Drivers & Standards
This section explains why the government has set a ‘world first' standard of achieving zero carbon housing development by 2016, whilst at the same time increasing house-building targets. The ‘drivers' of low carbon homes are current policy and legislation, which are briefly summarised by reference to key policy documents to which links are provided.
National minimum standards are set out in the Building Regulations Part L, the requirements of the new Energy Performance Certificate and the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH). The Housing Corporation and English Partnerships have set a higher minimum standard, CSH Level 3, for developments which include an element of public investment.
National minimum standards are a floor, not a ceiling. At local level there will continue to be some variation in the local planning standards required for the energy performance of new housing development. This will reflect local opportunities for higher than the minimum standards to be achieved and the priority given by local authorities to move towards zero carbon at a rate which is in advance of that set by the phased upgrading of the Building Regulations. |  |
However, whilst local authorities have been given powers to set higher environmental standards for sustainable buildings, they can now only do this by reference to the new national Code for Sustainable Homes. They are also now required by government to identify and ensure the delivery of a specified percentage of the energy needed by new housing development from renewable or low carbon sources.
Despite growing awareness of the threat of climate change and increasing energy prices, home buyers do not yet give the same priority to energy efficiency/ environmental performance in their buying preferences as they do to price, location and cost. There is as yet only a niche market for very low carbon housing. The situation is changing, but demand is increasing too slowly to meet the 2016 target. The government is taking action on many fronts to promote low carbon building and change home-buyers preferences. But, as the Callcutt review emphasised
‘...products suppliers will need to invest millions of pounds in product development, manufacturing capacity and supporting services. They need strong assurances of a return on this investment ..... Government should continue to give a strong and sustained message that it is committed to regulate to achieve its target for zero carbon homes by 2016 and must not show any signs of wavering'
Callcutt Review of House-building p89
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/callcuttreviewyears will challenge
In the context of the government's Climate Change Action Plan and related legislation, the overarching government policy document which applies the climate change agenda to the built environment is Building a Greener Future: Policy Statement, published by CLG in July 2007
This provides the framework within which a wide range of innovations in national housing and planning policies and building regulation requirements have been introduced in order to achieve the zero carbon ambition.