Earlier this week during the Lords Report Stage of the Housing and Planning Bill, the House of Lords defeated the Government on the zero carbon homes amendment. The defeat – by 48 votes – could see the reintroduction of Zero Carbon Homes, the on-site carbon compliance standard, the Government unfortunately scrapped last year.
Whilst it is a clear sign that there is still much belief in the Zero Carbon Homes standard, the Bill will now go back to the Commons where both Houses of Parliament seek to pass their respective versions of the Bill. But the outcome could see Government ensure all new homes in England built from 1 April 2018 achieve the carbon compliance standard.
The hope is that it is back for good. The industry has not lost faith in it and there is still momentum and desire for zero carbon homes. For example, there is still innovation in products such as Solid Wall Insulation that are striving to make zero carbon homes more easily achievable, regardless of whether it is mandatory or not. It is welcome news but this is a long way to go. However it does demonstrate there is still Parliamentary support for zero carbon homes and its reinstatement will be met with open arms from across the industry.
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