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Dr Jo Williams (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Bartlett School of Planning)Ìý The housing crisis has resulted in the government introducing the most ambitious housing growth policies since the 60s.

The impact of these policies on carbon emissions will be dramatic. …

A study published today in the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management shows that current government strategy is unlikely to drive the required increase in technological, infrastructural, service and knowledge capacity needed to deliver zero-carbon homes. If it is going to meet its carbon targets the government should make the current "code 6-star rating" (ie zero-carbon standard) mandatory for all new housing, and invest in the technology, infrastructure and knowledge needed to support its delivery. …

Residents questioned in the study complained about lack of diversity and poor access to zero-carbon technologies. It seems that if a wider variety of technologies could be supplied by the local DIY shop, residents would more likely to maintain and retain them.

Developers complained that lack of suppliers, management and maintenance companies to support zero-carbon homes was the main barrier to their successful operation. …

Thus investment in this area is required to build the required capacity for delivery. Training programmes or handbooks for residents to improve their use of the technologies provided were shown to have limited success, particularly in developments where residents were "time-poor" or with a high proportion of rental units. …

Developing the capacity to deliver zero-carbon homes will take time and may mean that the housing programme will need to go on hold or at least be slowed to enable this to happen. However, it would provide a marvellous opportunity to tackle climate change. With adequate regulation and investment the UK could also become world leaders in the delivery of zero-carbon homes, providing excellent opportunities for UK businesses to offer this expertise to others seeking to achieve similar targets overseas. Potentially this is a win-win situation. …