Construction specialists have said that it is too early to judge the success or failure of the Home Improvement Pack (Hips) and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) schemes, but claim that other concerns are difficult to unseat at the top of property-hunters lists. The Home Builders Federation (HBF) said that especially in the current credit climate people were primarily concerned with affordability, and the value for money that their new kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms represent, making energy efficiency a secondary concern.Kitchen manufacturers have responded to the higher profile of environmental issues by developing eco-friendly designs that maximise natural light and integrate features like sink waste disposal units but people are not yet seen to be responding with equal interest.Discussing the premium placed on environmental issues by the Hips scheme, HBF director of external affairs John Slaughter said Overall, questions like location, affordability, number of bedrooms theyre always going to rank ahead of these considerations traditionally.Mr Slaughter did, however, envisage changes as time goes on, claiming I dont think we are yet in a world where people would rate these kind of benefits above those, but I think they will definitely rise in importance as we move forward.