Although the British public are concerned about the environment, over 86% acknowledged that saving money on their bills was a higher priority.

How wind–powered homes might look

However, 92% of those surveyed would be more interested in energy-saving measures if they were made more affordable, according to research from Linden Homes.

Lower cost energy-saving measures such as low-voltage light bulbs, double glazing and loft insulation were already used by the majority of those polled.

More radical measures were unsurprisingly greeted with greater scepticism by homeowners, with only 12% saying they would be prepared to install a mini wind turbine on the roof of their home, at a cost of £1,300. With annual savings of £260 on energy bills, this would take five years to pay off. However more encouragingly, a further 29% would consider doing so in the future. Similarly, 49% said they would consider installing solar panels on the roof of their homes to heat domestic water, at a cost of £3,000.

Ivan Ball, director of sustainable communities at Linden Homes said: "Traditionally homeowners have been unconcerned about the impact their homes are having on the environment, but it appears the tide may be changing in favour of renewable energy."

"Solar panels as a means of heating water was practically unheard of in the domestic market until recently, but now almost half of those polled have shown interest in installing them in their homes."

"Linden Homes installs 2m sq solar panels on a number of our new homes in Surrey as part of our commitment to ensuring 10% of energy used by the homes is renewable. Generally they have been well-received by home-owners, despite some initial scepticism."

In addition, over 95% of those polled said they would be more committed to embracing energy-efficiency if they were rewarded with a reduction in their council tax, an initiative the government might like to consider if it is to hit its Kyoto target of generating 20% of the UK’s energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Environmental issues are at the top of the agenda for Linden, with most of their new homes achieving an energy-efficiency (sap) rating of over 100 out of 120, with the industry average being just 75. This is achieved by insulating under the ground floor, the walls and roof as well as using double glazed, sealed windows, gas condensing energy-efficient boilers and water-efficient appliances. In addition various light fittings within each new home can only accept low-energy bulbs.