Commentary on Sections Off-site carbon abatement measures Section 37: Provision in building regulations for off-site carbon abatement measures
201.The Building Act 1984 empowers the Secretary of State to make building regulations establishing the standards to be met by building work for a number of purposes, including furthering the conservation of fuel and power and furthering the protection or enhancement of the environment. Under these powers, building regulations provide that a building that is erected shall meet a target rate for maximum emissions of carbon dioxide. The Government is committed to introducing a zero carbon emissions standard for new dwellings in England from 2016. However, the Government recognises that it may not be technically feasible or cost effective to require house builders to meet the zero carbon standard just through on-site measures, like further increased insulation, solar panels etc. The intention is therefore to set a maximum on-site carbon dioxide emission standard for new homes and for the remainder of the zero carbon target to be met by house builders supporting off-site carbon abatement measures, doing more on-site or a combination of both – these are termed ‘allowable solutions’.
202.Allowable solutions will include measures taken in relation to the new building. There will be options however to offset residual emissions by reduction of emissions elsewhere, for example by measures taken in relation to existing buildings, or by investment in energy-efficient infrastructure projects. Such measures may be undertaken by the developer or by a third party for the developer. There will also be an option to pay at a capped rate into a fund which invests in carbon-saving measures. Existing powers in the Building Act 1984 do not extend to providing for measures relating to buildings that are not in or on the building, or connected to it. The purpose of the section is to allow for such measures for the purposes of abating carbon emissions. The Welsh Government shares the desire to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from buildings and also recognises the technical and economic limits to reducing carbon dioxide emissions through measures on the buildings themselves. The Welsh Government intends to consult in 2016 on a review of the current energy performance requirements of the Building Regulations in Wales, including the off-site abatement of carbon dioxide, and so is working to a different timeframe to England.
203.The section establishes the necessary powers for the Secretary of State or Welsh Ministers to make building regulations provisions in relation to off-site measures for abating carbon dioxide emissions, taken by the developer or by a person on the developer’s behalf, or consisting of payment into a fund that invests in carbon abatement projects. It provides also for administrative provisions to be made to facilitate offsetting of those emissions against emissions from a building. These include provisions relating to the administration, by or on behalf of the Secretary of State or Welsh Ministers, of funds for carbon abatement measures into which allowable solutions payments can be made, and to establishing a maximum level of payment into a fund. There is also provision for a register of certificates showing compliance with the carbon emissions standard by use of allowable solutions to be set up and maintained by or on behalf of the Secretary of State or Welsh Ministers, and for charges to be made in connection with use of the register.