Government sets out energy efficiency rules to meet 2016 target
Zero carbon rules to double insulation
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Homes built from 2016 will require twice as much insulation as those built today, under tough new efficiency rules.
Builders will need to put the equivalent of seven to eight inches of glasswool insulation in walls, and 16 inches of mineral wool insulation in roofs to meet a proposed energy efficiency standard published yesterday.
The standard is part of a government drive to ensure all new homes are zero carbon by 2016. This goal was announced in the summer, but a decision on how the energy efficiency requirement would be measured was delayed, and a task group set up to investigate.
This has now come up with a standard based on the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling each square metre of a home (see box for details). The standard will be included in a forthcoming consultation on the code for sustainable homes.
Housing minister John Healey announced the standard, and confirmed the 2016 goal, at a UK Green Building Council conference yesterday. He also said the government is putting £3.2 million into a trial of energy efficient homes.
A consortium including Barratt Developments, Crest-Nicholson, Stewart-Milne, H + H Celcon, Oxford Brookes University and the BRE will use the money to build homes that meet level four of the code for sustainable homes through energy efficiency measures alone.
These will be built alongside existing homes, to see how they compare in terms of ventilation, warmth and comfort.
Mr Healey said: ‘These proposals present big changes ahead at a time when we are firming up Britain’s green credentials and strengthening our position for negotiations at the [Copenhagen climate change] conference in a few weeks time.’
David Adams, director of the Zero Carbon Hub and chair of the task group that produced the efficiency standard, said: ‘The group believes its recommendations propose a sufficiently challenging target which is achievable with a variety of design approaches, enabling innovation and encouraging a high level of performance for the fabric of new homes.’
The executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, Stewart Baseley, said the task group had done a ‘good job in a short time’.
He added: ‘The industry will, however, need to assess the merits of specific delivery options and keep a close eye on the cost implications as part of the wider issue of ensuring the zero carbon policy is affordable.’
The energy efficiency standard
- The new energy efficiency standard will apply to all new homes built from 2016
- It states energy use must be kept to 46 kilowatt hours per square metre per year for semi-detached and detached homes and 39 kWh/m2/year for all other homes
- It will be up to builders to decide how to achieve this, but as an indication, it would require seven to eight inches of glasswool insulation in walls – around double that used at present – and 16 inches of mineral wool insulation in lofts, compared with 11 at present
- Other ways of meeting the standard could include fitting triple glazed windows, or ones that cannot be opened
- The government has calculated that typical fuel bills for a semi-detached home built to the standard would be £140 to £150 less per year than for a home built to current standards
