Regulation 19 Rutland Local Plan
Design Principles for Energy Efficient Buildings
What will the policy do?
The policy establishes energy efficient design principles for new development aimed at ensuring the highest possible thermal efficiency and lowest possible expected energy use for new buildings.
The Council has adopted planning guidance on the design of new development as set out in the Design Guidelines for Rutland SPD. In addition, the National Design Guide (January 2021) provides further guidance on design principles related to climate change and carbon reduction. A separate policy on design is set out in the Sustainable Communities chapter of this plan (Policy SC3). Policy CC2 sets out design principles to specifically address energy efficiency in new developments. This is in addition to the requirements of Policy SC3 of the Sustainable Communities chapter.
Policy CC2 - Design Principles for Energy Efficient Buildings Comment
Development proposals are expected to meet the highest possible energy efficiency standards.
Planning applications should demonstrate within the Energy Statement how the following principles have influenced the development proposed:
- the location and orientation of buildings such as to manage opportunities for solar gain and to minimise winter cold wind heat loss;
- creating buildings that are more efficient to heat and stay warm in colder conditions and stay cool in warmer conditions because of their shape, size and materials;
- using materials and building techniques that reduce heat and energy needs, with reference to the 'U-value' (insulation value) of each building element, thermal bridging, and the airtightness of the building as a whole.
- choosing the most efficient available technologies for heating, lighting, ventilation, and (where appropriate) heat recovery from outgoing air and/or wastewater;
- net zero carbon content of heat supply (for example, this means no connection to the gas network or use of oil or bottled gas); and
- maximising the generation of energy and provision of energy storage from renewable sources on-site.
Why is this policy needed?
Analysis by the Committee on Climate Change has shown that energy use minimisation in new and existing buildings is a necessary part of the achievement of the UK's legislated carbon budgets, and has defined very low heat demand targets, for new homes in particular, to be achieve from 2025 onwards.
New development must be of the highest possible thermal efficiency. The expected energy use of new buildings must be as low as possible, as this has been shown to be a necessary part of the UK's achievement of its legislated net zero carbon targets. It is a false economy and unfair on future generations not to provide the highest possible thermal efficiency now. Any building that does not meet the required performance now, will require expensive and destructive retrofitting measures later at the occupier's expense. As Government itself stated in January 2021 "it is significantly cheaper and easier to install energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures when homes are built, rather than retrofitting them afterwards."( Future Homes Standard: Government Response, January 2021: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/956094/Government_response_to_Future_Homes_Standard_consultation.pdf).
Specifically, analysis produced for the Committee on Climate Change in 2019 found that to retrofit a home to the required standards (for compatibility with the UK's net zero carbon future) costs three to five times as much as it would cost to simply build to these standards in the first place (https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/The-costs-and-benefits-of-tighter-standards-for-new-buildings-Currie-Brown-and-AECOM.pdf). Beyond cost, this would also be highly disruptive to the occupants, which disincentivises these improvements being put in place for occupants to benefit.
Buildings with high thermal efficiency are also more compatible with renewable and low-carbon energy systems, such as heat pumps (which typically deliver heat more slowly than conventional gas) and a renewable-heavy grid (as a home that holds onto its heat for longer can 'charge up' with heat when there's lots of renewable energy available in the grid, and doesn't need to place sudden heavy demands on the grid for heating energy at morning and evening peaks).
It is widely evidenced that extreme heat and extreme cold can have significant negative impacts on health, particularly for vulnerable people and risk of respiratory disease (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/275839/WHO-CED-PHE-18.03-eng.pdf). Increasing energy efficiency of developments would contribute to mitigating the negative impacts of extreme temperatures, enabling households to have healthier conditions to live.
The policy set out above reflects the Written Ministerial Statement on energy efficiency standards issued on 13th December 2023, consultation issued with respect to the Future Homes Standard and Future Buildings Standard, the likely changes to come forward in 2025 with respect to Building Regulations. It is important that the Council puts forward deliverable policies in this plan that enable viable development to take place.
Supporting Evidence
Climate change evidence base
Zero Carbon Policy Options for Net Zero Carbon Developments A Climate Change Legislation (July2023)
Zero Carbon Policy Options for Net Zero Carbon Developments B(i) Carbon Reduction (July 2023)
Zero Carbon Policy Options for Net Zero Carbon Developments B(ii) Risk Matrix (July 2023)
Whole Plan Viability Study (October 2023)
