The House of Lords has blocked the government's efforts to scrap the zero carbon homes standard. The government’s decision not to proceed with the scheme was announced in July 2015, but was met industry-wide concern.
In response to its cancellation an amendment was tabled at report stage of the Housing and Planning Bill 2105-16 in the House of Lords. The House of Lords voted 237 to 203 in favour of the amendment, which would introduce a “carbon compliance standard” for new homes built after 1 April.
Julie Hirigoyen, CEO of the UK Green Building Council, said: "During the ten years prior to July 2015, the leading players spanning the housebuilding industry got behind Zero Carbon Homes, investing heavily and innovating to make it a reality. The unexpected and unwanted scrapping of the policy made a mockery of the government's green credentials, and demonstrated complete disdain for the quality of the nation's new homes and the industry's investment.
“Having supported the Paris climate agreement with much fanfare, cutting carbon from new homes and buildings will be vital to achieving our commitments. Re-introducing the zero carbon homes standard would be a clear next step on this journey, and would provide the certainty the industry needs to continue investing in new skills and technologies."
