Almost half of the UK’s carbon emissions come from the use of buildings, with homes being responsible for 27% of the total. The Government estimates that there will be an average formation of 223,000 new households per year to 2026 [1]. Consequently, a large number of homes need to be built compared to the levels witnessed over recent decades, but the UK has strict carbon targets to meet. Therefore the impacts of these homes need to be minimised and careful thought needs to be put into what we want our buildings to be like, how they will be used and how their carbon emissions can be reduced over their lifetime. This has led to a government target to make all new homes zero carbon from 2016 – one of the most stringent in the world.
What is a Zero Carbon Home?
The UK’s target demands that all emissions from the house and the activities that take place within it must net zero carbon emissions over the course of a year [2]. The current definition is that it should reach level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, however this could present difficulties in the mainstream roll out as it has only been achieved by a few exemplar schemes. Furthermore, each home is treated as an individual “energy island” which must generate all the power and heat it needs. Within the new Budget 2011, details of the 2016 zero carbon new homes policy was clarified to only include the emissions covered by Building Regulations (e.g. heating, fixed lighting, hot water and building services). Therefore emissions from cooking and other “plug-in” appliance such as televisions will not be counted [3].
What makes a Zero Carbon Home?
In “Building a Greener Future” (July 2007) [4], the ways in which all new homes are to built from 2016 were set out. These include taking account of:
- Emissions from space heating, how water is heated and fixed lighting.
- Exports and imports of energy from the development and (directly connected energy installations) to and from centralised energy networks. The building is to have net zero carbon emissions over the course of the year.
To achieve this, new homes will:
- Be built with high levels of energy efficiency.
- Achieve at least a minimum level of carbon reductions through a combination of energy efficiency, onsite energy supply and/or directly connected low carbon or renewable heat.
- Choose from a range of (mainly offsite) solutions for tackling the remaining emissions.
So what will Britain look like from 2016?
While all new homes are to be built to zero carbon standards by 2016, it is hoped that it will not put an end to “Great British Design” [5]. There are concerns that in a couple of years “eco-bling” will dominate UK neighbourhoods, such as the Scandinavian-style homes that feature on property programmes (see below).
However, having an energy efficient home does not mean it can’t be a Victorian terrace, have traditional character or fit in with the neighbourhood. The Zero Carbon Hub [6] provides advice and guidance to house-builders and designers so that they can construct more attractive energy efficient homes. Some examples can be found below:
But it’s not just new homes that can meet the Zero Carbon 2016 target. A pioneering council scheme in Salford already uses a quarter of the heating energy of a typical UK home. This scheme was designed by Salford University in the 1970s but could still meet the 2016 zero carbon targets [7]. In a bid to reduce fuel poverty in the 1980s, 200 of these houses were built including cavity wall insulation, double glazed windows and a small gas convector to keep the homes warm. This was so successful, that when two residents moved from these homes to a new scheme built in 2006, they reported their new homes to be draughty and expensive to keep warm.
[1] http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/1101177.pdf
[2] http://www.zerocarbonhub.org/definition.aspx
[3] http://www.novamedia1999.co.uk/zerocarbonhub/march2011/
[4] http://www.communities.gov.uk/archived/publications/planningandbuilding/buildinggreener
