All new buildings must reduce their carbon emissions by about a third, the Government has announced.
Building Regulations will be amended to enforce a 30% cut on emissions from new homes and a 27% cut on other buildings.
The new rules will come into force in June, with a transition period to allow for planning applications that are in progress at the time.
HBF’s Managing Director, Neil Jefferson, said, “We welcome the publication of the new Building Regulations, which helps provide the certainty that the industry has been seeking.
“The new requirements and proposed timelines pose a considerable challenge and, as industry gears up to deliver them, it is imperative that the final, tested and validated software supporting the government’s national calculation methodology for new homes (SAP) is available to industry as soon as is possible. Without it, industry is currently unable to accurately test what specifications are required to meet the new requirements. We urge Government to clear this block to the industry’s ability to deliver these demanding requirements.
“New build homes are already significantly more energy efficient than older homes, saving owners hundreds of pounds a year. The industry remains committed to going further, working with stakeholders to ensure that the implementation timetable for the proposed Future Homes Standard from 2025 is achieved.”
Simon McWhirter, Director of Communications, Policy & Places at UKGBC, said it applauds the Government for taking forward the more ambitious Part L improvement options within the consultation, alongside new requirements for tackling domestic overheating.
“This is a vital step in the right direction in the decarbonisation of our buildings,” he continued. “However, there were overarching details missing which could and should have clarified what more will be done to deliver net zero buildings by 2050. Although we welcome that the Government’s commitment to issue a ‘Statement of Intent’ will address both embodied carbon and the performance gap, it was disappointing not to see these necessary, clear and ambitious proposals set out here today, particular as UKGBC’s Whole Life Carbon Roadmap demonstrates that urgent action is critical on these issues.
“The Roadmap shows that embodied carbon will form over half of all built environment emissions by 2035, and with embodied carbon emissions currently unregulated, it is essential that the government moves quickly if we are to meet our climate targets.”
Richard Beresford, chief executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “We support the efforts to get to net zero and will do all we can to achieve it. With the energy efficiency standard of buildings going up again in 2025, we must use the next three years to ensure change is deliverable and industry is ready, rather than the Government panicking and turning to an exercise of taxation and regulatory tightening to achieve arbitrary targets.
“We have been working with NFB members so they can more quickly deliver net zero projects and releasing guidance to assist them. We are in a great position to help the Government understand the challenges, barriers and easy wins.”
