Commercial property must be built to “zero carbon” standards by 2019 under plans unveiled by government yesterday.
Housing Minister John Healey launched consultation on the target, which would see public buildings built to zero carbon by 2018, and all properties expected to reach the standard a year later.
Healey also repeated that the
The consultation is to “gather evidence on how the zero-carbon standards could be applied to non-domestic buildings from 2019”.
It proposes that, as with zero-carbon homes, non-domestic buildings will be able to reduce their emissions through energy efficiency and the addition of onsite renewables.
Off-site, new developments will be able use community–scale low-carbon heat production for district networks that could be linked with homes to create a combined market for heat generation.
The announcement comes ahead of global climate change talks in
Healy said: “While pushing for international change at
“These proposals present big changes ahead at a time when we are firming up
“Future growth must be green, that’s why we’re setting standards for new homes and new offices, factories, shops and other buildings.”
The British Property Federation welcomed the announcement, but said government policy still failed to address emissions from the 98% of existing stock.
Assistant director for sustainability, Patrick Brown, said: “This is a welcome consultation but the bottom line is that our 2050 target of reducing carbon emissions by 80% will be missed unless a greater level of attention is given to existing buildings.
“The consultation prioritises energy efficiency which is a good thing since building regulations are readily understood by developers and the bar is raised over a gradual period of time.
“But the overwhelming focus on new buildings must be accompanied by a greater level of attention to existing stock.
“The majority of buildings with us now will still be in use in 50 years’ time and side-stepping the difficult questions will cause us more problems in the long term.”
