A survey of low and zero carbon technologies (NF42)
Overview
NHBC Foundation research investigating the views of occupants on low carbon homes (NF40) highlighted the need for low and zero carbon (LZC) energy technologies that are reliable, perform to expectations and are capable of being used by home occupiers to achieve their design potential.
To provide further guidance on these issues, this report investigates LZC technologies currently being used in homes and likely to become dominant in the market. Through in-depth interviews with homeowners, carried out by the School of Construction Management and Engineering at the University of Reading, this research reports on their day-to-day use and attitudes towards these technologies.
Summary of content
House builders in the United Kingdom are being challenged to produce homes with increasing levels of environmental performance in accordance with the Government’s zero carbon agenda. For many builders, a key part of their compliance strategy is the selection and incorporation of low and zero carbon (LZC) technologies into new homes.
The research findings in this report are guided by two questions:
- Which LZC technologies are currently being used and why these technologies are becoming dominant (or not) in the new house build sector?
- What are the home occupiers actual day-to-day experiences of and attitudes towards different types of LZC technologies in their homes?