According to a recent insurance survey nine out of ten households in the UK were found to have under-insured their home contents. At an average of at least £10,000 per household, this leads to a national figure in the region of £250 billion pounds worth of un-insured household possessions.

Out of those living alone over 30% had failed to buy any house contents insurance at all. It appears that households with single occupants are therefore at greater risk of suffering a financial shortfall in the event of a robbery or damage.

The majority of these single homeowners are high earners with disposable incomes. They predominantly spend their extra cash on gadgets, expensive clothing and entertainment systems. All of these are costly to replace and attractive to burglars.

As more people marry later in life and the rate of divorce increases, more people live alone. The survey revealed that many of the single homeowners surveyed did not realise the total worth of their home's contents and so had failed to insure their possessions with a reliable home insurance policy.

The value of contents in the average home is in the region of £30,000 to £40,000, yet too many people get buildings insurance only, as this is insisted upon by mortgage providers. Unfortunately, UK burglary statistics also outweigh the risks of damage from a fire or flood.

It is important to have adequate home contents insurance as well as insurance that covers the house, as a financial hit on either can have long running effects on homeowners’ financial wellbeing. 

The new UK housing minister has promised that the Coalition Government will release a final definition of ‘zero-carbon’ during the coming weeks. This is expected to bring to an end years of consultation. Grant Shapps pledged to uphold the previous Labour government’s target for all new homes to be zero-carbon by 2016.

"I know how important it is to industry to have a clear definition as soon as possible," he said. "House builders can now buy land with confidence and start to design the homes of the future, and so that the supply chain can gear up production of the technologies that will be needed."

The housing minister set out his plans for getting the "the green housing industry back on track" at a new eco-housing development in Swindon. The Triangle, developed by Hab Oakus with Housing Group Greensquare, is pioneering the use of renewable materials and incorporates various green features, such as Hempcrete for external walls. The project has the backing of the Homes and Communities Agency, Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Energy Saving Trust.

The Coalition Government’s energy and green economy bill includes plans for a ‘pay as you save’ loan scheme to help householders pay for energy efficiency measures out of the savings on their energy bills. Homes will need to have insulated walls, ceilings, floors and energy efficient windows to meet new energy standards.

It is yet to be seen what effect the new bill will have on household finances in the form of buildings and home insurance. Currently, some ‘green’ home cover policies offer specific cover for environmentally friendly additions such as solar panels. Others act as regular home insurance policies, but support green schemes through carbon offsetting programs.