Government: new homes and buildings must be 25% greener

Housing minister John Healey has proposed changes to Part L of Building Regulations which will introduce a 25% improvement on current standards of energy efficiency of both homes and commercial buildings from October 2010.

The new housing minister launched a consultation at this week’s RTPI planning conference on changes to the building regs that would require new buildings to have much better insulation and lower-energy lighting and heating. The 25% improvement in domestic performance was widely expected as it is already contained in the Code for Sustainable Homes, however the plan to expected non-domestic buildings to achieve the same improvements will come as a surprise to the industry.

Healey said such a move could save families £100 a year on their heating and electricity bills.

He said: “We must build our homes to a better, greener standard. We are leading the way globally, with our ambitions for zero-carbon homes and buildings. Today I have announced the next step towards zero carbon - a 25% improvement on current standards for new homes or buildings from 2010.”

Robert Upton, secretary-general of the RTPI, said: “To adopt this 25% improvement in 2010 will be tough but this is a bold decision which we welcome and fully support. If we are to achieve our targeted reduction of carbon emissions of 20% by 2020 as the minister indicated, we have to act now… It’s time for planners, architects and developers to step up to the mark and respond to this challenge.”