Thursday 26 July 2007

WWF commends the government's commitment to significantly increase the supply and sustainability of affordable housing in the UK. This will enable many more home owners to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and save money on their energy bills.

Since 2003, WWF has been working with government, industry and consumers to bring sustainable homes from the fringes to the mainstream of the housing sector. Our homes contribute almost 30% of the UK's CO2 emissions and 55% of timber used in the UK goes into our homes, much of it from unsustainable sources. Not only do most UK homes have significant direct environmental impacts in terms of generating CO2 emissions and waste, and using natural resources like water, but the way our homes and communities are developed also determines our lifestyle decisions and our overall impact on the environment. Indeed if everyone lived the way we do in the UK, we would need natural resources equivalent to three planet Earths to support us.

"WWF is calling for all homes in the UK, both new and existing, to reach their full environmental potential by 2016, so the housing proposals by the government are a positive step towards that goal," said Simon McWhirter, Senior Campaigns Officer at WWF. "This will drive higher standards in new build but it's now vital that we also concentrate on our existing housing stock. Therefore, we welcome recent moves to make all existing homes as low carbon as possible by 2016. Making our homes more sustainable will not only make them more affordable in the long term as homeowners benefit from reductions in their energy bills, but will entail the design and construction of better quality homes, in every sense of the word."

WWF has consistently called for the introduction of a range of fiscal initiatives to facilitate sustainable homes. Confirmation by the government that it will offer stamp duty rebates for zero-carbon homes is therefore welcomed and will result in further savings for cash-strapped home buyers.