OPINION Your views from across the built environment
DIFFICULT DELIVERY
There is no doubt that building sector professionals know how to construct energy efficient dwellings, but several challenges remain for delivering a truly low carbon housing stock, argues Mark Clare
As a property developer, we are very pleased to see the rise in
‘fabric first’ solutions for new low carbon homes. This approach has enabled us to avoid expensive renewable technologies. We need technologies that deliver thermal and airtightness performance. But this approach still has to be at a cost that enables us to deliver affordable solutions – and we are not there yet. Indeed, the most important
challenge that the whole building industry has to crack is reducing the costs of delivery of such homes. Costs have come down for Level 3 and 4 dwellings under the Code for Sustainable Homes. And we have also seen our supply chain stepping up significantly, with better technology and, as volume increase, better prices. But we still have some way to go to make low carbon affordable. Some might argue that we can
simply reduce the land cost, or charge the customers more. But in reality the result will simply be fewer houses being built. We also have some real concerns about the price of carbon. It is completely unacceptable if, as suggested, the price is set higher than the European trading mechanism, the ETS. Given how expensive housing is in Britain, why would we then ‘tax’ it unfairly? It is customers who will pay if the charge is unfair, either directly or indirectly because fewer homes will be built. Another key obstacle to the delivery
of low carbon homes lies in those local authorities that still insist on setting requirements for housebuilders to install renewables – despite the fact that we can deliver the standard required with a fabric-only solution.
22 CIBSE Journal March 2012 One of the key issues for
housebuilders themselves is selling the benefits of this new generation of more efficient homes to customers. We certainly need to focus more on this in the future – but also in a cost- effective way. One of the concerns often voiced by consumers is the cost of maintaining renewable technologies. Of course, looking forward, it is the
way our customers live in their low carbon, new homes that will define their carbon footprint. So, in the longer term, we have an even bigger communication task ahead – one that is aimed at helping customers live a more sustainable life. While that sounds like a pretty tall order now, as awareness increases, people will want to understand how they can do their bit. However, as a nation, the real
It is not clear whether the attitude of local councils here is down to a lack of understanding, or to a desire to ensure everyone knows the development is lower carbon. In reality, forcing developers to
deliver renewables when they aren’t required leads to some serious unintended consequences. The property will be more expensive; it will also be more complicated for the customer, who will have to pay for ongoing maintenance and future replacement; and there is the carbon footprint of the unnecessary manufacture of the renewable units themselves. The government needs to ensure
that local authorities are properly informed on the best and most appropriate technology solutions available for various applications. Organisations such as BRE could act as an important catalyst in this process.
A Code Level 6 Barratt dwelling. Can developers afford to build many more such developments?
challenge for reducing the carbon footprint of our homes is to start dealing with existing stock. This stock is very old and inefficient in comparison with other Western nations. It is now time to move the energy efficiency focus onto existing homes. So in summary, it’s important
Forcing developers to deliver renewables when they aren’t required to leads to some serious unintended consequences
that ‘allowable solutions’ provide incentives for innovation. We must have informed planning decisions and not ‘greenwash’. And, while the job of delivering low carbon new homes isn’t done yet, the whole built environment sector has made real progress. Most importantly of all, there is no doubt we do all now know how to deliver a low carbon home; we just have to ensure it is an affordable one.
l Mark Clare is chief executive of Barratt Developments. This is an edited extract from a speech made to the recent Zero Carbon Hub annual conference.
www.zerocarbonhub.org;
www.barrattdevelopments.co.uk
www.cibsejournal.com
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