Raising standards to protect homeowners
Zero Carbon consultation
The "Definition of Zero carbon homes and non-residential building" consultation ran from December 2008 to March 2009.
The NHBC response to the Zero Carbon consultation can be viewed here.
Return to NHBC's sustainability services.
What are the key proposals?
The NHBC Foundation prepared a summary: "Zero Carbon - an introductory guide".
"Going beyond 44% will become extremely challenging for many developments because meeting the target will be entirely reliant upon the incorporation of low carbon and renewable technologies. The consultation specifically invites views on whether 44%, 70% or 100% is the appropriate level", according to the NHBC Foundation's latest report.
The consultation defines zero carbon homes as those built to have zero net carbon emissions over the course of a year, "after taking account of:
- emissions from space heating, ventilation, hot water and fixed lighting
- expected energy use from appliances
- exports and imports of energy from the development (and directly connected energy installations) to and from centralised energy networks."
Briefly, the consultation covers three key proposals:
"To meet the zero carbon homes standard, homes should:
- 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 (where relevant) directly connected low carbon or renewable heat; and
- choose from a range of (mainly offsite) solutions for tackling the remaining emissions."