Can future UK housing meet its energy needs from zero or low carbon sources?

From 2016 every new home in Britain must supply all of its energy needs from zero or low carbon (ZLC) energy sources such as solar and wind - under the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) Level 6. This is not just the heating of the space and the water but also the lighting, cooking and all of the energy sapping devices such as TVs and fridges that are so much a feature of modern life. Social landlords must comply a full year earlier, in 2015. Fortunately, this does not represent a standing start for many developers as ‗Merton Rules‘ have been widely adopted by local authorities since 2003. These typically require 10% of the energy use in the home (excluding lighting, appliances etc) to come from onsite renewable resources. In practice even this level has proved pretty challenging. This paper uses studies of Merton Rule-style policies, and case histories from around Britain and Europe, to evaluate the main ZLC technologies and their potential to deliver onsite energy cost-effectively. The paper also examines the experience of low energy homes in North European climates to identify how much electricity and heat a Code Level 6 home is likely to consume and how much can realistically be harvested onsite. The author concludes that the CSH Level 6 policy is impractical using renewable energy harvested onsite, and only becomes practicable when energy can be imported from elsewhere. The policy condemns developers to investing in ineffective technologies such as wind or solar that are highly inefficient and expensive when deployed on a micro-scale in urban areas; or other technologies of questionable environmental benefit. It also condemns local authorities to an unnecessary and highly complex assessment and monitoring regime. The author argues that a far simpler and more logical solution is to allow wind and solar energy also to be harvested offsite– through large-scale, developer-funded, farms. These are relatively cheap, zero carbon in operation; easy to regulate; and can in principle supply any development from the very largest to individual units