Housing Federation gives warning over Government green code
Filed Under Country Curtain | Posted on April 6, 2008
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The Government%26#39;s Code for Sustainable Homes came into effect on Tuesday 1 April.
It is meant to ensure that CO2 emissions from new homes are drastically lowered. However, whereas housing associations, who build around a quarter of all new homes, will have to start drastically reducing the emissions from their new homes - private developers will not.
Under the code, new homes built by housing associations will have to reduce their carbon emissions by 25 per cent and will have to reduce emissions by progressively greater amounts on a staged basis up to April 2015 - when all their new homes should be carbon neutral.
However, the Government is allowing private developers to join the fight to cut carbon emissions two years later and then reduce their carbon to a slower timetable - up to April 2016 - by which point all new homes in the country must be %26#39;zero carbon%26#39;.
As a result the Housing Federation, which represents housing associations, believes the Government is in danger of missing its target to ensure all new homes are zero carbon by 2016.
Currently, only 2 per cent of homes built by private developers currently reach high sustainability standards, whereas 92 per cent of housing association developments meet the Government%26#39;s %26#39;excellent%26#39; or %26#39;very good%26#39; Eco Homes standard.
National Housing Federation chief executive David Orr said:
%26quot;It%26#39;s simply unacceptable that 8.5m tonnes of carbon will needlessly be pumped into the environment just because the Government is giving the private sector an easy-ride on the issue of sustainability.
%26quot;Ministers are facing in two directions on the issue of emissions. On the one hand they are saying it%26#39;s an urgent issue and housing associations have to reduce emissions now. On the other hand they are saying that private sector developers can do what they like for another two years, and then work to a slower timetable until 2016.
He added:
%26quot;The Government needs to grasp the nettle and compel private developers to meet the same tough sustainable standards and timetable as housing associations now.%26quot;
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