Building a zero carbon future

TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY BOARD News Release issued by The Government News Network on 8 May 2008

* Technology Strategy Board to support zero carbon building technology.

* Low Impact Buildings Innovation Platform will have initial funding of £30 million and will work with industry and academics to bring new products and services to the market.

* First investment of £4 million to fund highly innovative collaborative research proposals on components and materials.

The Technology Strategy Board today launched a new initiative that will help UK business to meet the growing global demand for environmentally friendly buildings, while responding to the Government's challenging targets for improving sustainability.

With initial funding of £30 million over three years, the Low Impact Buildings Innovation Platform will work with industry, academics and research organisations to develop new products and services, and help bring them to the market.

The Technology Strategy Board has consulted extensively with both industry and academia to identify the major challenges to delivering low impact buildings and has identified a number of main targets:

- Designing for future climate change

- Design and decision tools

- Management of building operations

- New components and materials

- Low carbon energy.

The Innovation Platform's first activity will focus on the development of materials and components that will reduce energy and water consumption and which can be integrated into existing designs and building practices. It will launch a funding competition within the next few days and will allocate £4 million to provide partial funding for winning projects that involve businesses working collaboratively with other businesses and/or with research organisations and academic institutions.

Explaining the background to the establishment of the new Innovation Platform, the Technology Strategy Board's Chief Executive, Iain Gray, said: "Buildings are responsible for over 45% of the UK's total carbon emissions. The Government has set targets to reduce net carbon emissions to zero for new houses from 2016, and for new non-domestic buildings by 2019. The new build market in the UK is currently worth about £50 billion a year and these new targets will drive the change to low impact buildings. UK businesses that meet these exacting standards will also be well placed to take advantage of the growing global demand for environmentally friendly buildings."

Junior Housing Minister Iain Wright says: "Building the extra houses we need in this country and tackling climate change are two of the biggest challenges the government faces. The zero carbon agenda is vital to ensuring that the new housing we so badly need is built in a way that helps tackle climate change.

"We have set ourselves and industry a huge challenge with the zero carbon housebuilding standards, but this is a challenge that can be met. We want and need innovative designs, products and ways of working to meet that challenge.

"This is why I commend the Technology Strategy Board for launching the Low Impacts Buildings Innovation Platform, which I am sure will make a significant contribution to developing and disseminating the learning and knowledge we need on how to design and build zero carbon homes."

Commenting on the initiative, Paul King, Chief Executive of the UK Green Building Council said "the Council and our members - who span the breadth of the construction industry - warmly welcome the Low-Impact Buildings Innovation Platform. The government's targets for zero carbon buildings have precipitated a fundamental change of mindset and the industry is innovating at an unprecedented rate. However there remain numerous important gaps in our knowledge and obstacles that need to be removed, and the resources that will now be directed at these areas can make a vital difference to our ability to turn targets into reality."

Notes to Editors

1. The Technology Strategy Board is a business-led executive non-departmental public body, established by the government. Its mission is to promote and support research into, and development and exploitation of, technology and innovation for the benefit of UK business, in order to increase economic growth and improve the quality of life. It is sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). For further information please visit http://www.innovateuk.org.

2. Innovation Platforms are a new way of working for government and business. Each focusing on a specific area of opportunity, innovation platforms are designed to address major policy and societal challenges. They bring together government stakeholders and funders and engage with business and the research community to identify appropriate action. In this way, policy, regulation and government procurement are aligned in support of innovative solutions. Through this approach, Innovation Platforms aim to deliver a step change in UK performance, in the quality of public services and the ability of UK businesses to provide solutions for the global marketplace. There are four other existing Innovation Platforms - Intelligent Transport Systems, Network Security, Low Carbon Vehicles and Assisted Living.

3. The UK Government has set a number of challenging targets for improving sustainability; starting with the overarching goal of a 60% reduction in carbon emissions in the UK by 2050. Some of the largest environmental impacts in the UK come from buildings. These include:

- 45% of total UK carbon emissions (Domestic buildings account for 27% of all emissions; non-domestic 18%)

- 73% of current domestic emissions arise from space and water heating

- Domestic usage accounts for 58% of the public water supply. All other uses account for 24% with 18% being lost in the system

- 32% of all landfill waste comes from the construction and demolition of buildings

- 13% of products delivered to construction sites are sent direct to landfill without being used.

The UK cannot meet its declared environmental targets without dramatically improving the life-cycle environmental cost of buildings.

In response to this societal challenge, the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), who have responsibility for planning and building regulations, published their Building A Greener Future policy statement in July 2007, setting a timetable for all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016. As well as setting the future trajectory of Building Regulations, this policy is supported by a range of other measures, including the Code for Sustainable Homes, CLG's recent Planning Policy Statement on climate change, the proposals for new eco-towns, and a time-limited exemption on stamp duty for new zero carbon homes. In addition, in the 2008 Budget, Alistair Darling announced an ambition for new build non-domestic buildings to be zero carbon by 2019.

4. The £4m funding competition will be formally launched on 15 May 2008 at BRE Green House Launch, BRE Innovation Park, Watford. Briefing events about the competition will take place on 6 June in Birmingham and on 10 June in London. To register for these events please go to http://www.mbektn.org (Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network).

Issued by
Nick Sheppard
Media Relations Manager
Technology Strategy Board
Block B, North Star House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1JF