As everyone in the industry is aware, from 2016, all new homes built in England will have
to be ‘zero carbon’, i.e. there should be no carbon emissions generated from the energy required to heat and light a home. The Government recognises that achieving the zero carbon standard could be particularly challenging for small builders, so it has decided that smaller housing sites in England should not face the total cost burden of delivering zero carbon homes.
Therefore DCLG have released a consultation paper which explores how this proposed exemption might work. The scope of this consultation is to set out, seek views and gather further evidence on a small sites exemption from the zero carbon policy. The consultation closes on 7 January 2015. Responses to this consultation should be submitted through the online capture form available here