House trained

It is an ambitious goal as ministers have made it clear that zero carbon includes all household energy used for cooking, powering televisions and other appliances.

Meeting this obligation will be a challenge for any housebuilder. Announcing the initiative Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly spoke of insulated buildings drawing energy from zero carbon technologies. But the reality is not that simple. Demanding planning rules mean most new homes are not individual units. Instead, they are likely to be apartments in much larger mixed-use schemes where the opportunity to employ individual solar and other low-carbon technologies will be extremely limited.

Surely the most cost effective way of creating a zero carbon home on a mixed use scheme is for the energy demands of the housing component to balance that of the commercial, business and infrastructure elements. It is a task that requires considerable skill and an in-depth knowledge of building services. All of which is good news for members of a profession proficient in the design of such technologies.

In with the new

What an exciting year 2006 turned out to be for building services engineers. The industry overcame the challenge of implementing the revised Part L; there was the increasingly onerous planning demands for schemes to incorporate renewables; and CIBSE's 100 Days of Carbon Clean Up. The response to the campaign demonstrates that business is starting to recognise the importance of limiting CO2 emissions.

Looking ahead, the good news is that building services engineers are best qualified to advise business on the most effective way of reducing their carbon footprint. And with increasing awareness of energy costs and environmental issues 2007 promises to be equally challenging and rewarding.

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year.