Carbon neutral targets ''too high''

Making new builds carbon neutral may take longer than is expected, according to builders in the UK.

A report by the Home Builders'' Federation (HBF) says that a lack of skills and capacity means that homes becoming environmentally-friendly may require a longer timescale although there are good signs that homes are already becoming greener.

Between November 2004 and November 2005 there was a 25 per cent increase in the amount of homes which had solar panels with recycling also gaining in popularity.

Dave Mitchell, the technical director of the HBF, said that it is easier to be green when you are building just one house.

He said: "It''s not impossible to make a home carbon neutral now, but if you ask me to do it on a plot for 200 that would be economically impossible."

The government plans that all new builds will be carbon neutral by 2016 with a star system being introduced which rates each home for its energy efficiency.


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