Recession threatens zero carbon homes, say campaigners

The credit crunch and the UK housing slump may threaten the government's commitment to building zero carbon homes, say green builders
Felicity Carus
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 17 December 2008 14.23 GMT

The government's zero carbon homes initiative is in danger of being "devalued" say campaigners who have previously lauded the scheme as pioneering. They say the definition of zero carbon risks being diluted in the face of the worst economic conditions for housebuilding since the 1920s.
However, launching a government consultation on the definition of zero carbon today the housing minister Margaret Beckett said despite the economic crisis she was "absolutely committed to our 2016 target".
The government has pledged that by 2016 all new homes have to be zero carbon, through energy efficiency and renewable power. It estimates that 25% of the UK's CO2 emissions come from housing - reducing demand for household heating using fossil fuels is key to achieving the government's target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050.
"Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing the world, and introducing zero carbon homes is an important part of our plans to tackle this." said Beckett.
She added: "With the consultation process we are launching today, we are confident we will be able to achieve our ambitions while giving the industry flexibility for how they get there."
But campaigners have warned that flexibility for the building industry may result in measures that have less impact on emissions. "Unless the government is careful, they will devalue the concept of a zero carbon home," said John Alker of the UK Green Building Council, a non-profit organisation which campaigns for sustainable building practices.
"Housebuilders have come a long way in a short time, in signing up to the 2016 target. But some of these proposals risk going against the spirit of the zero carbon definition."
The UKGBC has advised the government on how to achieve its climate change targets through energy efficiency, micro-generation in individual dwellings, bigger "near-site" renewable energy generation and off-site renewables. It warns that developers may put pressure on the government to allow cheaper options, such as off-setting emissions in its existing housing stock, by installing insulation for example.
Paul King, the chief executive of the UKGBC, said: "Simply offsetting emissions in nearby existing homes through energy efficiency improvements is not a solution – we need radical action in both new homes and existing homes, it's not an either/or.
"We urge the government to stick to its guns and rule this option out. A 'zero carbon home' built using this mechanism would not be doing what it said on the tin."
Stephen Stone, the chief executive of housebuilders Crest Nicholson, said: "The economic downturn we are battling with at the moment does not mean that climate change goes away.
"The government needs to decide what its priorities are, and we believe that cutting carbon emissions should be at the top of the list. But that means that other things might have to give."
A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government said the economic conditions would have to play a part in deciding the definition for zero carbon. "It's a question of balance between green choices and the economic conditions.
"But to what extent people's responses will be determined by economic conditions, we'll have to wait and see. But ultimately this target has to be deliverable and the costs of delivering are a factor."