The government-led Green Construction Board has joined forces with the Green Property Alliance, to commission a major new study into whether the coalition's carbon policies have had any impact on the commercial property sector.
The study will be carried out by consultants Deloitte, in an aim to tackle down on commercial building carbon emissions, which account for 17 per cent of total emissions in the UK. The government is legally committed to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, and has introduced a series of initiatives in the last few years such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment, Energy Performance Certificates and the Green Deal.
However, there are concerns within the industry that these policies have been introduced but are not effective enough. Therefore, this study will assess whether the initiatives are working effectively across the whole of the UK.
Bill Hughes, chairman of The Green Property Alliance, said: “It is in the industry and government’s interests to ensure that laws and taxes designed to elicit energy and carbon-efficient behaviours are achieving their objectives, not to mention those of the wider economy. In taking a broad view of the framework for carbon incentives and penalties, this project may also illuminate opportunities to influence energy-efficient behaviour that we had not previously discerned.”
Jon Lovell, director in sustainability at Deloitte Real Estate, added that there is often confusion between incentives and penalties when it comes to businesses making energy-efficient improvements to commercial properties. This new study will pool together a vast resource of data to see how the current regulatory framework can be shaped to the best effect, for both the environment and the industry.
Funding for the project has been provided by a series of organisations including the Association of British Insurers, British Council for Offices, Investment Property Forum and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.