Thursday, July 16, 2009
Catherine Deshayes
The NHBC Foundation, Zero Carbon Hub and PRP Architects are today publishing the first ever global snapshot of individual countries' progress towards achieving lower energy emissions and zero carbon targets in housing...
The Zero Carbon Compendium: a record of who's doing what in housing worldwide is a unique report comparing the progress and aspirations of 15 major countries in improving the sustainability and carbon efficiency of their new homes. Including energy consumption and climatic data, as well as analysis of national policy targets and achievements, the report shows that the rate and nature of reform in each territory varies hugely, but overall progress on low carbon housing has been significant.
For the UK, the report shows that the target for England and Wales to reach zero carbon by 2016 is one of the most ambitious internationally, but that these countries are well-placed to achieve this. The UK is also unique in using carbon emissions (tonnes of CO2) instead of energy (kilowatt-hours) as its key measurement metric.
Further, the UK is one of the only countries to propose including both regulated energy (primarily heating and hot water) and unregulated energy (including appliances used within the home) in the criteria for zero carbon measurement.
Commenting on the report Imtiaz Farookhi, chief executive of NHBC, said: "This compendium provides a comprehensive and invaluable overview of how other countries are approaching and meeting the challenge of reducing carbon emissions in housing. Inevitably, every country has its own unique domestic circumstances and approach, but it is reassuring to see the collective advancements being made and on such a scale.
"The UK, in particular, is setting the bar extremely high with aspirations that look beyond those of many other countries - indeed, we are the only country to propose including carbon emissions from appliances in our targets. We have also started from a different point of development from many other countries, which already have clear, long-term policies in place."
Neil Jefferson, chief executive of the Zero Carbon Hub, added: "We know the UK target of net zero carbon for each new home from 2016 is ambitious. The compendium clearly shows just how stretching this target is in comparison with the ambitions of other countries, but it also provides valuable insight into how we can achieve our goal. "Over the past year the Hub has been working closely with industry and Government on a revised definition of zero carbon for new homes. We hope to have an announcement from Government shortly regarding their consultation and this report is a valuable set of learnings to help move the definition forward to a practical and workable stage."
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