NM21: ENERGY EFFICIENCY / Addressing the Performance Gap
This policy is proposed to be added to the current Neighbourhood Plan
The NMNP review provides an opportunity to expand upon wording in the the current NM4 Design policy to create a new Policy to reflect NMTCs commitment to addressing the climate emergency.
One of the most important measures that can be taken to tackle climate change is in how buildings are designed to ensure they are ‘zero carbon ready’ now, so they don’t have to be expensively retrofit in only a few years’ time (at an estimated cost per dwelling of between £15K/£25K). There is growing evidence that suggests new buildings do not perform as well as anticipated at design stage. Actual energy consumption in buildings will usually be twice as much as predicted.
This passes on expensive running and retrofitting costs to future occupants.
This policy idea seeks to put in place design and evaluation policies to ensure that any new homes built in New Milton perform correctly to prevent the need for future retrofitting.
This also ensures that owners and occupiers of new homes have lower energy bills.
Proposed Policy NM21: Energy Efficiency / Addressing the Performance Gap
- All planning permissions granted for new and refurbished buildings should demonstrate that they have been tested to ensure the buildings will perform as predicted and will include a planning condition to require the provision of a Post Occupancy Evaluation Report to the Local Planning Authority within a specified period, unless exempted by Clause B. Where the Report identifies poor energy performance and makes recommendations for reasonable corrective action, the applicant must demonstrate that those actions have been implemented before the condition will be discharged.
- All Buildings proposed to be certified to a Passivhaus or equivalent standard with a space heating demand of less than 15KWh/m2/year will not be subject to the provisions of Clause A.
- All development should be ‘zero carbon ready’ by design to minimise the amount of energy needed to heat and cool buildings through landform, layout, building orientation, massing and landscaping. Consideration should be given to resource efficiency at the outset and whether existing buildings can be re-used as part of the scheme to capture their embodied carbon.
- A Sustainability Statement will be submitted to demonstrate compliance with the policy (except for householder applications). Designers shall evaluate the operational energy use using realistic information on the intended use, occupancy and operation of the building to minimise any performance gap.
- All planning applications for major development are also required to be accompanied by a Whole Life-Cycle Carbon Emission Assessment, using a recognised methodology, to demonstrate actions taken to reduce embodied carbon resulting from the construction and use of the building over its entire life.
Please review the proposed policy and tell the steering group your thoughts about including this policy in the neighbourhood plan.