CARBON EMISSIONS FROM HOUSE DWELLINGS

Carbon Emissions From House Dwellings

Carbon Emissions From House Dwellings

Introduction

Carbon dioxide makes up the largest share of all greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. Increase in the earth's surface temperature is a consequence of emissions that arise from daily activities having catastrophic effects associated with climate change. Therefore, for any carbon reduction scheme to succeed in reducing global carbon emissions, the plan itself must be global in nature, with a focus on increased energy efficiency and decarbonisation of energy supply.

Analysis

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), buildings are the largest end-users of energy. Buildings account for about 30% of all energy consumption globally and a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, building 'energy codes' can help ensure that new buildings use energy efficiently, and this can reduce energy use by 50% or more compared to buildings designed without energy efficient techniques (Parry, I. W. H. and R. C. Williams, 1999).

Household energy consumption is responsible for 27% of all UK carbon emissions. The Sustainable Development Commission's Home Truths report indicates that 75% of the existing houses will still be present in 2050, by which time the country would need to cut its national emissions by 80%. Therefore, in order for all existing homes to be refurbished by the given period, at least half a million homes would need to be tackled per year at an estimated cost of £20-£30,000 each. For this refurbishment to be successful, the Department for Communities and Local Government is providing training and inspection guidelines to building 'control officers' to ensure that homes meet their energy efficiency levels.

The United Kingdom is taking the lead in sustainable building. In 2007, new housing regulations were agreed upon, which stipulate that from 2016 onwards, all new homes in the UK will have to be 'zero-emission' for heating, hot water, cooling, ventilation, and lighting. Such dwellings would be placed at Level 5 on the 'Code for Sustainable Homes', which is a standard that provides ratings to new homes on a scale of 0 to 6 on nine sustainability criteria (Bohm, P. and B. Larsen, 1994).

In the UK, RICS supports a 70% reduction from the fabric of the home to help reduce carbon emissions from homes immediately. The government too has taken several initiatives to support the sustainability and green building drive, with the implementation of various programmes and schemes like the 'Low ...