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Report: Residential property energy standard will fall below Passivhaus
23/10/09
Edited by Andy Jowett.Minimum energy standards set to be introduced for residential property by 2016 will fall below the requirements of Germany's Passivhaus low energy benchmark, according to reports.
The Zero Carbon Hub (ZCH) is developing a draft version of the standard, which will eventually be added to the Code for Sustainable Homes, Building magazine states.
Under the proposals, builders will see the points-based system replaced with limits on annual energy output per square metre for different building types, including apartment blocks, mid-terraced houses, semi-detached properties and detached houses.
Building said the limits are "much closer" to the current Building Regulations than the Passivhaus standard.
ZCH chairman David Adams said: "Bearing in mind our temperate culture, you do need to ask if we need to go as far as Passivhaus, which is very strict and involves fairly high upfront costs."
The ZCH will collect industry feedback before submitting its proposals to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
In July, housing minister John Healey announced that all new homes will have to be zero-carbon from 2016.
