Tuesday 4 December 2018

New industry task group to define net zero carbon buildings

A new task group which will develop an industry-led definition for net zero carbon buildings has been launched by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC).

Supported by 11 industry bodies, including British Property Federation, Chartered Institute for Building Services Engineers, Renewable Energy Association and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, it will bring together more than 30 experts from across the building value chain.

The task group will examine what net zero carbon will mean for new buildings, with the aim of building industry consensus on a definition for net zero carbon buildings which can be used to inform project designs, planning requirements and building regulations.

It includes representatives from organisations, including Arup, Berkeley Group, Hawkins Brown Architects, Kingspan Insulation, Skanska, The Carbon Trust and Twinn Sustainability Innovation.

An industry consultation on the proposals will be launched in February.

Richard Twinn, Senior Policy Advisor at UKGBC said: “The construction and property industry is ready to make its contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement and start delivering net zero carbon buildings. But there is still a lack of clarity about what a net zero carbon building means in practice.

“This initiative is aiming to move beyond discussions about specific tools and policies towards buildings that work as intended and achieve genuine net zero carbon. We are seeking to create an agreed industry-led definition for net zero carbon buildings in the UK to ensure we are all working towards the same outcomes.”

The government is seeking the advice of the Committee on Climate Change on whether the UK should set a date for achieving net zero carbon emissions.