Communities and Local Government

• Planning, building and the environment
• The Environment
• Zero Carbon Homes

Planning, building and the environment

Zero Carbon Homes

In July 2007 the Government's Building A Greener Future: Policy Statement announced that all new homes will be zero carbon from 2016. Following up the commitment in the Policy Statement to consult further on the definition of zero carbon, in December 2008 the Government published Definition of Zero Carbon Homes and Non-Domestic Buildings: Consultation. This proposed an approach based on:

• high levels of energy efficiency in the fabric of the home
• a minimum level of carbon reduction to be achieved onsite or through directly connected heat; and
• a list of allowable solutions for dealing with the remaining emissions (including from appliances)

In his Written Ministerial Statement of 16 July, John Healey, Minister for Housing and Planning, reconfirmed that all new homes will be zero carbon from 2016 and that the definition of zero carbon would be based on the approach outlined above.

The energy efficiency task group's report was published in November 2009 and can be found at http://www.zerocarbonhub.org/building.aspx. On 16 December 2009, the Department launched (as part of a consultation on updating the Code for Sustainable Homes) Sustainable New Homes: The Road to Zero Carbon: Consultation on the Code for Sustainable Homes and the Energy Efficiency standard for Zero Carbon Homes on the task group's proposals together with an updated impact assessment Zero Carbon Homes: Impact Assessment (December 2009) (see Related publications link below).

In Budget 2008, the Government announced its ambition that all new non-domestic buildings should be zero carbon from 2019 (with earlier targets for schools and other public buildings). Zero Carbon for New Non-domestic Buildings: Consultation on Policy Options was launched in November 2009 (see Related publications link below).

The Department has established the 2016 Taskforce, jointly led by the Minister of Housing and Planning and Stewart Baseley, Executive Chairman for the Home Builders Federation, to identify barriers to implementation of the zero carbon 2016 target and put in place measures to overcome them. Further information can be found on the Taskforce webpage (see link on right).

The Government is also supporting the Zero Carbon Hub, an industry-led delivery body formed to take forward practical delivery of the zero carbon homes policy (see link on right).

Related publications

• Sustainable New Homes: The Road to Zero Carbon: Consultation on the Code for Sustainable Homes and the Energy Efficiency standard for Zero Carbon Homes

  • Published: 16 December 2009
  • Closing date: 24 March 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Zero Carbon Homes: Impact Assessment (December 2009)

  • Published: 18 December 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Zero Carbon for New Non-domestic Buildings: Consultation on Policy Options

  • Published: 24 November 2009
  • Closing date: 26 February 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Summary of Responses to Consultation on Definition of Zero Carbon Homes and Non-Domestic Buildings

  • Published: 16 July 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment
  • Status: Response

• Definition of Zero Carbon Homes: Impact Assessment (July 2009)

  • Published: 16 July 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Costs and Benefits of Alternative Definitions of Zero Carbon Homes: Project report

  • Published: 26 February 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Definition of Zero Carbon Homes and Non-Domestic Buildings: Consultation

  • Published: 17 December 2008
  • Closing date: 18 March 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Research to Assess the Cost and Benefits of the Government's Proposals to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of New Housing Development

  • Published: 8 September 2008
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Building a Greener Future: policy statement

  • Published: 23 July 2007
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Final Regulatory Impact Assessment: Building a Greener Future

  • Published: 23 July 2007
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Building a Greener Future: Towards Zero Carbon Development - Consultation

  • Published: 13 December 2006
  • Closing date: 8 March 2007
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment