The first house to be built in the UK to be carbon-neutral was awarded a stamp duty exemption certificate yesterday by the housing minister Yvette Cooper. The two-bedroom Lighthouse was built by Kingspan Off-Site. The house was built using the latest energy-efficient technology and construction methods. There is extensive use of renewable energy systems such as solar panels and the building is airtight and insulated to a high degree to minimise heat loss. This house meets the government’s highest level of sustainability performance, level 6. The code was introduced last December, but it is voluntary at the moment. Many have said that the level 6 standard of the code is impossible to achieve. Kingspan Off-Site has clearly shown it is possible.
Now it has been proven that a house can be built to meet level 6 of the government’s code, surely it is time for the government to make the code a legal requirement for all new build houses and flats. With 25% of carbon emissions coming from peoples’ homes, level 6 should be the standard all new houses and flats are built around.
From: BEST OF 2008: Eco-friendy and sustainable shoes