WWF-UK: New homes get green rating
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New homes get green rating
Friday 2 May 2008
WWF-UK's homes campaign manager, Simon McWhirter, explains how all new UK homes now have to be rated on their green credentials and looks at the progress we are making towards creating truly sustainable housing.
Our homes and communities should be places we are proud of. They should allow us to enjoy a good quality of life, but without causing unnecessary damage to the planet.
From 1 May 2008, we've seen a major step forward in creating homes that do just that. Every new home must now be rated according to the government's Code for Sustainable Homes which measures nine categories of sustainable design, including energy, water and waste. The Code uses a one to six star rating system to demonstrate a home's overall sustainability performance.
New generation of homes
WWF-UK campaigned hard to get the Code for Sustainable Homes introduced by the government back in 2006, welcoming it as a signal to developers that sustainable development must be taken seriously.
Over time, the Code should result in a new generation of homes that are cheaper to run and use less of the earth's natural resources.
Greater uptake of the Code will not only result in reduced energy use in the home but will also begin to address wider environmental issues such as water efficiency and conservation, biodiversity, waste and materials use. Raising the bar for new home standards also has potential spin-off benefits, advancing technology and skills that can be retrofitted into existing homes.
Zero carbon by 2016
The government has set out a timeline for moving by 2016 to zero-carbon housing development (zero carbon means that the net energy used in a home is zero over a year). As a stepping stone to this goal, levels of carbon emissions in new homes should fall by 25% in 2010 (compared to 2006 building regulations) and by 44% in 2013.
The targets sound challenging, but progress is already being made to achieve the higher ratings of the Code. In spite of being voluntary up until now, the requirements of the Code have already been implemented by many of the UK's largest developers. The highest-rated (six star) homes are becoming a reality and hopefully the rest of the market will soon follow.
Clearly, if homebuilders are serious about reaching zero-carbon standards by 2016 they need to get a head start now, and have a strategy in place that will set them on a path to achieve this target. Of course, even focusing on achieving the next stage of the Code will be a challenge for some, but there are plenty of lessons to be learnt from the public housing sector.
Any dwelling built with Government assistance must already receive a three-star rating and organisations like the National Housing Federation are providing private house builders with online resources demonstrating how this can be achieved.
A recent WWF-UK benchmarking study of the top 20 homebuilders in the UK showed that industry has recognised the importance of sustainability and is getting to grips with the challenge of making all new homes zero-carbon by 2016. However, the report also revealed the large gap between where the industry is now and where it needs to be by 2016 if the government's vision for a quarter of a million new zero-carbon homes a year is to be realised.
It will be essential therefore to monitor and measure the environmental performance of the more highly-rated homes already built to ensure that the most robust, effective and cost-efficient building designs, fabrics and technologies become widely known.
Thinking for our future
A home may be built in line with the highest rating of the Code, but if the occupant does not understand the potential benefits on offer, or does not adapt their energy-use behaviour, the home will be no more sustainable than another home that gets a nil-rating.
All the benefits of an energy efficient, airtight home with sophisticated ventilation systems will be undone if people turn the heating up and leave the windows open. Everyone needs to better understand the impact of our homes and lifestyles.
We need industry to respond to the challenges ahead, but we also need a shift in thinking on the part of homeowners, and a massive increase in government support for homeowners. Only by doing of all of this, will we achieve a zero-carbon future for UK housing.
From 1 May 2008, we've seen a major step forward in creating homes that do just that. Every new home must now be rated according to the government's Code for Sustainable Homes which measures nine categories of sustainable design, including energy, water and waste. The Code uses a one to six star rating system to demonstrate a home's overall sustainability performance.
New generation of homes
WWF-UK campaigned hard to get the Code for Sustainable Homes introduced by the government back in 2006, welcoming it as a signal to developers that sustainable development must be taken seriously.
Over time, the Code should result in a new generation of homes that are cheaper to run and use less of the earth's natural resources.
Greater uptake of the Code will not only result in reduced energy use in the home but will also begin to address wider environmental issues such as water efficiency and conservation, biodiversity, waste and materials use. Raising the bar for new home standards also has potential spin-off benefits, advancing technology and skills that can be retrofitted into existing homes.
Zero carbon by 2016
The government has set out a timeline for moving by 2016 to zero-carbon housing development (zero carbon means that the net energy used in a home is zero over a year). As a stepping stone to this goal, levels of carbon emissions in new homes should fall by 25% in 2010 (compared to 2006 building regulations) and by 44% in 2013.
The targets sound challenging, but progress is already being made to achieve the higher ratings of the Code. In spite of being voluntary up until now, the requirements of the Code have already been implemented by many of the UK's largest developers. The highest-rated (six star) homes are becoming a reality and hopefully the rest of the market will soon follow.
Clearly, if homebuilders are serious about reaching zero-carbon standards by 2016 they need to get a head start now, and have a strategy in place that will set them on a path to achieve this target. Of course, even focusing on achieving the next stage of the Code will be a challenge for some, but there are plenty of lessons to be learnt from the public housing sector.
Any dwelling built with Government assistance must already receive a three-star rating and organisations like the National Housing Federation are providing private house builders with online resources demonstrating how this can be achieved.
A recent WWF-UK benchmarking study of the top 20 homebuilders in the UK showed that industry has recognised the importance of sustainability and is getting to grips with the challenge of making all new homes zero-carbon by 2016. However, the report also revealed the large gap between where the industry is now and where it needs to be by 2016 if the government's vision for a quarter of a million new zero-carbon homes a year is to be realised.
It will be essential therefore to monitor and measure the environmental performance of the more highly-rated homes already built to ensure that the most robust, effective and cost-efficient building designs, fabrics and technologies become widely known.
Thinking for our future
A home may be built in line with the highest rating of the Code, but if the occupant does not understand the potential benefits on offer, or does not adapt their energy-use behaviour, the home will be no more sustainable than another home that gets a nil-rating.
All the benefits of an energy efficient, airtight home with sophisticated ventilation systems will be undone if people turn the heating up and leave the windows open. Everyone needs to better understand the impact of our homes and lifestyles.
We need industry to respond to the challenges ahead, but we also need a shift in thinking on the part of homeowners, and a massive increase in government support for homeowners. Only by doing of all of this, will we achieve a zero-carbon future for UK housing.
Although the industry is responding well to the challenges ahead, progress is still far too slow.
Related links
- Find out more about sustainable homes on our One Planet Homes site
- Read our How Low report summary on the reduction of household CO2 emissions.
- Read the full report
- Measure your footprint
- Support our call for a stronger Climate Change Bill
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