Green gurus call for tighter rules on non-domestic buildings

Government policy to green existing non-domestic buildings needs to be simplified urgently, the UK Green Buildings Council has warned.

The body has launched a group made up of engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, developers and retailers to recommend changes to two pieces of regulation - display energy certificates and energy performance certificates, and the carbon reduction commitment.

The UKGBC said that the non-domestic building stock accounts for around 17% of the UK’s carbon emissions, which could be reduced by 75% “at no net cost”.

The carbon reduction commitment is a levy that will only to apply to large developers, and is dependent on a much higher European price of carbon than currently exists to be effective. At the comprehensive spending review in October, the government pushed back its implementation a year.

Paul King, chief executive of the UKGBC, said: “Government policy in the non-domestic buildings sector needs urgently sorting out. We’ve got Energy Performance Certificates that haven’t really taken off and we’ve got Display Energy Certificates that only apply to some buildings. Businesses are also trying to get their head around the Carbon Reduction Commitment following a moving of the goalposts in the Comprehensive Spending Review.”

“We think government could simplify regulations to both reduce the burden on business and achieve greater carbon reductions, cost effectively.

The task group will include: