Housing Minister John Healey has confirmed that this country will be the first in the world to require zero carbon homes as a matter of law from 2016.

Draughty homes will be history as tough new green standards are set from 2016. Homes will have all round better insulated walls, windows, ceilings and floors to meet proposed new energy efficiency standards and avoid any loss of energy, saving up to £150 a year in bills.

Offices, shops, hotels and warehouses will also need to be built differently, and Mr Healey has launched a consultation to gather evidence on how the zero carbon standards could be applied to non-domestic buildings from 2019.

He pledged an extra £3.2m to boost long-term research into how we design and build energy efficient homes. The research will use new technologies and materials to provide valuable evidence for future standards and how to drive down energy bills. He also announced that a new government consortium will use their combined green buying power of potentially over £10bn to boost green skills and technology, while also driving down costs.

-- Advertisement --

Mr Healey said that the nation must step up the UK drive on climate change ahead of Copenhagen. He said that the new standards signalled "real momentum to change and radically re-think how we design our towns and homes for the future".

One in three homes in 2050 will be built between now and then, so he made clear that the new standards are necessary in order for the country to meet low carbon targets. He said the standards also met a desire to change the way we live, lower our fuel bills and increase the market value of our homes with improved green credentials. The announcements were made during a speech to the UK Green Building Council. He called on the building industry to use the public and market momentum to take action.

Mr Healey, said: "There's a driving force behind the green homes movement from homeowners, developers and local authorities, to reduce energy bills and carbon emissions. We're pushing at an open door, and there is a lot of momentum to change and radically re-think how we design our homes and buildings for the future.

"While pushing for international change at Copenhagen, we also need to act here in Britain too. These proposals present big changes ahead at a time when we are firming up Britain's green credentials and strengthening our position for negotiations at the conference in a few weeks time.

"Future growth must be green, that's why we're setting standards for new homes and new offices, factories, shops and other buildings."

The confirmation of the energy efficiency standards and proposals for non-domestic buildings gives the building industry and stakeholders the opportunity to engage and aim higher.

As with zero carbon homes, non-domestic buildings will be able to reduce their emissions by going further with energy efficiency solutions or through the addition of onsite renewables. The proposals launched outline how those emissions can be reduced both on and off site, including through community scale low carbon heat production for district networks.

(CD/GK)