Government announces the Low Carbon Construction Action Plan

Procurement for public buildings will shift to a low carbon methodology, giving direction to the market and encouraging private companies to invest in green processes, materials and skills.

Projects such as Zero Carbon Homes and London 2012, planned to be the most sustainable Olympics ever to be held, have been pinpointed as world class construction. There is a desire and commitment from the Government to progress in this market and to make the most of export opportunities to overseas markets.

Government plans set out the need to greater inform customers of Low Carbon Construction. There is the desire to see smart meters in every home in the UK – allowing occupants to have greater control over their energy consumption. EPCs have been identified as a having a key role in informing people of building energy performance and to stimulate action when buying or letting homes. This, in turn, can stimulate the requirement for retrofitting works on existing housing stock.

The report highlights the need for an effective framework of incentives to capture the right levels of skills, research and innovation which will enable growth. The financial framework will be centred around the new Renewable Heat Incentive, for heating and hot water installations, and the existing Feed-in-Tariff for electricity generation.

To implement these reforms, the Green Construction Board, a joint board between the government and industry, will be set up. It will be the role of the Green Construction Board to ensure that the market grows and to ensure the ongoing relevance of policies.

An updated and clarified version of the Low Carbon Construction Action Plan is due to be published by the end of the year.

To find out more about the Low Carbon Construction Action Plan please contact shiningearth@deltasimons.com

HM Government, Low Carbon Construction Action Plan, June 2011