NET ZERO CARBON

EXPLAINED

The climate crisis presents a clear and imminent threat to every aspect of our lives. Urgent and substantial action is needed to turn the tide of climate change.

Burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and oil releases carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas that builds up in the atmosphere, trapping in heat and increasing global temperatures, resulting in climate change. England’s homes produce more carbon emissions every year than all of the country’s cars combined according to research by the National Housing Federation last year. Decarbonising the heating and hot water in the homes we provide is a key objective. Alongside heating, homes consume electricity for a wide range of additional uses. Put together, all the energy consumed in a home can be known as ‘operational energy’

In addition, significant amounts of carbon are locked in, or ‘embedded’ into the construction of new buildings, through the materials used for construction and the construction process itself. Known as ‘embodied carbon’ this has historically been overlooked by the construction industry but the calculation and reduction of embodied carbon is now a critical step in the built environment’s drive towards ‘Net-Zero’.

Therefore the fundamental objective for our net zero strategy is the reduction of our harmful carbon emissions from development, both from ‘operational energy’ use and ‘embodied carbon’.

OPERATIONAL ENERGY: “RE-THINKING ENERGY CONSUMPTION”

We are passionate about green energy generation and providing cutting-edge solutions that make a real difference. That’s why all our new developments are designed by energy specialists to deliver operational net zero carbon upon completion to help protect our future. We are dedicated to providing and managing:

A fully-electrified scheme, with no fossil fuel consumption on-site

Energy parks that generate 100% of the energy requirements of the new communities we are proposing

An EV charging station supplied by our own renewable technology

Working in partnership with housebuilders and commercial operators to provide future-proofed homes and buildings that are highly energy efficient

Delivering extensive areas of parkland and woodland – with a huge drive towards rewilding – to help the removal of carbon from the atmosphere via the plants and trees

This innovative approach is designed to allow more people to embrace cleaner, greener living whilst creating a real and valuable legacy for generations to come.

THE DEFINITION OF NET ZERO CARBON FOR OPERATIONAL ENERGY IS:

“When the amount of carbon emissions associated with the building’s operational energy on an annual basis is zero or negative. A net zero carbon building is highly energy efficient and powered from on-site and/or off-site renewable energy sources, with any remaining carbon balance offset.”

Source: Government Property Agency, Net Zero and
Sustainability Design Guide – Net Zero Annex, August 2020

EMBODIED CARBON: “DELIVERING LOW-CARBON CONSTRUCTION”

We want to ensure that the way our homes are designed and built minimises the carbon associated with the materials used in the buildings, along with the construction process itself. We are dedicated to:

Undertaking a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to identify the ‘embodied carbon’ of the designs we are bringing forward

Developing design options to reduce embodied carbon to best practice targets

Developing a ‘sustainable procurement’ policy to ensure the materials chosen are responsibly sourced