Excel Industries is concerned that the consultation on the Code for Sustainable Homes and the energy efficiency standard for zero-carbon homes makes no apparent reference to a review of Category 6 - pollution

We consider the current category of global warming potential (GWP) of insulating material as completely flawed, when it places all insulating materials that are lower than +5 GWP in the same category.

There is a significant difference in the amount of embodied carbon from an insulating material at +5 GWP and another that is lower than zero carbon (-1.9 GWP). However, there is absolutely no incentive for UK-based manufacturers of insulating materials to continue investing in zero-carbon technology and no incentive for architects and housing developers to consider using natural insulating materials that are zero carbon or lower, when they are placed in the same category as synthetic insulating materials that have significantly higher levels of embodied carbon.

Excel Industries is urging the communities department to look into this matter and consider recategorising the points scoring in this segment for the Code for Sustainable Homes as follows:

  • Above zero carbon, up to +5 GWP = 0.5 points
  • Zero carbon (0 GWP) = 1.5 points
  • Below zero carbon (- GWP) = 2.5 points

Excel Fibre Technology, via Building Forum

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