Get Sust! Issue 44

Zero carbon homes: is it just a dream?

A joint study by Loughborough University and Laing O’Rourke suggests that major house builders can deliver zero carbon homes by 2016, providing they are given the right support in terms of clear guidelines and legislation. But recent developments in the European parliament might muddy the waters…

A ‘zero carbon’ home is one that reaches Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6, which specifies that domestic energy must be generated from renewable sources.

Writing in the January issue of the journal Energy and Buildings, Mohamed Osmania and Alistair O'Reilly’s say that the developers questioned during their study think zero carbon homes are feasible, but that there remain significant questions over the concept. For instance, the researchers found that developers are not convinced that today’s technologies are up to the job. They are also unsure of the precise details of energy requirements. In particular, they need to know whether renewable energy distributed at a district level by Energy Service Companies (ESCos), rather than onsite, could count towards zero carbon status.

Off-site generation is an option that is getting a lot of air time (see Get Sust 43), but the European parliament recently voted to reform the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), and a key proposal is that all buildings should meet their entire energy requirements from on-site sources by 2019.

Denise Chevin, editor of Building magazine suggests that this proposal might “drive the industry back in the direction of green bling”, citing a recent case of a biomass boiler installed without a flue because there was no intention of actually using it.

Learn more:

	•	Feasibility of zero carbon homes in England by 2016: A house builder's perspective, by M Osmani, and A O'Reilly, Building and Environment, 2009, 44:1917-1924 (doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2009.01.00); available at www.sciencedirect.com Purchase article: $31.50
	•	Code for Sustainable Homes: Technical guide - May 2009 Version 2, www.communities.gov.uk/publications
	•	Building, Editorial by Denise Chevin, 22 May 2009