Too Little Too Late?
Last week Baroness Hanham revealed the changes that will come into play following the Part L consultation that took place in 2012. Not coming into effect until April 2014, the changes will be enforced six months later than previously expected – a move that has not gone down well with the industry.
The government’s plans to achieve zero carbon for all new homes by 2016 have suffered a serious set-back, not just due to the delays, but the changes have also been reduced from the initial consultation recommendations. The energy efficiency for new homes has been scaled back to just 6% above 2010 regulations, rather than the suggested 8%.
However, while the industry is stating that carbon reduction targets are not going to be achieved if delays such as this continue, many are not considering that it is not just new build homes that can help cut carbon emissions.
If the government does want to meet its carbon reduction targets, it needs to be putting in place more robust plans to improve the energy efficiency of all UK housing stock, including refurbishments. While schemes such as ECO and Green Deal have been put in place to help improve the energy efficiency of existing properties, it has been widely acknowledged that more needs to be done to increase take up of these initiatives.
It is not enough to have these schemes in place, any new changes to energy efficiency regulations need to encompass all housing stock to ensure the best possible chance of meeting the carbon budgets.
View a copy of the original report: Construction Enquirer