Abstract
This paper concerns how sustainable and low carbon living can be enabled in new housing developments in the UK. It is here recognized that consumption of energy and resources is not just what goes into the building, but also long-term through occupancy and activities. Current approaches, which require housing developers to reduce the carbon emissions of the homes they build through a mixture of energy efficiency and renewable energy systems, do not sufficiently contribute to the carbon emission reductions which are necessary for meeting UK Government targets and to avoid dangerous climate change. Purchasing a home ties people in to not just direct consumption of energy (heating, hot water, electricity), but also effects other areas of consumption such as the embedded energy in the building and activities associated with the location and the type of development. Conventional business models for new housing development, operating under current government regulations, policies and targets have failed to develop housing which encourages the adoption of sustainable lifestyles taking whole life consumption into account. An alternative business model of eco-self-build communities is proposed as a way to foster desired behavior change. The feasibility of eco-self-build communities and their scope for supporting low carbon sustainable lifestyles is assessed through stakeholder interviews, and through quantitative assessment of costs, carbon emission reduction potential, and other sustainability impacts of technical and lifestyle options and their combinations. The research shows that eco-self-build communities are both feasible and have the ability to deliver low carbon lifestyles. In comparison to conventional approaches to building new housing, they have further advantages in terms of delivering wider social, environmental as well as economic sustainability objectives. If implemented correctly they could succeed in making sustainable lifestyles attractive, and foster the development of pro- environmental social norms.
Highlights
Introduction and BackgroundThe UK Government has set challenging carbon emission reduction targets for all new homes to contribute towards an countrywide 80% carbon emission reduction target over 1990 levels by 2050 [1,2].Since 2002, Part L of the building regulations [3] require high energy efficiency standards in all new homes in the UK
There are currently no specific national policies relating directly to new homes that limit, or require an assessment of carbon emissions from these other ways in which energy is consumed in the construction of or by future occupants of new dwellings
The literature review and interviews showed that in general there is a case for sustainable housing and self-build
Summary
Introduction and BackgroundThe UK Government has set challenging carbon emission reduction targets for all new homes to contribute towards an countrywide 80% carbon emission reduction target over 1990 levels by 2050 [1,2].Since 2002, Part L of the building regulations [3] require high energy efficiency standards in all new homes in the UK. The UK Government has set challenging carbon emission reduction targets for all new homes to contribute towards an countrywide 80% carbon emission reduction target over 1990 levels by 2050 [1,2]. A zero carbon home is defined as a home that produces no net CO2 emissions from energy used by the people living in the home (i.e., to heat and light the home) This does not include energy used in the construction of the dwelling, energy embodied in the construction materials, emissions from lifestyle” appliances such as TVs, computers and DVD players, energy embodied in goods consumed in the home, energy consumed in travelling to and from the home, or emissions from dealing with waste generated by the household. There are currently no specific national policies relating directly to new homes that limit, or require an assessment of carbon emissions from these other ways in which energy is consumed in the construction of or by future occupants of new dwellings
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