Power lines and pylons can reduce the value of nearby homes by an average of £12,000, according to research from the London School of Economics (LSE).
The findings are thought to be the first evidence of how energy infrastructure can damage property values, reflecting the risks attached to the Government’s bid to expand transmission networks.
As well as accounting for traditional electricity infrastructure, the LSE study suggests a similar financial impact from homes located near wind turbines and solar farms.
Based on an average loss of value of 3.9pc, a £1m home would be worth around £40,000 less if power lines were built nearby.
When applied to the average UK house price of £300,000, the same calculation leads to a £12,000 drop in value.
However, for others the loss would be far greater – as the 3.9pc average only applies to homes located within 1,500 metres of pylons or power lines.
That could rise to a 21pc reduction if a property is within 250 metres, implying a £63,000 drop in value for an average £300,000 home.
The results of the LSE analysis will raise concerns for Ed Miliband as the Energy Secretary prepares to install a raft of new pylons across the UK alongside 1,000 miles of onshore cable.
To carry out the study, LSE professor Steve Gibbons and former PhD student Cheng Keat Tang researched the change in sale value of 38,000 homes in England and Wales located near pylons or power lines.
They said: “Our findings suggest that the construction of new overhead pylons reduces prices by 3.9pc for properties up to 1500 metres away, suggesting the impacts extend further than previously estimated.
“The results suggest that the impacts of these infrastructures are more widespread than previously estimated, collectively causing a loss in home values of around £19bn.”
The growing number of power lines and pylons over the past century has sparked criticism from some campaigners over claims they blight the English landscape.