Delivering Zero Carbon Homes - A Study

The Renewable Energy Association welcomes the report from the Renewables Advisory Board ‘The Role of Onsite Energy Generation in Delivering Zero Carbon Homes’. The report demonstrates that Onsite Renewable Energy can deliver net Zero Carbon homes in over 90% of cases with their only difficulty being in achieving this target for some urban flats. It also strongly emphasises the need to limit the amount of off-site renewable energy that is hypothecated in any future definition of zero carbon homes.

The report is timely and provides useful proposals which will help the government move towards their commitment to the 20% renewable energy target by 2020 as well as its ambitions for Zero Carbon homes by 2016. The development of the onsite renewables industry will not only help with new build developments but also help produce the volumes and economies of scale necessary to make renewable technologies a more attractive option for existing housing.

There is a clear need for early action and the REA proposes a number of policies which will provide the leverage and incentives to make early progress towards achieving government objectives.

One of the key recommendations from the report is the need to ‘create strong, early stimulation to the onsite renewables sector to avoid the high risk of a supply gap in 2016’

The REA strongly supports this recommendation and calls on the government to:

• make the optional support that Energy Suppliers could give to microgeneration in the forthcoming Carbon Emissions Reduction Target proposals an obligation. The REA also proposes a doubling of that proposed support for microgeneration under CERT.

• introduce a generous feed in tariff for on-site renewable electricity along the lines of the scheme which has been successful in Germany.

• provide financial incentives to reward users of renewable heat technologies such as biomass, solar thermal and heat pumps.

• ensure all local planning authorities will be able to adopt targets for on-site renewable energy technologies in their Local Development Frameworks along the same lines as those successfully adopted and implemented by Councils such as the London Boroughs of Merton and Croydon.

• Provide support to householders to cover the capital cost of the installation of renewable energy technology through mechanisms such as using a second charge on a property. Such a scheme, Called RE-Charge is being developed by Kirklees Council and will be launched in April.