72% demand private housing developers should meet green targets - Natural Choices

72% demand private housing developers should meet green targets - Natural Choices
It is scandalous that there are different standards for Housing Associations and the private sector- the argument from the private sector is that the supply chains for sustainable products is limited at the moment and therefore they can’t comply in the short run but that they will try harder in a couple of years time.

I suppose the government’s thinking is that they can impose greener standards on the sector’s they have a more direct funding link over- such as housing associations and the public housing stock- and then as these sectors increase demand then economies of scale in sustainable product manufacturing will kick in and thus encourage the private sector to see the benefits of sustainable building.

Well maybe, the reality is however looking at the proposed building requirements for sustainable homes the majority of the changes are in simple design- like double glazing- and I don’t think there is a shortage of supply there, instillation, efficient boilers, and also things like bike storage, home offices, grey water recycling. All these things can be done by the private sector now without waiting. Micro renewable energy systems, whether it be solar thermal, wood pellet boilers, even PV roofs such as Solar century’s C21 roof need to go in at the construction stage to be most cost effective.

Once again it is a shame that the sectors with the least cash are being called upon to break the path, but then again building sustainable blocks of flats is actually cheaper and makes more sense than sustainable stand alone houses- because of the ability to share heat and power units amongst flats- common grey water capture and usage etc.

George Monbiot (http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2007/11/27/three-million-homes/) argues we need 3 million new homes in the next 12 years. The majority of these unfortunately will not be built by housing associations or the public sector, which is a shame as public housing management is so much more rational than private ownership- and the credit needed to buy homes adds hugely to the stress on individuals. It will be the private sector that will carry out the majority of new house building in the UK and it is for that reason that we need the Sustainable Housing regulations to apply to them today not in some vague sense of the future.