Zero carbon target for UK commercial property

All new commercial properties will have to be zero carbon by 2019, the chancellor confirmed during his budget speech yesterday (March 12th).

Alistair Darling said that newly-developed offices and shops - as well as all public buildings - will all have to incorporate renewable energy generators and energy efficient measures in order to meet the new goals.

His announcement follows an earlier pledge by the government to ensure all privately developed homes are zero carbon by 2016.

However, while the budget made reference to a small number of measures intended to facilitate the uptake of green technologies - namely the abolition of planning permission constraints on solar panels - it did not entail any significant subsidies for businesses seeking to go green.

Mr Darling claimed that by bringing net carbon outputs from commercial buildings down to zero, the country stands to lower its carbon footprint by some 75 million tonnes over the next three decades.

The Carbon Trust presently estimates that around 40 per cent of the country's carbon emissions can be attributed to UK businesses.
ADNFCR-1231-ID-18508383-ADNFCR