Carbon Emissions

Mr. Drew
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish carbon dioxide milestones that can be used in conjunction with the standard assessment procedure and the planning process to ensure that appropriate building services and local renewables are specified.

Angela E. Smith
The Government have proposed changes to building regulations energy efficiency requirements so that by 2016 all new homes will need to be zero carbon as calculated by the Standard Assessment Procedure. The Government have also proposed interim milestones so that in 2010 and 2013, building regulations energy efficiency standards will be 25 per cent. and 44 per cent. higher respectively, compared with 2006.

The Government’s draft Planning Policy Statement on Climate Change has set out the need for development plan documents to set policies on the provision of low carbon and renewable sources of energy to provide the platform necessary for complementing the increasingly high levels of energy efficiency standards required by Building Regulations.

The proposed changes to building regulations together with the draft Planning Policy Statement on Climate Change will create opportunities for the use of appropriate building services and local renewables.