Get a whole year of cutting-edge eco-building news for just £24.00 pa.
Built upon 30 years of experience, this fabulous new medium will feature inspiring and in-depth articles on eco-building projects from across the spectrum and from all over the UK, most of which are written by the very people that designed or built them. Perfect for architects, builders, developers, self builders and anyone interested in keeping right up-to-date with green building trends and friends.
For subscription options:
please go here
|
|
|
Report suggests zero carbon homes need better marketing |
|
 
|
|
|
|
8 Feb 2010, 7:43 PM
|
It seems that the house buying public are wary of the 'new', and turned off by futuristic looking 'zero-carbon' house designs. Following a survey, recommendations have been released today by the Zero Carbon Hub and Energy Saving Trust which call for a new marketing strategy for zero carbon homes. The new strategy will address concerns that zero carbon homes appear experimental and unappealing to the majority of homebuyers.
|
Among ten recommendations in the “Marketing Tomorrow’s New Homes” report are proposals to:
* develop a national new homes marketing campaign to stimulate customer demand for low and zero carbon homes and move them from the ‘exemplar’ to the ‘mainstream’
* create the bigger picture for new sustainable homes - a concept and proposition that consumers understand and value
* ensure consistent marketing messages based on real-life benefits are used by developers and government
* ensure zero carbon homes are not ’marginalised as green’ by marketing them as special items so that sustainable features are simply integrated across the developers portfolio
* create an environment of constant innovation rather than radical changes, encouraging a drip-feed of green features across the entire housing stock so that high performing homes become the ‘new normal’
According to the report, homebuyers don’t currently understand the zero carbon proposition, they are wary of the political or publicity motivations behind the promotion of green developments, and are unwilling to pay for sustainable features which they consider as expensive and unproven in the broader housing market.
This lack of consumer buy-in is contributing to an image of zero carbon homes as experimental and futuristic, which discourages consumers, reduces demand and hinders market growth.
The report recommends that to overcome this disconnect between buyers personal motivations and the industry’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions from our homes, a new approach is required.
The authors suggest a national pan-industry marketing plan for new homes that feeds into a wider programme of raising the energy performance of the entire housing stock. By encouraging a rolling programme of innovation and the integration of sustainable features across all housing, they believe that this continuous drip-feed approach is more likely to engage and motivate consumers leading to a tipping point when high energy performance homes are viewed as the norm.
The report also recommends a change of language in how the industry communicates low and zero carbon homes. Consumers are switched off by zero carbon homes but switched on by energy efficient homes that are built to better performance standards and are therefore cheaper to run.
Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust said: “Our experiences with consumers have shown us that people often think of zero carbon homes as odd, space-age things, more out of a futuristic film or a children’s television programme than relevant to their lifestyle, so clearly the concept has not been communicated as effectively as possible up to now.
“The reality is this perception has to change if we want to hit our targets to reduce the carbon emissions of our housing stock. People want their home to be warm, cheap to run, and made of the best materials – things a zero carbon home provides. Making buyers and developers consider zero carbon the norm in new building won’t be easy but it is crucial. Making the call to action less about a ‘cause’, something that is not a prime motivation to either build or buy, and more about quality and comfort, is an approach that buyers find compelling.”
Responding to the report, Imtiaz Farookhi, Chief Executive of NHBC said: “Consumers lie at the heart of building a market for our future homes. This report clearly shows that we must listen to consumers and bridge the disconnect between their perceptions and the need for housebuilders to reduce carbon emissions from our homes.
NHBC welcomes the recommendations and will continue to support the work of the Hub in bringing together all the parties who play a critical role in delivering this vision. To this end NHBC has committed to extend the current funding support, which ends in 2011, for a further two years until 2013.”
The Hub and Energy Saving Trust in partnership with industry stakeholders including CLG, Homes and Community Agency, HBF, Crest Nicholson, Berkeley Homes, NHBC and the New Homes Marketing Board will now be working to achieve broad industry support for the national campaign. The report is available to read in full on the Zero Carbon Hub website.
|
|
|
| Positive review of this story |
Tim  |
15 Feb 2010, 4:17 PM |
 |
If we are being open and honest with the consumer about low carbon development, when you use BedZed as an exemplar scheme (main picture)shouldn't it also be flagged up that it went way over budget and nearly sent the Peabody Trust bump.
|
|
