Be realistic with green homes

The definition of'Zero Carbon’ homes needs to be realistic and not idealistic if we are to having real chance of creating greener, more energy efficient homes.This is the warning of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in its response to the Government’s consultation on the Definition of Zero Carbon Homes and Non-Domestic Buildings.

The FMB has joined both the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in calling on the Government to ensure a deliverable definition of ‘Zero Carbon’ homes.

Brian Berry director of external affairs at the FMB said: “While we all accept that the environmental performance of the housing stock must be improved, the rate at which this improvement takes place must be realistic, and the standards affordable. At the moment, the Government is going full steam ahead with no acknowledgement of the worst crisis to face house building in a generation, and no understanding that they may actually make the situation worse.

“The bottom line is that the same would-be home owners who are already expected to find the money to pay for social housing, section 106 agreements and all of the other hidden expenses that government pile onto the price of a house, cannot afford the current burden, let alone any new ones.

Building to Zero Carbon standards as suggested in the consultation will add tens of thousands of pounds to the cost of building a home, and even then, true zero carbon may not be practically deliverable for many types of development.”