IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v45y2012icp594-605.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Building regulations in energy efficiency: Compliance in England and Wales

Author

Listed:
  • Pan, Wei
  • Garmston, Helen

Abstract

There is an international pragmatic shift towards the use of building energy regulations, standards and codes to reduce building energy consumption. The UK Government revised Building Regulations in 2002, 2006 and 2010, towards more stringent energy efficiency standards and ultimately the target of ‘zero carbon’ new homes from 2016. This paper aims to: reveal levels of compliance with energy Building Regulations of new-build dwellings in England and Wales; explore underlying issues; and identify possible solutions. In total 376 new-build dwellings were investigated. The compliance revealed was poor, at a level of 35%; accompanied by 43% ‘grey compliance’ and 21% ‘grey non-compliance’ (due to insufficient evidence of achieving required carbon emissions reductions). It is a serious concern when building control approves so many dwellings when insufficient evidence of compliance has been received. Underlying issues were centred on: incorrect compilation and/or insufficient submission of carbon emissions calculations by builders/developers; inappropriate timings of such submissions; and a paucity of proper checks by building control. Exploring these issues reveals a complex system of factors influencing energy regulations compliance, which involves a wide range of stakeholders. The findings should inform the formulation and implementation of energy efficiency building regulations and policy in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Pan, Wei & Garmston, Helen, 2012. "Building regulations in energy efficiency: Compliance in England and Wales," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 594-605.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:45:y:2012:i:c:p:594-605
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.03.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421512002157
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.03.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stigson, Peter & Dotzauer, Erik & Yan, Jinyue, 2009. "Improving policy making through government-industry policy learning: The case of a novel Swedish policy framework," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(4), pages 399-406, April.
    2. Monahan, J. & Powell, J.C., 2011. "A comparison of the energy and carbon implications of new systems of energy provision in new build housing in the UK," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 290-298, January.
    3. Ryghaug, Marianne & Sørensen, Knut H., 2009. "How energy efficiency fails in the building industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 984-991, March.
    4. Iwaro, Joseph & Mwasha, Abraham, 2010. "A review of building energy regulation and policy for energy conservation in developing countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 7744-7755, December.
    5. Druckman, A. & Jackson, T., 2008. "Household energy consumption in the UK: A highly geographically and socio-economically disaggregated model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 3167-3182, August.
    6. Saidur, R., 2009. "Energy consumption, energy savings, and emission analysis in Malaysian office buildings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 4104-4113, October.
    7. Schimschar, Sven & Blok, Kornelis & Boermans, Thomas & Hermelink, Andreas, 2011. "Germany's path towards nearly zero-energy buildings--Enabling the greenhouse gas mitigation potential in the building stock," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3346-3360, June.
    8. Ward, Ian C., 2008. "What are the energy and power consumption patterns of different types of built environment?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 4622-4629, December.
    9. Vine, E, 2003. "Opportunitites for promoting energy efficiency in buildings as an air quality compliance approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 319-341.
    10. Radhi, H., 2009. "Can envelope codes reduce electricity and CO2 emissions in different types of buildings in the hot climate of Bahrain?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 205-215.
    11. Fayaz, Rima & Kari, Behrouz M., 2009. "Comparison of energy conservation building codes of Iran, Turkey, Germany, China, ISO 9164 and EN 832," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(10), pages 1949-1955, October.
    12. Lowe, Robert & Oreszczyn, Tadj, 2008. "Regulatory standards and barriers to improved performance for housing," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 4475-4481, December.
    13. Druckman, Angela & Chitnis, Mona & Sorrell, Steve & Jackson, Tim, 2011. "Missing carbon reductions? Exploring rebound and backfire effects in UK households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3572-3581, June.
    14. Glass, Jacqueline & Dainty, Andrew R.J. & Gibb, Alistair G.F., 2008. "New build: Materials, techniques, skills and innovation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 4534-4538, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Teng Shao & Wuxing Zheng & Hong Jin, 2020. "Analysis of the Indoor Thermal Environment and Passive Energy-Saving Optimization Design of Rural Dwellings in Zhalantun, Inner Mongolia, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-34, February.
    2. Berardi, Umberto, 2013. "Stakeholders’ influence on the adoption of energy-saving technologies in Italian homes," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 520-530.
    3. El Asri, Najat & Nouira, Youness & Maaroufi, Ibtissam & Marfak, Abdelghafour & Saleh, Nour & Mharzi, Mohammed, 2022. "The policy of energy management in public buildings procurements through the study of the process of delegated project management - Case of Morocco," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    4. Andrey Berezin & Natalia Gorodnova & Bruno S. Sergi & Chanel Tri Handoko & Chrisna T. Permana, 2023. "Prospects for Energy Transition to Hydrogen Fuel: Analysis of World Experience and Russian Practice," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(4), pages 641-653, July.
    5. Yi Lu & Gayani Karunasena & Chunlu Liu, 2022. "A Systematic Literature Review of Non-Compliance with Low-Carbon Building Regulations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-20, December.
