The reporting process itself is pioneering. Commissioned by CLG, the report is the result of several months of work by a number of UK-GBC   members - some of them competitors - who have shared data and collaborated over the project  Click here <http://www.ukgbc.org/>  for the full report.

Key findings in the report are:

1) It is possible to reduce carbon emissions from energy use down to zero in the majority of new non-domestic buildings, as long as onsite, near- ite and offsite renewable solutions are employed

2) There is a cost associated with building to zero carbon. Cost varies widely with both the form and the use of the building. However, preliminary modelling suggest that the premium could range from over 30% down to as low as 5 or 10% of current baseline costs.

3) A challenging yet achievable timeframe for achieving zero carbon new non-domestic buildings along the lines set for housing is needed. With a trajectory in place similar to that adopted for the Code for Sustainable Homes, then a deadline of 2020 could be adopted.

In order for government to take forward these findings and set policy, a substantial amount of further work needs to be done. One of the UK- BC's key recommendations is the construction of a national database on energy use in non-domestic buildings to improve on the existing incomplete and inconsistent data.

Paul King, Chief Executive of the UK-GBC said: "One of the most valuable things about this report has been the willingness of our members to work together, to work out how we can deliver zero carbon new buildings in around 10 years. We have already learnt valuable lessons from the zero carbon homes experience, not least that although there are inevitably extra costs, these costs can be minimised through good design.