Builders pessimistic about zero carbon houses

A new survey has revealed there is widespread pessimism among the building industry about its ability to deliver on the government's target date of 2016 for all new homes to be carbon neutral.

The opinion poll by Inbuilt found that while initially most said the target could be met, concerns emerged over the feasibility of recovering costs, the likelihood of the renewable technology being adequate and the accessibility of green power sources, the Green Building Press reports.

Inbuilt chief executive Dr David Strong stated the message emerging from the research was that the government had to "simplify its definition of zero carbon and allow builders to access at least some offsite-generated renewable electricity from certified, additional sources if we are going to stand a chance of meeting its aims for 2016".

Many people who want to live in a carbon-neutral home now and not wait until 2016 could look to achieve this using the self-build method with renewable energy sources on-site.

In an article on green homes, Estate Agency News stated that energy savings possible with such homes could include a 33 per cent electricity cost saving if a wind turbine was included.


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