The cost of sustainable homes

Perceived barrier to sustainable homes: It'll cost too much to develop sustainable homes.

The WWF report, One Planet Living in the Thames Gateway, demonstrates that significant environmental savings can be achieved at little or no extra cost.

The study compared the impacts of developing 200,000 homes to different building standards: current building regulations, EcoHomes "Very Good" standard and "Z²" (zero fossil energy, zero waste) standard.

The study found that EcoHomes "Very Good" could achieve around a 32 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions, a 39 per cent saving in water use and up to a 25 per cent reduction in household waste sent to landfill, compared to current building regulations.
Z² could achieve a 99 per cent reduction in CO₂, a 65 per cent reduction in water use and 76 per cent reduction in household waste sent to landfill.

Furthermore, in terms of capital costs and personal expenditure related to the building, purchase and running of a home, the cost of developing to EcoHomes "Very Good" and Z² standards would be comparable to, or even cheaper than, the cost of developing to current building regulations. This is because any additional build cost (estimated at two per cent for EcoHomes "Very Good" and ten per cent for Z²) could be offset partly by planning gain (a mechanism whereby developers can increase development in exchange for meeting environmental targets), and partly by residents paying slightly more for their homes. Savings on residents' energy and water bills would offset any increase in mortgage repayments.

In fact, the report's findings suggest that if all household expenditure were considered, living in sustainable homes would be cheaper for residents as well as offering significant environmental benefits.

To help eliminate any extra costs, WWF, the Housing Corporation and SEEDA commissioned the BioRegional Development Group to undertake a scoping study for a "One Planet Products Group". When established, this will offer developers practical means of reducing the cost of key products and materials required for sustainable homes. WWF and BioRegional are also running a series of "One Planet Living" continued professional development courses aimed at construction professionals who want to deliver sustainable communities. For further information, visit www.bioregional.com

WWF has also encouraged the HBF and the Department for Trade and Industry to develop a house-building sector "Sustainability Strategy" to provide guidance on sustainability issues and share best practice and lessons learned, to help ensure that the cost of sustainable homes is competitive.

Top | Data protection | Copyright | Feedback