New carbon rules come into force in London in October

The job for developers and architects in the London will become a little harder from 1st October 2016. This is when the Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) released in March comes into effect. It sets much higher standards for new residential developments in the capital, effectively making it so that new properties are zero carbon. The new standard will vastly exceed the Code for Sustainable Homes level four as well as Part L of the current building regulations. It is 35% above the latter. As a result new residential properties will need to meet the tougher carbon requirements, reducing their footprint even more. Those that do not will need to pay into an offsetting fund.The new rules will be a big incentive for developers to ensure homes in London are low carbon. This is seen as an important step for the environment, helping to cut emissions further so that green targets can be achieved.With the lower carbon requirements developers may require more help from architects, particularly those who already have knowledge of green building. In many cases their expertise will be needed to find innovative solutions to issues.Two areas where input from architects will prove to be invaluable with the new carbon rules in London are air-tightness and overheating. Adding more insulation to a property will help to cut emissions because in will reduce heat loss. Unfortunately there is a limit to this and it may not produce the best performance. A more effective solution is therefore needed. An architect is in a position to find this.At Coffey Architects we can offer advice about green building to all of our clients and help them to achieve the lowest carbon footprint. We have the knowledge and skills to achieve this, putting them to work to find the right solution for each setting. We can work with an array of materials and produce a design that helps you satisfy the new standards.If you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch. We will do our best to provide the information. By working with us you can ensure your project is low carbon and avoid having to pay into the offset fund.