Taking the heat

A government-funded programme to help companies construct more energy-efficient buildings has drawn criticism for not considering the effects that the changing climate will have on homes and offices in the future.

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is making £4m available this June to British companies that want to develop design strategies for constructing greener buildings. The scheme aims to reduce emissions from new construction.

David Coley, from Exeter University's Centre for Energy and Environment, said that he applauds the government’s effort to reduce carbon emissions from buildings, which account for 45 per cent of the UK’s total carbon emissions, but he added that it must consider the damage already done to the environment and its effect on existing and future buildings.

‘The government is providing funds so companies can create design tools that will only address energy consumption in the building in use and the energy used to manufacture and transport the materials to construct it,’ he said. ‘The new design strategy won’t address what the temperatures will likely be in bedrooms when we have a heat wave under climate change. If a company were building a project for the housing association, for example, it would need to know whether it was suitable for the elderly.’