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Research from WWF (World Wildlife Fund), which is conducting a One Million Sustainable Homes campaign, has found that British home owners can see a 30%-40% reduction in their utility costs with only a small increase in construction costs.
WWF began its campaign to provide more people with the option to buy homes that are healthier, safer and cheaper as well as beneficial to the environment in August 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is aiming at meeting its goal by 2012 through new construction and retrofitting.
Two other groups also participated in the recent survey — CABE (the Commission for Architecture and the Environment), which the government set up in 1999 to encourage the development of well-designed homes, streets, parks, offices, hospitals and other public buildings through public campaigns and support to industry professionals; and Halifax, whose parent company HBOS plc, in a partner in the One Million Sustainable Homes campaign and the largest mortgage lender in the U.K.
“This research provides powerful evidence of a growing concern about environmental and design issues,” said Paul King, who is the director of the sustainable home campaign. “People understand that sustainable homes are good for their pocket, good for their health and for the planet.”
Starting next year, new regulations in England will require all new buildings, including homes, to reduce energy consumption by 25%, decrease carbon dioxide emissions and meet higher environmental standards.
Mark Your Calendar for the 2005 National Green Building Conference
The 2005 National Green Building Conference is scheduled for March 13-15, in Atlanta. Click here for more information or to register.
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