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
|
|
|
Zero carbon standards set to drop yet lower. |
|
 
|
|
|
|
30 Aug 2010, 7:47 PM
|
An article in the Guardian has flagged up the sad fact that one of the UK's most radical environmental policies – requiring all new homes from 2016 to be "zero carbon" – is set to be scaled back amid pressure from the housebuilding industry. Builders claim the proposals would be too expensive and impossible to implement for many flats, and would result in a slump in the rate of homes built. Now, says Tim Webb, The Guardian has learned that the government is ready to water down the target, a move environmentalists have said would be a "travesty".
|
A "zero carbon home" requires a major reduction in carbon emissions, a target which includes emissions from household appliances, heating and lighting. The plan was to achieve these savings from improved energy efficiency and on-site renewables.
Housebuilders argued this was too ambitious and agreed a compromise where only 70% of the reduction would be on-site. The rest would be achieved by housebuilders paying £4,500 a house into a community energy fund, to finance small renewable energy projects or energy-efficiency measures.
Now housebuilders say even this is too ambitious. The Home Builders' Federation says buyers would not be prepared to pay the 20% premium for a home. The Zero Carbon Hub, set up to co-ordinate policy, has begun final testing of the target and will make recommendations to ministers this year.
But the Guardian has learned that policymakers and senior figures at Communities and Local Government accept the target is too high and more emissions will have to be "offset".
Simon McWhirter, homes spokesman from charity WWF, said: "David Cameron said this would be the greenest government ever but we are already seeing a potential weakening of one of the most progressive environmental policies which would be a travesty."
Housing minister Grant Shapps said: "We need to set a realistic benchmark for carbon emissions in building regulations which also takes account of costs."
However, as one of the many to comment on this item points out a tried and proven building approach already exists which can deliver a 90% reduction in heating demand for marginally more cost than current practice - Passivhaus. It does mean however that the quality of UK housing construction practice has to improve greatly.
Passivhaus standard construction would allow housebuilders to deliver high quality, low energy housing and leave the power industry to focus on more efficient large-scale forms of renewable generation to green the grid. perhaps the demise of ZeroCarbon would allow the rise of Passivhaus? A newly completed Passivhaus on the former Ebbw Vale steelworks site in Wales, built using locally constructed components, cost only the same as an average home built for social rent using conventional methods.
|
|
|
|
