Green light given to energy scheme for zero-carbon homes

In the future, zero-carbon homes will self-generate the majority of the energy they use. However, a small amount of off-site renewable power generation will also be allowed, according to an influential report.

The UK Green Building Council report, which is likely to affect government thinking and policy, brought together construction firms and environmentalists in the hope of working out a blueprint for house building from 2016. All new homes should be zero-carbon by this date.

Environmentalists and construction firms had been debating how to define zero carbon prior to the report. The greens generally wanted each home to self-generate electricity. House builders argued this was inflexible and that power should also come from other renewable sources.

The Green Building Council report says house builders will be able to pay into an energy pot to fund local power generation projects.

Paul King, chief executive of the Green Building Council, said: “The government’s level of ambition is spot on and should be supported 100%. This (report) is not about dumbing down or abandoning the concept of zero carbon. This is about ensuring the same high levels of carbon savings, but allowing developers more flexibility.

“The price of paying into the fund should be set at a margin above the cost of community-scale solutions, so as to clearly incentivise the installation of on-site or local measures.”

The report has been welcomed by house builders and environmental groups alike. Simon McWhirter, homes campaign manager at the WWF, said: “WWF is optimistic that the findings will dispel confusion over the definition of zero carbon, investing more developers with the confidence to build to the very highest levels of sustainability. We hope this will help deliver practical zero-carbon homes well ahead of the 2016 deadline.”

« back to development finance news