are signed up to a green energy plan. To encourage more of them, Ofgem, the energy regulator, has proposed new rating schemes to help consumers compare different plans. These are expected to be published early next year.

It would cost £9,000 to make the average three-bedroom home carbon neutral, according to research from Alliance and Leicester.

Changing lightbulbs and insulating buildings are the easiest and most cost-effective changes to make. Greenpeace, the environmental group, says that if all bulbs were changed to energy-saving versions, which last 12 times longer than normal bulbs, UK consumers could save £1.2bn in yearly electricity bills.

Insulation, double glazing, wind turbines and replacing old boilers with newer versions are all tipped as ways to make a home greener.

Alliance & Leicester says the money spent on such alterations would be recouped through reduced energy bills within a few years.