Archived press release

All new homes must be carbon zero by 2010, says Friends of the Earth

23 July 2007

The Government must insist that all new homes are 'carbon zero' by at least 2010, Friends of the Earth said today. The Government, which published it Housing Green Paper today, currently says that all new homes do not need to be carbon zero until 2016. The environmental campaign group also called on the Government to ensure that all new housing developments -as well as individual houses - are built to the highest environmental standards.

Friends of the Earth's housing campaigner Paul de Zylva, said:

“The Government must insist that all new homes are carbon neutral by at least 2010. Our homes are responsible for over a quarter of UK carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon zero homes can already be built so there is no not need to wait until 2016 for the Government to act on this.

“Individual homes must meet the highest environmental standards, and new housing developments must be sustainable. This means ensuring that new developments have clear plans for water supply, waste disposal and protection from flooding caused by extreme weather events. And local communities must also have a say on how and where new houses are built.”

Friends of the Earth says that:

New homes should be carbon zero by at least 2010. A carbon zero home is one that can be built, heated and powered without any net increase in carbon dioxide emissions. Existing housing stock should also be retro-fitted to improve energy efficiency.

New housing developments must adhere to the highest environmental regulations - for example new developments in highly water-stressed areas should be `water neutral'. As well as ensuring that new homes are fitted with highly water-efficient appliances, developers should be obliged to `offset' the water their developments use by paying for water saving equipment to be installed in existing houses. The result would be that there would be no net increase in water use caused by the new development and water use in old homes would be improved [1]

Local authorities and communities must have a say in decisions on where and how new housing is built - planning which involves local people build communities not just houses

Notes

[1] www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/ ¬
se_housing_developments_sh_21062006.html

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust