A pathway to 'nearly zero energy' buildings

clock •

The government may have dropped its zero carbon homes standard for new builds but the goal can still be achieved, argues Hywel Davies of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers

For the last five years, the coalition government maintained it was committed to delivering zero carbon new homes from 2016. But under the new Conservative government, Chancellor George Osborne wasted...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Buildings

Are energy efficiency rules about to make commercial buildings in England's major cities 'unlettable'?
Buildings

Are energy efficiency rules about to make commercial buildings in England's major cities 'unlettable'?

Commercial landlords claim they have been left 'in the dark and out in the cold' by a lack of clarity on proposed new energy efficiency standards

Stuart Stone
Stuart Stone
clock 04 February 2026 • 9 min read
Where next for the UK's heat pump roll out?
Buildings

Where next for the UK's heat pump roll out?

Subsidised heat pumps have already helped thousands of Brits warm to the clean energy transition - but two new reports show how doubling down on cost and convenience will be vital if more people are to embrace green heating

Stuart Stone
Stuart Stone
clock 28 January 2026 • 11 min read
'A new standard': World's largest Passivhaus school cuts energy use in half in first year
Buildings

'A new standard': World's largest Passivhaus school cuts energy use in half in first year

Built by BAM UK and Ireland for Fife Council, Scotland's latest Passivhaus-certified building opened in Autumn 2024 bringing together 2,700 students from two schools

Amber Rolt
clock 27 January 2026 • 2 min read