Building new homes to greener, low-carbon standards is getting cheaper every year, according to a new report published by the UK Government.
The new research, based on interviews with developers and the latest information about environmental technologies, shows the overall extra costs of building new homes to standards set in the Code for Sustainable Homes is falling year on year.
For homes built to Code level 3 standards, average extra costs have fallen by almost three quarters in the last three years - falling from £4,458 in 2008 to £1,128 in 2010.
Communities Minister Andrew Stunell said: "Building greener homes is vital if we are to meet our nation's commitment to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change - so today's report is good news for the entire country.
“The progress that has been made does not only benefit developers building Code-standard homes, it also provides valuable lessons ahead of the transition to building new homes to zero carbon standards from 2016.
"As a country we still have lot of work to do to reduce carbon emissions from new development, but what these figures show us is that as the construction industry continues to build more sustainable homes, there is further potential for the costs associated building greener homes to continue falling.”
Since the introduction of the Code for Sustainable Homes in 2007, yearly research has been carried out with developers to assess how much the different Code standards and components cost, and identify developer trends in securing Code credits.
The UK's Green Building Council have welcomed the report's finding.
Paul King, CEO of UK-GBC, said: “The policy for all new homes to be Zero Carbon from 2016 and the accompanying Code for Sustainable Homes set a clear direction that has focused innovation around delivering energy efficiency cost effectively.
“The industry has responded in a remarkable way – both housebuilders in terms of the design of new homes, and the construction products industry in terms of the technology required, and as higher levels of the Code have become increasingly mainstream, costs have fallen rapidly.
“This report from CLG is further evidence that clear and consistent government policy goes hand in hand with innovation, improved efficiency and cost reduction by industry.”
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