I was shocked to see such a misleading article in Building (“Neutral ground” 23 February, page 60, about the legal framework of carbon neutral homes).

First, many individuals and companies are knowledgeable about what’s required to save the planet – the CIBSE, the BRE and BREEAM are good places to start.

Second, Part L regulations already deal with renewable energy and set a low carbon benchmark that is difficult to achieve.

Third, electrically heated homes cannot comply with the new building regs, unless they include renewable generation.

Fourth, although microgeneration is attractive, in practice medium-scale biomass combined heat and power is the only form of “micro” generation that is cost-effective.

Fifth, the Code for Sustainable Homes is to replace EcoHomes. EcoHomes was not mandatory and did not have fixed minimum scores, yet it has been popular and has had a tremendous “greening” effect on the industry.

There is enough misinformation about green and carbon-neutral buildings – Building should not add to the confusion.

Nanik Daswani

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