    6. Modeste, Kameni Nematchoua & Mempouo, Blaise & René, Tchinda & Costa, Ángel M. & Orosa, José A. & Raminosoa, Chrysostôme R.R. & Mamiharijaona, Ramaroson, 2015. "Resource potential and energy efficiency in the buildings of Cameroon: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 835-846.
    7. Zapata-Lancaster, Gabriela & Tweed, Chris, 2014. "Designers׳ enactment of the policy intentions. An ethnographic study of the adoption of energy regulations in England and Wales," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 129-139.
    8. Pan, Wei & Li, Kaijian & Teng, Yue, 2018. "Rethinking system boundaries of the life cycle carbon emissions of buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 379-390.
    9. Xiaojing Sun & Marilyn A. Brown & Matt Cox & Roderick Jackson, 2016. "Mandating better buildings: a global review of building codes and prospects for improvement in the United States," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(2), pages 188-215, March.
    10. Pan, Wei & Pan, Mi, 2019. "Opportunities and risks of implementing zero-carbon building policy for cities: Hong Kong case," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    11. Killip, Gavin & Owen, Alice, 2020. "The construction industry as agents of energy demand configuration in the existing housing stock," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    12. Katherine Brookfield & Charlotte Dimond & Susannah G. Williams, 2022. "Sustainability Messages in Residential Property Advertising," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pan, Wei & Garmston, Helen, 2012. "Compliance with building energy regulations for new-build dwellings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 11-22.
    2. Pusat, Saban & Ekmekçi, İsmail & Akkoyunlu, Mustafa Tahir, 2015. "Generation of typical meteorological year for different climates of Turkey," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 144-151.
    3. Hache, Emmanuel & Leboullenger, Déborah & Mignon, Valérie, 2017. "Beyond average energy consumption in the French residential housing market: A household classification approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 82-95.
    4. Chitnis, Mona & Sorrell, Steve & Druckman, Angela & Firth, Steven K. & Jackson, Tim, 2014. "Who rebounds most? Estimating direct and indirect rebound effects for different UK socioeconomic groups," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 12-32.
    5. Chitnis, Mona & Sorrell, Steve, 2015. "Living up to expectations: Estimating direct and indirect rebound effects for UK households," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(S1), pages 100-116.
    6. Lena Kilian & Anne Owen & Andy Newing & Diana Ivanova, 2022. "Exploring Transport Consumption-Based Emissions: Spatial Patterns, Social Factors, Well-Being, and Policy Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-26, September.
    7. Ruparathna, Rajeev & Hewage, Kasun & Sadiq, Rehan, 2016. "Improving the energy efficiency of the existing building stock: A critical review of commercial and institutional buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1032-1045.
    8. Chitnis, Mona & Sorrell, Steve & Druckman, Angela & Firth, Steven K. & Jackson, Tim, 2013. "Turning lights into flights: Estimating direct and indirect rebound effects for UK households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 234-250.
    9. Zhen Hu & Mei Wang & Zhe Cheng, 2022. "Mapping the knowledge development and trend of household energy consumption," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6053-6071, May.
    10. Xiaojing Sun & Marilyn A. Brown & Matt Cox & Roderick Jackson, 2016. "Mandating better buildings: a global review of building codes and prospects for improvement in the United States," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(2), pages 188-215, March.
    11. Ingrid Allard & Thomas Olofsson & Gireesh Nair, 2017. "Energy Performance Indicators in the Swedish Building Procurement Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-23, October.
    12. Druckman, Angela & Buck, Ian & Hayward, Bronwyn & Jackson, Tim, 2012. "Time, gender and carbon: A study of the carbon implications of British adults' use of time," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 153-163.
    13. Saunders, Harry, 2013. "Is what we think of as “rebound” really just income effects in disguise?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 308-317.
    14. Hull, David & Ó Gallachóir, Brian P. & Walker, Neil, 2009. "Development of a modelling framework in response to new European energy-efficiency regulatory obligations: The Irish experience," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 5363-5375, December.
    15. Heffernan, Emma & Pan, Wei & Liang, Xi & de Wilde, Pieter, 2015. "Zero carbon homes: Perceptions from the UK construction industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 23-36.
    16. Kamaruzzaman, Syahrul Nizam & Lou, Eric Choen Weng & Wong, Phui Fung & Edwards, Rodger & Hamzah, Noraini & Ghani, Mohd Khairolden, 2019. "Development of a non-domestic building refurbishment scheme for Malaysia: A Delphi approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 804-818.
    17. Thomas, Brinda A. & Azevedo, Inês L., 2013. "Estimating direct and indirect rebound effects for U.S. households with input–output analysis. Part 2: Simulation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 188-198.
    18. Filimonau, Viachaslau & Högström, Michaela, 2017. "The attitudes of UK tourists to the use of biofuels in civil aviation: An exploratory study," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 84-94.
    19. Małgorzata Sztorc, 2022. "The Implementation of the European Green Deal Strategy as a Challenge for Energy Management in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-21, April.
    20. Kelly, Scott & Shipworth, Michelle & Shipworth, David & Gentry, Michael & Wright, Andrew & Pollitt, Michael & Crawford-Brown, Doug & Lomas, Kevin, 2013. "Predicting the diversity of internal temperatures from the English residential sector using panel methods," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 601-621.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:45:y:2012:i:c:p:594-605. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.