Sustainability at home?
A recent UK initiative to introduce a code for building sustainable homes has generated a great deal of interest. In a document titled “Proposals for introducing a code for sustainable homes – a consultation paper”,produced by the Office of the UK Deputy Prime Minister, Considers what could be done to inform people better about the sustainability of new homes.
The facts are at hand: in recent years, great progress has been made in the UK in improving the sustainability of buildings and their contents through a range of initiatives. For example, a building built to the recently announced revised standards will be 40 percent more energy efficient than one built only five years ago. For this, there are plans to change building regulations. Appliances, like fridges and freezers, are more efficient than they were ten years ago. However, the position remains that more than a quarter of the UK's carbon emissions come from energy used in homes and more than half of water used is in homes. Notwithstanding these changes, there is a need amongst the public and in the development industry to understand what constitutes a sustainable building. They are concerned about climate change both globally and at home and recognise that without serious and sustained action, the effects will get worse and not better.
Against this background, the UK Government has been considering what could be done to inform people better about the sustainability of new homes. They are considering how to present them with a choice: when they are buying a new home,to use their purchasing power to acquire a sustainably built home or one which,although it will contain sustainable elements, may make more of an impact on the environment. Current practices are not sustainable for the following reasons:
first, there is already a burden of regulation on house-builders and the Government's aim is not to add to it unless there is no real alternative;
secondly, some aspects of sustainability are not suited to regulation. For example, although it may be helpful to encourage and inform people to fit a sustainable dishwasher in their home that uses less power and less water, it may not be appropriate to tell them that this is what they must do; and
finally, there are interactions and trade-offs. Sustainability is not an exact science and is still developing. Regulation to deliver much higher waste recycling in homes may, for example, be affected by the amount of space available in a home to store recycled goods awaiting collection.
So there is a need for a different approach: one that builds upon current regulations, and moves a stage further; builds upon people's willingness to think about sustainability and to use their purchasing power to obtain it; and offers an alternative to regulation and a way to incorporate sustainability in new homes voluntarily.
That is what the code for sustainable homes aims to achieve. It is proposing a fresh approach to delivering sustainable new homes by voluntary compliance. And it is defining sustainability not only as a single characteristic, such as water or energy use, but as a package relating to the whole house. Those familiar with building regulations will recognise this as a major and welcome departure from current practice, and if the voluntary approach is widely adopted by house builders it may offer a new direction for delivering sustainable building standards. Further details on the scheme are available from the Office of the UK Deputy Prime Minister at: www.odpm.gov.uk/pub
