The government’s plan for a low carbon construction sector has been welcomed by industry despite holding back from several major recommendations, Building reported.
The plan is a response to recommendations produced in November by the Low Carbon Construction Innovation and Growth Team (IGT), led by chief construction adviser Paul Morrell.
Among the key recommendations are proposals to establish a green construction board, to be set up in September and co-chaired by business minister Mark Prisk. A standard method of measuring embodied carbon, which will be led by the RICS, is also among the recommendations.
But the plan pledged to consider, rather than implement, several of the IGT report’s other recommendations. These include creating an existing homes hub to monitor the success of retrofitting and the mandatory use of display energy certificates (DECs).
David Strong, consultant and chair of the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, said: “There is a degree of frustration the report didn’t come out more favourably on DECs. In general it’s fair to say the report puts off a number of the key decisions.”
The Construction Products Association said the government’s response had not done enough to address concerns about the way carbon is measured, Construction News reported.
CPA industry affairs director John Tebbit said he was pleased the government “accurately identified most of the key issues” but added that the report was disappointing on two counts, measuring carbon and the lack of fiscal incentives to help ensure the Green Deal succeeds.
“The UK government, along with those of other western economies, claim that its carbon emission polices are contributing to the decarbonisation of the UK. However in reality the amount of carbon we consume in this country has increased by about 30 per cent since 1990, as what we have done is outsource the carbon emissions to other parts of the world and import back to the UK the products that these countries have manufactured,” he said.
Regarding fiscal incentives, he added: “It continues to baffle our industry that government feels it’s appropriate to charge a lower rate of VAT on the energy that it is trying to persuade us not to use, than the rate on the products that will help us reduce it.
I have two points: DECs – these have a value but they have no impact on the use of the building i fact it could be argued thatthey encourage profilgate energy use because users/owners believe because the building has high efficiency, it does not matter if lights are left on. Secondly, how are house holders to be persuaded to adopt/conform to these measures when the majority of improvements are not being put through Building Control in the first instance?